Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-08-05

OF musketry was heard IN the direction
of the river beyond the fort. The cry
then arose among our men that they
were shooting the prisoners. The firing
was kept up for several minutes, and
then it died away in occasional shots.
The firing commenced at the grave
yard. The intervening bushes pre-
vented our seeing anything save the
occasional CLEAN of bayonet, but 1
could hear the trampling of feet and
the shouts and groans of dying men
distinctly.
Meanwhile my attention was directed
to the party that had marched out on
the road in front of the fort. They
were in plain view. Some accounts of
this massacre say that the prisoners
were shot while in sitting postures.
This was not the fact as to the party
coming under my notice. They halted,
when fairly out on the open prairie, the
soldiers forming line facing down the
road. The prisoners were then placed
in single line facing the soldiers. The
soldiers then faced the prisoners, and
at the command leveled their pieces,
and each soldier fired at the man direct
ly in front of him. About a third of
the prisoners fell, others stood appar-
entity astounded until bayoneted, but
about forty of them ran in various di-
rections. Not one of these fugitives
escaped, however, as all were pursued
ana either sabered by the dragons or
killed by the lancers.
The wounded prisoners, about thirty
in number, were murdered in the open
area, inside the fortifcation. Major
Dominguez, a yellow, pink eyed man, a
refugee from San Domingo, had charge
of this part of the massacre. He OBJ
tanned it by request, being friend of
Gen. Garay. This is the man who, at
Aqua Dulce, caused Capt. Grant to be
placed on the back ola wild horse, with
lasso round his neck. The horse was
then whipped till, maddened, he dashed
away, dragging Capt. Grant through a
thorny chaparlal. Grant was left dead
upon the ground and mangled in hor-
rible manner. This miscreant that
morning hacked a wounded boy to
death while the lad was on his knees
praying. He and his assistants then
stabbed the wounded men to death, first
dragging them from the hospital floor.
Meanwhile Father Maloney, the curate
of San Patricio, pushed the three Ameri
can physicians and their assistants into
the vestry, and shut the door. He had
hardly done so when Sonora Pachita
Alavesque entered, and asked if they
were still alive. The priest answered
that they were in the vestry, but that
he expected Dominguez for them every
moment. "Give him this note," she
said, "and if he dares to treat it with
disrespect, he shall never pass that door
alive" Soon Dominguez entered.
"Show him the note, father" said
Pachita. Dominguez read the note,
which was signed "Garay," and it di-
rected that the three physicians and
their assistants should be reserved from
execution. Dominguez walked away
with an air of disappointment.
The last assassination was that of Col.
Fannin. The colonel being wounded,
was led out and seated in chair. An
interpreter, Capt. Splan, had been left
for the purpose of explaining anything
that the colonel might have to say. The
colonel took from his pocket letter and
a watch, and asked that they be sent to
his wife. He then handed the officer
some doubloons, which he begged him
to accept, requesting that he would have
him shot through the heart and decently
buried. All this was promised, the off
Ger pocketing the money. Fannin was
then blindfolded, shot through the
head, his clothes stripped off, and the
body dragged out through the main
gateway, and left lying on the grass.
After Fannin was murdered, the off
Ger ordered Splan to take his seat in
the chair, as he also was going to shoot
him. Capt. Splan replied that he had
been reserved as an interpreter.
"We have no further use for inter-
prefers now," said the officer, "all the
Americans have been shot. Take your
seat"
At that critical moment an officer with
whom Splan had slight acquaintance
was passing. Splan hailed him, and
they commenced talking about the exc
cution of Fannin, which had Just taken
place. Becoming impatient, the officer
ordered Splan once more to take the
chair. The officer told the commander
of the firing party that he would be re-
sponsible for Splan, and taking him by
the arm, they walked away together.
The officer conducted the captain to
where we were stationed, and then left
him to seek the commander. It was
here, from Capt. Splan's own lips, that
L learned the particulars of Fannin's
death. He had scarcely finished his
narrative, when an orderly came up and
told him he was wanted by the COM
mander. He bade us an affectionate
adieu, saying he had no doubt that he
was going to be shot, and walked off
with the orderly. Happily, he was mis-
taken. The next morning he was started
off to Matameras with returning pro-
vision train.
The soldiers stripped the clothing
from the dead bodies of their victims,
and, making bundle of the CORY vest
ments, hung them on their bayonets,
and thus marched back to their quar-
ters. AS they came past where we were,
one fellow raised his gun, shaking his
bloody bundle at us. Some of them got
bank notes out of the prisoners clothes,
of the value of which they knew nothing.
That afternoon man came to our quar-
ters and offered twenty dollar United
States bank note for fifty cents. He
succeeded in effecting sale. A lancer
came with q pair of boots hanging to
his saddle, which he offered for "dos
reals" Davy Strong wanted boots very
badly, and thought they would fit him.
Many of the men cried out "shame to
Davy, but he paid the money and pulled
them on.
The bodies of the murdered men were
burnt at the places where they died.