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Tampico, December 14, 1835. Dear Sir:-This morning twenty-eight unfortunate victims of treachery and villany, part of Mehia,s expedition, were shot. 1 hand you enclosed a list of them, with a petition presented to the Military Commandant, by several foreigners and Mexicans drawn up and signed by the prisoners, but aJas, it was not in his power to meet their solicitude. The papers enclosed were sent lo me by the curate who attended them in their last moments; they requested that they might be printed in New Orleans. The letter from Jonas H. Steward, and the petition to the Commandant were given lo me at the prison gate on Sunday morning. I had them translated into Spanish, and presented them myself to the Commandant, and am satisfied that had he the power he would have complied with their last request. You have here a full view, as will the government and people of the United Stales have of the hideous crime committed in the port of New Orleans, of God and of honor, under the pretence of populating Texas, a number of distressed and unfortunate beings are entrapped and put on board the schooner Mary Jane, Captain Hall, under the express stipulation and understanding that they are bound for Matagorda and Calveslown in Texas, as the clearance of said vessel at the custom house in New Orleans on the 6th ultimo indicates; it was farther understood that they were to have lands on their arrival there and a free passage; but mark the result. Such as has been the fate of these unfortunate men, was near lo have been inflicted on every American in this place-such enterprizes may in New Orleans be termed mercantile speculations; they are worthy of such men as enter into them and I do not envy their feeling.
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