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PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BuoNAPARTE LA.MAR
and was in such great danger of falling that he was obliged to return to its defence. The enemy in Granada was defeated with immense slaughter but in Massaya remained unmolested. During the attack on Granada on the afternoon of the 12th. of October 1850, certain events occurred to which I would beg to call your Excellencies special attention. Four American neutrals, John B. Lawless, Exq, an American merchant long resident in the country, and universally respected, the Revd. Messrs. Ferguson and Wheeler agents of Bible Societies in U. S., and a cart-man named Carson, were most brutally murdered by order of Col (Now Oeneral) Estrada commander of the legitimist, or Nicaragua forces. They were taken prisoners in Mr Lawless' house whither the three last mentioned persons had gone with their families for greater security. They were thence conducted to a house in the Jalteba, when, Col Estrada who happened to be pass- ing, observed them standing in the end of a corridor, and ordered them to be shot instantly. Without giving them a moment for preparation a guard of some twenty men opened an indiscriminate fire upon the unhappy men who fell pierced with many balls. Mr Lawless who attempted to rise on his feet was despatched by Col Estrada himself with a sword. I saw the body of my unfortunate friend the next day and there were not less than half a dozen sword-cuts and stabs which had been inflicted by the brutal ,vretch upon his person, each of which would have caused death. The bodies of the rest of the victims were full of bayonet thrusts. The man who arrested the deceased parties, a Nicaraguan Colonel, had his life saved but one year before from the rage of the Americans by Mr Lawless and after Judas-like betraying his friend to the death, returned to his house in company with others and violated the wife and daughter of Mr Ferguson and the wife of Mr Carson which fiendish act was afterwards repeated by at least half a dozen common soldiers. Their diabolical proceedings concluded with forcing the iron safe of Mr Lawless and taking therefrom it is said about six thousand dollars. What gives the infernal dye to this awful transaction is that Mr Lawless was well known to every native of the country, had resided here many years, and in all the revolutions that had occurred, had accted the perfect nutral. This he pleaded to pro- tect his life, as also the holy offices of two of his companions. But that they were americans set asside all other considerations in the eyes of their brutal murderers The above facts are of common publicity in Granada though I am not aware that they have ever been laid before our irovernment. Col (now Gen) Estrada is commander of the guard of Honor in l\fanagua. In this connection it ma:v be well though apart from the regular narative of facts as they occurred to allude to other outrages uppon neutral Amrrican,; which haYe come within my knowledge. Christofer Lilly the master of a small trading vessel and a sailor named Yates were murdered by the Guatemalf'ans in the port of La Union in San Salvador on the 16th. of Fbruary la,-t. They sailed from San Juan Del Sud for Manzanilla in Mexico, with a cargo of coffe &, rncao but a stro11g- noth [sicl wind occurring, their little vessel was <lisahlecl and compelled to put into Realejo, At this moment the Guatemalf'an Squa,lron came along and Commander Knote offered to tow them into La l"Tnion which offer was accepted; but on arriving
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