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8 Y M P A T II Y •O ftnile to ihofe that emile on ibce ;For there is nought on earth so sweet As when the heart is full of glee,A look of kindred glee to meet;The evening star that shines alone,Can scarcely through the shade he known ;Dot when her sisters n!! arise, § I How brilliant arc the midnight »kie%!VOL. 11.TERRE-HAUTE, IND. SEPTEMBER 2, 1843.“Charles O’Malley” from Mr. Waver during «the day, and was busily engaged in its peru-1 sal, but even that laughable book could not (entirely withdraw my attention from theO weep I or thoftc that weep for thre;For there is nought on earth below Like ruing! ■ % tears of sympathy.For drooping hearts of care and wo. The flowers of pleasures arise again. Like blossoms wet with summer rain ;And hope u turns to light the eye, sunshine wire Liken the cloud* go by.scones enacting a round me.!pm the Bolton Built tin.O Tj D#F III ENDS*I tore old friends, the faithful few Whostiil remain with mo;The fond, tire tricds the good, the true, Upon life's troubled sea.During the day a full length picture of our Saviour, nailed to the cross, was hung upon j the tvalLpn the opposite side of the room from | where my cot was placed. Around this picture were hung several smaller ones, descriptive of the Virgin in different scenes, and also a painting qf St. Lazarus. These were decorated with wreaths and festoons of flowers, and at the foot of all was an altar having a small figure of our Savior executed in wood and dressed in a fashion partaking more of* the modern than the classic style; statutes of the apostles, and I believe even of their great master himself, are sometimes seen in MexicoHowever fortune turns the wheel, These friends are ever near.Our hearts with friendship we do seal, And friendship brings good cheer.Friends cla^p my hands and on me smile, They chase nil gloom away ;And though the world should long revile,Old friends shall make me gay.dressed in military uniforms, with cockedd Thats upon ilieir heads ! Upon ilie altar I hnvo alluded to, in addition to other figures, were n number of massive candle-sticks containing large wax candles, and tho whole affair was very neatly and tastefully sot off with flowers, oranges, stuck full of glitteringDuring the afternoon and evening of tho 14th of April there was a grand row in our room, in which one of our guard received a severe flogging from the corporal. The duty of the soldier on guard was to walk, with his musket at his shoulder, directlv in front of• 4 ** -lour cots both day and night. On the afternoon I refer to. a gambling leper, on the opposite side of the room, had opened a game of monlc upon his cot, and as the guard had that day been paid ofFhe found ready customers and patrons in every one of them. A knot of soldiers and lepers were congregated around him during the afternoon, and among them the corporal of our guard had taken n hand and finally lost, not only his own pay, but that of such of his men as were willing to lend him.iA moro ill-natured morose and vicious fellow than this corporal 1 had not met during all the intercourse 1 was forced to hold with the soldiery of Mexico. His looks stamped him a petty tyrant of the worst description ; for there was a lurking malice in his eve andn sinister expression in his countenance that as plainly denoted his character us n signOld friend? nrc jjcn'rous, they are kind, They will lornive, firgct—Our little faults they do not mind, Because they love us yet.Iflag*, and covered with gold leaf, and many over a grocer’s door tells tho passes-by that ingenious devices that no other people than ' sugar or coffee may be purchased within.— the Mexicans know so well how to get up and The fellow took every occasion to annoy uswould prevent our friends from enteringarrange.At dark tho female lepers, dressed in allour room when they called—deprived us ofTheir love is deep and it is strong, Tlicy'i! risk their all for me,They make my life one happy song. Of sweetest minstrelsy.I love old friends, the faithful few Who still remain with me:The fond, the tried, the good, the true, f.'jion life's troubled sea.their finery, began to assemble, tho numerous i eycry liberty in his power, nnd in short madecandles were lighted, and after all were col- himself odious to nil. Ilis name was Joselected tin; ceremonies of the niglft common- Marin ; and hero I would remark that Joseccd. The hospital attendants with their fam-1 Maria is the John Smith of Mexico. Call theilies, the priests attached to San Laz .ro, with ! name »n nlmost any crowd you may mectf a few v isiters were present and took part in 1 ** W*A very likely be responded to by oneFrom the Kntehcrbochtr.Porno jiiub ago n clover countryman, retarnrd Irom abroad, thus mourned Ida ignorance of the French lun* gonge, ihat ‘Universal longue:’—Never go to FranceUnless you know the lingo,If you do, hka moYou'll repent by jingo !Staring liko a fool,And silent as a mummy,There I stood alone,A notion with u dummy !a long and discordant chaunf, the like of which 1 nm confident has never been heard outside the walls of San. Lrtzaro. Every lino in this wild hymn appeared to end with ‘•Dolores!” and certainly more dolorous sounds can only be imagined. All the lepers joined in the chorus, their harsh, cracked and discordant voices giving an cflect horribly grating to the ear. They did not sing thro’ their noses, for many of them had none to sing through; but they ..gave utterance to j screams and screeches which sounded not of this earth.half the number present.When the wretch had lost his own money, and could borrow no more, he appeared to lose all command of his bad passions. One of our party against whom he had some ill-will he drove to his cot, and soon after he ordered his own men to leave the gambling cot of theleper, and by this means “blocked the game;”but no sooner had he left the room for a fewmcd. Onmoments than the game resyrnnd finding his menturning.K'lioisc*1 »tnnlt;l» for chnirs,Tliujr christen letters ‘Billie* ;They call their mother ‘inure*.’ And all their daughters ‘fillies!’ Btrongc it was to hear:I’ll tell you wlmt n good ’uri: They coll their leather ‘queer.’ And all their shoes aro ‘wooden !’Their appearance, too, kneelingabout it) groups and with their hideous anddisfigured faces lit up by the glare of numerous candles, combined with tho strange and most unnatural chorus, gave the whole affair a strong resemblance to some strange dreamO Dof a disturbed imagination—to some midnight revel of witches nnd hobgoblins, held within a charnel-house. Had tho lepers been array-:re-onco moreengaged, he drew the stick which all theO D 7 .corporals in Mexico carry, and belabored them most unmercifully—and all to gratify his own malicious passions. This closed thegame a second time, but no sooner was his back turned than it was again re-commenced. One of his men had won, by three or four successful bets, some ten or fifteen dollars, all of which he had staked on the turn of a single card. The game of mon/e closely reed in habiliments befitting their unfortunate J sembJeffaro, and the leper had hardly com-• • • • « A ft I «*•• • f W f ■ / #Signs 1 had (o ruako For every littlo notion ;Limbs all going, like A telegraph in motion:For wino, I reeled about To show my meaning fully, And made a pair of hornt, To ntk for‘beef and bully.’lot, nnd Imd their deportment been of a char- menced dealing before Jose Maria againncter consonant with their real condition, the j made his appearance. Walking stealthily opefTcct of the whole scene would have been difTcrent, but to see the wretches flaunting into the cot, the wretch raised his stick and ut tercd a horrible Spanish oath. The poor sol-gaudy apparel, and joyous under the most! dier who had staked his all, saw the upraised horrible affliction which has ever been entail- J instrument, but, Mexican-like his love of theIf I wanted bread,Mr jawa were act n going,And naked for new laid Dy clapping hands and crowing!If I wished a ride,I tell you how 1 got it ;On my stick, astride,I made believe to trot it !ed upon humanity—all this went to forma!picture which may be imagined but cannot be Idescribed.IMISCKI.I.ANEOIJS.THEFrom the X. O. f'tciyunc.TEXAN SANTA FE EXPEDI-ITho I°nS chaunt over, the priests nnd attendants left thn room, and now commenced a performance which was even more singular. One of tho lepers brought forth a lnrp and a wild nna strange dance was immediately got up opposite our cots and within ten yards of us. Many of the dancers were cripples, nnd the performances consisted of alternate singing and dancing. (Hit of such materials the render nm v imagine the kind of exhibition we were compelled to witness. 1 had hoard of a horn pipe in fetters—hero was one ongame overcame all fears of the pain and disgrace of n heating, nnd he continued to watch the cards as tho leper slowly turned them over, one by one. Jose Maria now struck him a violent blow upon the back. He shrugged his shoulders, but still watched the irame with as much intentness ns ever. Another and another blow followed in quick succession, and still tho soldier made no other motion than a slight flinching as the stick fell heavily upon his head or back. The ungovernable passion of tho corporal appeared to gain fresh strength from the stoical indifference of the soldier, nnd he now belabored the poor fellow with blows that cut to theTION.crutches. The horrible orgies were continu- vcr3’ quick; but still be did not move. Hisrr c.r.o. w. kkndall.Strange Present from the Scnora L.—Singular Celebration of the 18/A March—Tl’i77 Chorus of (hr Lepers—Midnight Dances inSan La taro.Two days after the great celebration inBan Lnzaro a present was sent me from nMexican lady, such ns probably never beforewas made in tho country. The Sonora L. is%the wife of nn American resident of Mexico, pretty and exceedingly intelligent, and is well know in the city for her great vocal abilities —having frequently given concerts and also tppeared with much success at the Italian opera. She had called upon me twice while in San Lnzaro. ami with the customary Mexican politeness had ottered me anything nnd everything in her house. The moment u person enters the dwelling of a well-bred Mexican be isnt once told that nil it contains is nt bis disposal ; and to tell the truth one enjoys hospitalities in Mexico be docs not find elsewhere.The present to which ! have alluded was neither more nor less than a largo dish of codfish nnd potatoes, well cooked, and inquantity sufficient to furnish n feast for a score of half-starved Yankees. I happened to bo raised far enough “Down Has! mvselfAwto hnvo a natural fondness for this d:sa, acommon nnd favorite one in that section of the country, and nothin*! the fair Sonora coulded until midnight, nnd ns the actors in thoj scene were well supplied with liquor, tho wild revels grew louder and grew more boisterous as the hours sped along. One by one. exhausted by their eflbrts, they dropped off, andby the time the numerous city hells htul tolled • •I the hour of twelve all again was quiet in our room, save the groans of some more unfortu-all depended uporr the turn of a card, and neither blows nor threats could drive him fromAn un-his position of watching the game, lucky turn in the game at length decided thebet against him, nnd now for the first timehe turned his head. It was only to give a look of stern defiance at his cruel oppressor, for ho did not dare strike back, nnd then ccol-Exhausted with his effortsly walked off.nnte Inzarino, who, from pain and infirmity, ( .had been unable to join in ceremonies at once • ose Marta, now pale Irom exertion nnd pns-pnrtaking of the grotesque and solemn. i S10n»a!soIcfl ll,c sPof» and lt;\UiCl asonco morej restored.1 have related this anecdote to show howDeath of Another Leper—distressing Coughs ,—Climate of Mexico—A Gambling Scene deep-seated is the passion, for gaming in in San La tarn—Character of a Mexican Mexico. From the lepero to the highest Corporal—Passion of the Mexicans Jar dignitary—men an I women—all or nearly Gamin*. ' 1 all are alike nfllicted with the pas-From the Ctli to tho 14th of April our limo sion- Tl,e' °°. llle S™'**1 inpassed heavily nnd drearily in San Lnzaro. One poor leper died in our room during this period, a distressing cough cutting short days to which his deplorable malady would inevitably have soon put an end. Whether he hadmoro money or influence than some of the«*unfortunates who bad here ended the journey of life before him I knew not : but the nmhtceremonies on the occasion were upon a scale more grand and imposing than were those which took place at the death of any other leper who died during my imprisonment in the hospital. The procession of priests nnd attendants was larger, there were more ean-diflerence to loss, and instances are daily occurring, where a man will lose his hat, shoes, blanket, and even the very shirtfrom his back, with n degree of nonchalance which in any other situation would be highly commendable. He fears no pain or disgrace—starvation he looks upon with utter indifference in’ short, so deep-seated andstrong is his passion for any game of chance that the Mexican will stake a month’s food in advance upon the turn of a single card, even were he to know that starvation would be the inevi-That theredies burning, and they appeared to shed even a more lurid glare upon the gloomy and van0* V - - — — — ——- ' - - — — — —- I *r;. —have sent me would have been more ncccpla* j countenances of the lepers in the farther parts Me. 1 warmed and re* warmed the dish, j of the room than on any previous funeral oc-' morning, noon and night, and day after dav, j casion. At every interval when the parox-table result of an unlucky deal, are many gentlemen in Mexico who do not gamble I have little doubt; but ns a generalrule all classes are more or less addicted to games of chance.for it lasted more than a week, and during this time the regular hospital fare found no favor in my eyes. Th0 husband of the lady, who was a native of the sea coast of Massachusetts, was doubtless a great lover of thisCajKj Cod luxury, and as I was a Pa it a no ofysms of coughing left them, the lepers muttered prayers for the repose of their departed comrade and smote their breasts, violently, j ns if in penance for their own unconfesscd j trangrcssions. Amid low murmured prayers, the burning of incense, and the monotonous.4 Restless Might—More of Jose Maria's III Nature—An Early Visiter—Good News —Prospect of' a Speedy Release—Santa Anna—His Plans and Measures—General Refect ions.bis the Senom supposed that I too was fond of ringing of a bell, the procession left our room it. She was certainly right in her conicc-: and again all was gloom ; a dismal quiettures, although I doubt whether my partiality j reigned, broken only by the distressing coughs for it would have been as great under other which were heard on every side. These circumstances. Tho further we findFour hours after tho events related in’my last occurred, sleep did not visit my eye-iids. A continued succession of unearthly nnd horrible sounds from the lepers around me sounds intended for voughs, but which resembled more the las', rattling struggles of dying men—would alone have prevented sleep ; but to these were added an extreme difficulty of respiration on my own part,and the unceasing annoyances of Jose Marta. The wretch hadour-; coughs sounded entirely unlike any thing Iselves from the scenes, the customs, and the had previously heard, the sufferers being ap-dinncrs of our childhood, the moro do ween- patently half strangled with the paroxysms, joy any thing resembling them, especially ; ^here is a’rarity in the atmosphere'of Mexico, tho latter, which we may chance to meet in nt certain seasons, which renders respiratiorv-~'Seeu that we took part in the general dissatis-our wanderings. i difficult; and accompanying a *!ight cough faction manifested at his inhuman conduct,On Friday the 18th March, one week be- which I had at the time. I suffered from a and sought his revenge by counting us every fore Good Friday, they bad some kind of a ' difficulty of breathing closely niiied to the half hour until after midnight. Not content celebration in our room the object of which | phthisic, and which occasioned me much an* j w*lh simply examining (ich cot closely, he I did not learn. I had received a codv of i nova nee. held a lanthorn directly ia our faces, andso that the light could not but awaken us even had we been ever so much disposed to sleep on. It was not until he himself became completely weary with too much wa'c’iing that he ceased his annoying and uncalled for attentions, after which 1 was enabled to fall into a doze.At an early hour the next morning, evenbefore the sun had yet risen, I was awakened by a hearty shake of my shoulders. On o-pening my eyes I was not a little astonished on seeing Mr. Mayer sitting by the side of me oe my narrow cot. The unusual hour, coupled with tho fact that his face wore an expression of much satisfaction convinced me that he was the bearer of glad tidings, and with not a little curiosity I inquired of him the news.Mr. M, informed me llmt there was now every prospect of my speedy liberation, together with five or six of the other prisoners who had claimed American protection. He further stated that Mr. Ellis had had an interview with Santa Anna, at which the latter manifested a dispositon to give an order for our release so soon as certain movements on the part of the American goverment, and some of its citizens, could be satisfactorily explained. Among these, Santa Anna referred to the facts that n number of United States men of war had either anchored or been seen ofTSacrificios, and that there was a rumor that young Frank Coombs had entered Texas from the United Slates with a body of men, whose intention was to invade the Mexican Ter-He further mentioned the case ofritoryyoung Spencer, whose movements in New Orleans nnd Texas at thut time were of a suspicious nature, and that there might be some design against Mexico at the bottom of them.That all these circumstances could be sosatisfactorily explained, us in no way to compromise the dignity of either Mexico or the U-nited Sates. Mr. Mayer expressed himself confident, and at the same time congratulated me upon the prospect of once more regaining that liberty of which I had now been deprived for a term of seven months. After informing me, in addition to the above, that Gen. VVadJy Thompson, the new minister to Mexico, had arrived at Vera Cruz nnd was then on thet:ry ' » , m rvr- - » — . • «•- » t :* i ^ . * * * i l.'f ■ u . t 'road to the capital, and promising himself tocall upon me during the ensuing day, Mr.M. left San Lazaro.That I was not a little elated with this favorable torn in my affairs may be readily imagined. I had all along been of the belief that Santa Anna would keep me in confinement so long as he could find any pretext forsugjf n course ; but that the moment he found he could no fonser detain me ha would thenfind some excuse for granting my release. Ho now saw that the subject of my imprisonment had excited a lively interest in tho U-nited States; that meetings were being heldat different points, having for the object a callupon this government to demand the release of such Americans ns were entitled to its protection; that several of the Stqte legislative assemblies had passed strong resolutions to that effect. He moreover was aware that Gen.Thompson, a gentleman whose character for promptness nnd decision was well known, was now on liis way to Mex:co as the accredited minister of the United States, and ho naturally enough supposed, from the tone of the public journals, that he must bring with him stronger instructions in relation to our release than any which had been previously sent to Mr. Eilis. With nil these circumstances staring him in the face, it was plain enough that the great Santa Anna was disposed to shufllo out of a dilemma in which he found himself involved ; and to do it with ns good a grace as possible, and to preserve the dignity of the Mexican nation spotless, ho now at once came to the conclusion to get rid of us on as good terms as possible. Hence his artful ruse to have the movements I have alluded to above—those in relation to thesquadron, of young Spencer—accounted for, knowing all the while there was really nr thing in them calculated to arouse the suspicions of his government.But even should Santa Anna refuse to grant my release, I still had the satisfaction of knowing that my individual case would be definitely acted upon—that I must shortly know my fate, whatever it might be. Should tho Mexican government still refuse to give mo up f had made every arrangement to effect an escape.—In doing this I had studiously avoided implicating any member of our legation, but on the contrary had found friends among the foreigners, who promised to assist me in any way. Money, that great talisman I had nt my command to nn amrtunt that would have opened any prison door in Mexicc; nnd in addition to this the escape ov«r tho wall,a mode I have previously nliuded to, was open so long as I remained in San Lazrrr?. With all th**» v flattering circumstances it will at once be imagined that my spirits were not a little raised,nnd that my mind was relieved of my apprehensions by the bright anticipations of once more regaining my liberty, either through the influence of my government or by my own individual exelions.
Newspaper Details
Terre Haute Wabash Courier
Terre Haute, Indiana, US
Sat, Sep 02, 1843
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 04 Apr 2023
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