TAMPECO, Dec. 14, 1835.
Dear Sir—
This morning twenty-eight
unfortunate victims of treachery and villiny,
part of Mehi's expedition, were shot.
I had 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 alas, it was not in his power to meet
their solicitations.
The papers enclosed, were sent to me
by the curate who attended them in their
last moments—they requested that they
might be printed in New Orleans.
The letter from Jon
[...]
H. Steward, and
the petition to the Commandant, were
given to 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 well as
the Government and people of the United
States have, of the hideous crime committed
in the port of New Orleans, against
the laws 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, Capt. Hull, under the express
stipulation and understanding that they
are bound for Matagorda and Galveston, in
Texas, as the clearance of said vessel at
the custom house in New Orleans, on the
6th ult. It was further understood that they
were to have lands on their arrival there,
and a free passage, and mark the result
such as has been the fate of these unfortunate
men, was near to have been inflicted
on every American in this place. Such
enterprise may, in New Orleans be termed
mercantile speculation—they are worthy
of such men as enter into them—and I do
not envy them their feelings.