Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Third Session of the Fortieth Congress
Mr. Sullivan to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith, (A, B, C,) correspondence had between myself and the United States consal at Carthagena, on the subject of the evidence and trials of the murderers of American citizens at Oarthagena, on the 1st of September last.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
A.
Mr. Hanaberg to Mr. Sullivan.
Sir: I have the honor to remit you herewith a translated copy of the testimony of Mr. Manuel A. Oronoz, before the provincial court, in relation to the occurrences of the [Page 1053] 1st of September last, which testimony was only called for on the 31st of December. This copy of the testimony was furnished to me by the President of the State at my request.
I also send you a copy of the Gaceta de Bolivar, No. 532, which contains the report of the secretary general of the State to the general government in relation to the same occurrences, and accompanying the same some remarks of my own in reference to some of the contents of said report.
It may be proper that these remarks should be made public, the same as the report, but this could only be done by communicating them to the authorities of the State, which might lead to a controversy with the government, for which I have neither the time nor disposition.
In the same official paper will be found the report of the judge as to the state of the question before the court encharged with the investigation.
The testimony which has been requested from Santa Martha, as therein referred to, is that of Mr. Dornin, who returned to the United States some three months since.
I was informed a few days since that the carpenter, Franco, one of the persons accused of the murder of Mr. Borchart, was seen and spoken to by the person who informed me, at work at his trade in the street. I mentioned the circumstance to the President of the State in a private interview, when his excellency assured me that such could not have been the case, as this man was confined in the public hospital, from which he could not go out except by permission of the authorities, which permission had not been given.
I have no doubt it is true, however, as also that the other accused persons are allowed to leave the hospital, as has been reported to me, notwithstanding his excellency may not be aware of the fact.
The President also informed me that the national troops which had formed the escort of General Mosquera as far as Panama were to return to the capital instead of remaining in this city, as had been promised.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
General Peter J. Sullivan, United States Minister, Bogota.
Translation of the testimony of Manuel A. Oronoz before the provincial court.
In Carthagena the thirty-first of December, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in which appeared Mr. Manuel Anto. Oronoz, the judge of the province proceeded to receive his oath, previously reading the conducent articles of the penal code, under which charge he promised to tell the truth as to what he knows and may be asked.
Questioned as to his name and surname, age, nationality, residence, profession, and state, he answered: named as is written; forty years of age; native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela; resident of this place; merchant, and married.
Questioned that he should say what he knows or is aware of in relation to the occurrences which took place the 1st of September of the present year, at 7 o’clock at night, in the building Hotel Bolivar, and which resulted in the death of an American officer of the steamer Rayo, Geo. A. Borchart, he answered: that effectually on the 1st of September mentioned, in the evening, the deponent was in the Hotel Bolivar, as the place had been and is his dwelling-place, and that he cannot deny that he was an actual witness of the horrible scandal which in the end resulted in the death of the North American and a companion also of Borchart; that of the group or multitude of people that was in the hotel that night he knew but very few persons, except a young man, Peñaranda, who may justly be called the general promoter and instigator of the disgraceful occurrences of that night; that he also saw there Mr. Miguel Céspedes, second commander of the battalion rejenerador, Mr. Vicente Barrios, an officer of the same force, and a carpenter named Franco; that at the present moment he does not remember, as he has already said, the name of any of the crowd, because the greater part being unknown to the deponent, it would require time to make reminiscences; that he does not deny, as he said in the beginning, that he was in the hotel on the night of the 1st of September; but he only remained there until the assassins, assisted by armed soldiers of the battalion before mentioned, fell upon Borchart; that during this act, so horrible and repugnant to the deponent, he left the house, leaving therein of the persons who resided there, only the house-maid, Mrs. Antonia Gallardo, and a servant, called Juan; that at about 11 o’clock at night he returned to his lodgings and found all in silence, but from this moment he employed himself with Colonel Perea and the proprietor of the hotel in the means of saving and embarking of Mr. Dornin, who was wounded, and his companion Smith, who were delivered by the deponent and the two persons previously mentioned, to the American consul, at 1 o’clock at night; which is what he recollects of the occurrences of the 1st of September mentioned.
[Page 1054]Questioned, who are the assassins who fell upon Borchart as stated by the deponent in his previous answer, assuring that he was an actual witness, and did not leave the house until after the death of Borchart was consummated, as well as the wounding of Dornin, he answered: That in a crowd of so many persons who disputed the means of entrance to the room in which the person who was the victim had taken refuge, and the greater part of those composing the mob being unknown to him, he cannot precisely state who were the authors of the crime. When, even had the deponent been in the midst of the crowd who killed Mr. Borchart, could he say with certainty who struck him first or who afterwards? Questioned, if the deponent knows who were the first who entered the hotel before the concurrence became numerous, and who were the first to attack the American officers, he answered: to the first, that he did not know those who came in at the commencement, and if there was any one known to the deponent he does not remember at present; to the second part, that from this former answer it may be understood that the deponent, incapable of telling falsehoods, cannot conscientiously say who killed Mr. Borchart or who wounded Mr. Dornin.
Questioned, what other persons can give an account of the occurrences which are being investigated, he answered that in the first place Mrs. Antonia Gallards, who can describe the whole of the terrible drama if she has a good memory; in the second, a servant of the hotel called Juan, whom he has already mentioned; in the third, Mr. Nicolas Peñaranda; and in the fourth, the same proprietor of the hotel, Mr. Marcos Isaacs; with which was concluded the examination, and having been read to the deponent he affirmed and ratified it, signing after the judge and before me, the subscriber, secretary.
A true copy:
Tel de la Espriella.
[Translation.]
Report of Eujenio Baena, secretary general of the State of Bolivar, to the secretary of the interior and foreign relations of the federal government.
By the mail of the 29th ultimo, I announced to you, by order of the President, that I would send you a circumstantial and authentic account of the lamentable events of the 1st of September last. This has not been done, because it was supposed the occurrences were of no international importance; but as the minister resident of the United States of North America has unjustly blamed the State authorities for them, I will make the report in full, to show the inaccuracy of the assertions made by the respectable minister resident.
On the 27th of June last, Cartajena Bay was the theater of a horrid crime. Political events in the republic prevented its punishment. Its perpetrators were adventurers of the worst character.
The national war steamer Colombia was anchored in the bay. On board were Colonel Flores, Purser Granados, Surgeon Revollo, Ensign Arosemena, Lieutenant Rodriguez, (with eight men,) and some American sailors. Mr. W. Bradford, the American captain, was ashore. Near the Colombia was anchored the steamer Rayo, with an American crew of fifty-five men under the command of Captain E. G. Read. On the 17th of June, at eleven o’clock at night, the crew of the Rayo, commanded by Read, went on board the Colombia, after shootiug the sentry, and with rifles and revolvers began shooting in every direction. Four men sprang into the water, to escape certain death; two of them were drowned, and the other two swam two miles to land.
The aggressors then seized the Colombia and forced the pilot to steer out of the bay. This pilot was brought on board the Rayo under the pretext to take Mr. Miguel Vengoechea, jr., and his baggage ashore. The vessel stopped at the castle of Boca Chica and took in coal from bunkers that were broken open. It was bound for Santa Martha.
Early the next morning, far out at sea, not wishing to murder the Colombians on board, Vengoechea put them in an open boat, without rudder, oars, or sails, and sent them adrift, without bread or water. These men were Flores, Rodriguez, Revollo, Granados, and Arosemena, with four common soldiers. Thanks to the wind and current, they reached land safely.
On the morning of the 28th, as soon as the facts were known, the indignation of the people of Cartagena was immense, and the hate of the officers of the Rayo is still intense, though many months have elapsed. Only four days previous, part of the crew [Page 1055] took the Italian Star, which had been seized by the Colombia for a transport, though not used, because it grounded in beating out of port.
Before this was done, gunpowder was secreted in the steamer Rayo, so that if the fires were lit in the vessel, an explosion would have occurred, to the destruction of the steamer and contiguous vessels.
This abduction of the Colombia, though effected without bloodshed, caused general indignation. It was done by officers of a friendly vessel, by perfidy and assassination. The only motive was to get a few thousand dollars, and political passions had nothing to do with the act.
Now this crime gave rise to the events of the 1st of September, our main subject.
On Sunday, the 1st of September, at half past five in the afternoon, the royal mail steamer entered the bay, having on board Borchart and Murdaugh, the men who were afterward murdered. Two Americans, late officers of the Rayo, were also on board. Nobody expected them, and therefore the authorities could not prevent what occurred two hours afterwards. It may also be well to state that two residents of this city, Mr. Eloi Porto and Mr. Felipe S. Paz, came as passengers on the English steamer, and warned Borchart, Murdaugh, Dornin, and Smith not to come ashore, as the inhabitants were incensed against them for their past conduct. Ramon S. Sanchez, an American, also advised them not to land. They said they would go armed, to defend themselves; and they then got drunk before they put foot on the custom-house wharf. At seven o’clock they landed, fully armed, as they had been told that they would be attacked. The news of their arrival had already been circulated, and they were expected at the landing.
Instead of going to the authorities for protection, all except one went to the Bolivar Hotel; the one went to the club-house. As they entered the hotel, boasting that they were armed, Mr. Peñaranda circulated the report that Borchart, Dorning, and Smith had tried to kill General Mendoza Llanos, who was stopping at the hotel, and had sworn to take the lives of other State officers, in revenge for the defeat on the Magdalena, on the 1st of July.
This was believed, because David Pereira, governor of the State of Magdalena, had been murdered only fifteen days before, by a band of ruffians at Baranquilla. Commander Cespedes and Captain Barrios then went to the hotel to learn the truth of the report. On reaching there, they found a crowd of two hundred persons, with a few idle soldiers among them. As soon as Cespedes and Barrios arrived the row began by an attack on them by the ex-officers of the Rayo. Revolvers were freely used, and Barrios was slightly wounded. No Americans were hurt. The combat was stopped by the fortunate intervention of Mr. Peñaredenda and others
When Cespedes and Barrios had left the hotel, the mob broke in, and killed Borchart in his hiding place.
All this was done so suddenly, that the governor of the province, with some troops, could only save the lives of Smith and Dornin, who were wounded. Borchart was already dead.
At the beginning of the fight the President of the State ordered officers to be ready in case of any difficulty; but they were too late to do much good.
While this was going on at the Bolivar Hotel, a party of six or eight men went into the club-house and murdered Murdaugh; by the time the forces got there the murderers were gone.
This is the true account of the affair.
The district alcalde instituted an examination that very night.
The lives of Smith and Dornin were saved by the public authorities, and not by Mrs. Gallardo and Mr. Peñaredenda, as the American consul states.
Between nine and ten at night the consul asked assistance from the President of the State to put Doming and Smith on board, and he was furnished with a squad of soldiers’ for that purpose. They were taken from the Bolivar Hotel about midnight, and put on board the royal mail steamer.
In a letter to the governor, Dornin has falsely stated that the American and English consuls asked the President to save the lives of the two men, and he agreed to do so, provided the consuls would give their word of honor to send them off in the steamer Tyne.
Mr. Hanaberg called on the President at ten o’clock, after the murders had been committed, and the mob had scattered. If what Dornin said had been true, the consul would have mentioned it in his note to the minister resident. Neither is it true that the proprietor of the hotel asked the President for a guard to protect his establishment.
In his deposition, the hotel-keeper says nothing of what Dornin asserted to be true.
Dornin confesses that he and Borchart tried to get arms at Logan’s before they went to the hotel, and that they passd through a crowd without being disturbed. Why did they not go to the authorities, instead of preparing to defend themselves?
[Page 1056]Dornin pretends to give the names of those who attacked them, when he does not know Cespedes, Barrios, nor Vives.
Mrs. Gallardo and Mr. Peñaredenda, eye-witnesses, who could have no inducement to prevaricate, state in their depositions that Berchart was killed by two soldiers, after Cespedes had left the hotel. The witnesses saw Borchart killed, and Dornin was not present. Which must we believe?
Dornin says Borchart’s body was mutilated; the medical autopsy does not corroborate it; there were two wounds upon it from fire-arms, and one slight cut. Instigated by the declared enemies of the government of Bolivar, Dornin makes a declaration that is not worth the contradiction. His whole story is prompted by malevolence and the desire of revenge.
You will see from accompanying papers, that a due judicial investigation of the whole affair has been made by the proper authorities.
Commander Cespedes, Captain Barrios, and Lieutenant Marquez have been discharged from the service, and are now in prison; so is Nicolas Franco. This shows the determination of the State government to punish the offenders.
I also send you No. 522 of the official paper, containing the correspondence with the American consul on the subject of the events of the 1st of September, and if I get the report of the trial I will also forward it. (It was received and sent.)
In conclusion, I solemnly protest against the imputation upon the government of Bolivar of the crimes of the 1st of September. This is necessary, not for the Bolivians who know the proverbial honesty of their rulers, but for the people of other States, who are imposed upon by the anonymous publications in some of the Bogota papers, where the people are still angry with the people of Bolivar for their conduct in the crisis of April and August last.
I have not commented on the note of the governor of Magdalena to the President of the Union, in relation to the first events here mentioned, because it would make this communication too long. No one can tell why the governor of that State ventured to give information not asked for, and about occurrences of which he knew nothing, and which, of course, he could not properly appreciate.
C.
Remarks in relation to some of the contents of the communication of the secretary general of the State of Bolivia to the secretary of the interior and foreign relations of the national government, in reference to the occurrences of the 1st of September last.
1. It is here stated that two men of the crew of the steamer Colombia were drowned in making their escape from that vessel at the time she was seized by the officers and crew of the Rayo. I doubt if this was the case, for the following reason: On that occasion a man swam on board of an American brig lying in the harbor, and stated that himself and a companion had jumped overboard from the Colombia, and as his companion had not reached the same brig he supposed he had been drowned, but he may have reached the shore, which was not more than a quarter of a mile distant.
2. There appears to be no doubt but that the furnaces of the Rayo were found to be charged with powder and combustibles a few days after she was abandoned by her officers and crew, but Commander Read and several of the officers have most emphatically denied that either themselves or any of the officers of that vessel had any knowledge of anything of the kind, and intimate that it must have been done after they left the vessel.
3. The assertion that the officers and crew of the Rayo were induced to take off the Colombia by the offer of several thousand dollars for so doing, is evidently false, as it has been most emphatically characterized by an impartial foreign official at Santa Martha, who was in a position to know, as he was encharged with the settlement of the claims of those officers and crew against the State of Magdalena.
4. If the four ex-officers of the Rayo came on shore from the royal mail steamer Tyne perfectly armed, as here stated, what necessity was there for their endeavoring to procure arms at Mr. Logan’s, as stated in this same communication?
5. The Señor Peñaredenda Transante here mentioned was a secretary or attaché of some kind of General Mendoza Llanes. He was never arrested, or called upon even for his testimony.
6. Commander Cespedes and Captain Barrios went to the hotel from the cuartel with the avowed intention of attacking the officers of the Rayo, as related to me by Mr. Manuel Gomez, (privately,) who was present when Cespedes expressed such intention to Commander Manuel Gonzales Caraso.
7. The statement that the officers of the Rayo presented themselves to the crowd at the hotel in the “attitude of attack,” is destitute of truth, as appears from the [Page 1057] declarations of Antonio Grallardo and Juan Maria Callero, the only witnesses who have testified in relation to that part of the occurrence.
8. That the party who entered the club and killed Mr. Murdaugh consisted of “six or eight persons,” is a most extraordinary assertion. Mr. Juan de Dios Ruiz, who evidently avoided telling half of what he saw, swore that there were more than one hundred, and Dr. del Real and Dr. Juan W. Pombo state that it was a multitude of armed men.
9. There is not the least ground for the statement that the presence of the authorities was the cause of saving the lives of Messrs. Dornin and Smith. According to all testimony on the subject there was no lawful exercise of authority in the premises, neither did the governor present himself until the outrage was terminated by the murder of Mr. Borchart, and the secretion of Messrs. Dornin and Smith, which was done by the mother of the proprietor of the hotel and by the proprietor himself, in such a manner that even the governor himself and his picket of soldiers could not discover them, although they searched the house with that object after the excitement was over, as stated in the testimony of Mr. Marcos Isaacs. Besides, if those officers were rescued by the intervention of the authorities, as it pretended, those authorities should be able to state how, where, and from whom they had rescued them.
10. It is not only Mr. Dornin who states that the body of Mr. Borchart was found to be mutilated. Eye-witnesses have sworn to the fact that they saw the carpenter, Nicholas Franco, striking him with a chisel at the time he was killed.
11. If, as here stated, there were among the two hundred or more persons in the attack at the hotel but a few soldiers who happened to be on the streets, not on duty, the retreat not yet having been called, how is it that the witnesses swear that the crowd was composed principally of soldiers, who were armed with muskets or rifles? There is no doubt that one of the wounds of Mr. Borchart was caused by a ball from a rifle or musket.
I would also remark that the charge having been made that the victims of these outrages were shot at by the soldiers, an examination of the arms and munitions of those soldiers who were outside of the cuartel at the time would have proved the truth or falsity of the charge, and in the first case have discovered the criminals. Why was such an examination not made?
B.
Mr. Sullivan to Mr. Hanaberg.
Sir: Your dispatch of the 14th ultimo, with inclosures, commenting on the report of he secretary general of the State of Bolivar to the secretary for foreign relations of Colombia on the outrage and murder committed on American citizens at Carthagena on the 1st of September last, has been received.
I have again to repeat my thanks for the vigilant and efficient manner in which you have discharged your duty in this memorable matter, and the concise mode in which you have carried out my intimation to you to give me your comments on the testimony and result of these cases.
I shall make use of your said dispatch and most valuable accompaniments in due time.
I am, sir, your most obedient servant,
Aug. S. Hanaberg, Esq., United States Consul, Carthagena.