No. 118.
Mr. Williamson to Mr. Fish.
Guatemala, August 11, 1874. (Received Sept. 23.)
Sir: The supreme court of war has announced its decision in the cases of Gonzalez and Bulnes, the perpetrators of the outrage upon the British vice-consul, Magee.
[Page 178]The sentence in the case of Gonzalez is, in all respects, like that of which you were informed in my dispatch No. 194, except the punishment is increased from live to ten years. The latter, Bulnes, is pronounced guilty of a misdemeanor, and is deprived of his right to hold any office of trust or profit under the government of Guatemala, but the judgment of imprisonment awarded against him by the council of war is reversed, and he is restored to his liberty.
The minister of foreign affairs now tells me the cases must be finally tried before the supreme court of justice. The minister of war had previously informed me (as I understood him) that the decision of the supreme court of war was final.
There seems to be a general feeling of indignation among foreigners at the release of Bulnes. He was the deliberate actor in the outrage, who, with his own hands, several hours in advance, made ready the sticks with which Magee was so barbarously beaten.
His boasts that his influence with Prime Minister Samayoa was a perfect shield to himself and Gonzalez against any punishment for what they might do were made publicly at San José, both before and after the outrage.
He instigated the drunken madman, Gonzalez, to commit the atrocious act, and morally is the guiltier of the two. He is to go “scot-free,” except that for the present he is deprived of the right to hold any office of trust or profit in Guatemala.
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The British chargé told me he had taken no steps yet to declare the proocol annulled, but that he had written to the government this morning protesting against the release of Bulnes, and requesting that his case be prosecuted rigorously. He says if this is not done he will retire his legation and turn over the further management of the affair to the admiral of the British fleet, which is hourly expected at San José.
I have, &c.,