THE FALL OF CARTAGENA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1763, 30 March 1874, Page 2

THE FALL OF CARTAGENA.

The new Government at Madrid has met with an extraordinary piece of luck in the capture of Cartagena almost immediately after their usurpation of office. General Dominguez is the fortunate victor. After the fall of Fort Atalaya, a commission was sent out by the town to treat for surrender. Among other conditions Domingnez agreed to grant the lives of all except the leaders of the Junta, and the commission returned to receive further instructions. They camo back to the besiegers ostensibly to refuse these terms, but really to secure time that the Junta might escape while they parleyed. The insurgent leaders took refuge on. board the ironclad Numancia, with a mixed crowd of soldiers and convicts* and steamed out of the harbor unmolested. The Darro, which would have followed, was captured, with the eccentric Englishman Petera on board. The Nnmancia meanwhile made her way to the Algerian coast, and on arriving afc.Oran, Con.treras and the members of the Junta gave themselves up to French protection. The ship, as soon as instruction" were received from Paris, was delivered up to the Spanish admiral— one account says with the convicts on board— while the leaders of the insurrection have been interned, and with the remainder of their motley following, may possibly yet be allowed the privileges of political refugees. A special correspondent of The Times was* present at Cartagena at the time of the surrender. The town had been much injured by the bombardment. The last scene in this strange eventful Wstory was in keeping with its earlier portions : —

"It was when the news, qf the.trea» cherous surrender of Atslaya spread through the town, the people in a frenzy of fear and rage broke into the Naval ' Academy, in which the Junta sat, and clamoured for the head of the President Gutierrez. He is not much of an .oraior —indeed, he is for a Spaniard an unusually poor speaker ; but nevertheless he is always expert in the soft answer that turneth away wrath, and at such a critical moment, too, a man's wits are preternaturally sharpened. At any rate, President Gutierrez succeeded in convincing the people that he had nothing to do with the betrayal of Atalaya, and then their fury sought another victim in Romero Germez. He was actually dragged out of the building and brought down on to the quay to be shot, when his wit saved him. Suddenly drawing his revolver, wljen h.6 saw that his summary execution was s«e» solutely determined on, he protested that he was no coward, that he had no fear of death, and that as he would not have' the heroic hands of Cartageuians sullied with the blood of an innocent . man, be would, with their permission, shoot -, himself. He put the revolver to his he,ad, but it was instantly dragged away, and his sentence was reversed amid loiid cheers. The people returned to the Junta, but no longer in search of blood. They came to know what was to be done, and the word 'capitulation' rapidly spread from mouth to mouth. After the usual inevitable speech from Rogue Baroia, it was agreed that at such a. crisis the peqple alone could decide the people's, fate,. The Junta, far the moment, delegated their powers into the hands of a committee composed of soldiers and volunteers taken by twos from each battalion.. These pairs consulted their respective battalions, and then all gave one unanimous vote for capitulation if conditions could be obtained in no way dishonorable. But in spite of this unanimous expression by the people of the peoplo's will, it was thought right to consult the three military chiefs, Galvez, Contreras, and Ferrer. They all insisted strenuously oh resistance to the last. Suddenly it was discovered that new embrasures had been made in the walls of Atalaya, and that cannon were pointed down upon the town. The discovery seems to have created a sort of panio among the people, who, again asserting their sovereign rights, insißtfed upon capitulation." >„;..