HORRIBLE MURDER IN CARTHAGENA.

West Coast Times, Issue 675, 22 November 1867, Page 3

HORRIBLE MURDER IN CARTHAGENA.

♦ (THOU TnE PAN.VUA STAB A2TD HFRAID) The subjoined detailed account of the late frightful tragedy in Carthagena, in which two Americans were brutally murdered and a third badly wounded, is from a most reliable source. There can be but one opinion in regard to this brutal and savage affair, which is, that every one implicated in the crime should at once receive the summary punishment which fiends guilty of such atrocities deserve. The authorities of Carthagena have, we learn, taken no steps whatever to bring the murderers to justice, but we hope the matter will not be allowed to rest in such hands. A letter from one of our corres- j pondents says that the Second Commandante and several negro officers of Carthagena were the leaders in the barbarous attack. President Guiterrez, arriving after the close of the revolution, was enthusiastically received at all points on the coast where he happened to land. - At Santa Martha the steamer Colombia, and also the batteries on shore, gave him the usual complimentary salute. In the course of three or four days, and after matters had beon represented to his Excellency, he saw proper, together with the President of the State of Magdalena, to depute from the national steamer Colombia two officers to go as commissioners to the State onßolivar to attend to some matters of interest to the General Government as well as to the State of Magdalena, and to the officers and crew of the Columbia personally. Consequently on the morning of the Ist instant, about "four o'clock, the two commissioners, Lieutenants Dornin and Murdaugh, accompanied by Lieutenants Borchert and Smith, lefC the shore at Santa Martha and went on board the Royal Mail steamer Tyne, By some mishap the boat conveying the party to the steamer immediately returned, and in a little timo all were off, steaming on towards Carthagena at a rate of ten miles per hour. .The time flew rapidly, and in a few hours the ship was at her anchorage in that harbor. These gentlemen unhesitatingly, aye, eagerly, tcok the first boat for phorej and on landing were welcomed with the usual salutations common to the country. All were well known to the inhabitants of the city, being formerly of the Rayo, made notorious by newspaper gossip. There seemed to be no unusual demonstration ot any kind made as they passed the

street, making for their old rendezvous the Bolivar Hotel, where they were most cordially received, excepting as they entered, when a man named Penerandia remarked, " Aqui vienen los pereos," and ran away without being pursued. This midnight assassin was the instigator of the bloody deed. It appears that these officers, only two of whom were armed, parted. Lieuts Dornin and Borehert went to visit Mr Logan, an English gentleman residing in the town. The other two took different directions. Smith, after passing Mr Logan's and seeing through the window his companions doing well, continued unmolested to the Bolivar Hotel and retired. In a short time Lieutenants Bochert and Dornin followed. Upon reaching the hotel they encountered alarge crowd, who allowed them to pass in, but upon their reaching the head of the steps the fiends below commenced firing upon them, whilst those above also made a desperate assault — a portion of the mob attacking the one and a portion the other. So great was the force against them they were soon overpowered. Lieut Borchet was shot instantly, one ball passing near the heart, a Spencer rifle ball passing through the breast, and he received a gash from a carpenter's chisel about the groin. His liver was almost entirely cut out, and a sword was plunged through his body. In the death, struggle he succeded in cutting one of the fiends with a knife which Lieut. Dornin had pitched to him when first attacked. During the 'engagement with Borchert, Dornin received a shot on the* head, stunning him considerably, after which he managed to fire one shot, when a ball entered his left breast, below the shoulder, lodging near the shoulder-blade. He fell, but was instantly picked up by the good women of the hotel, hurried off and secreted. To these poor old infirm women he is indebted for his life. And now a little distance from this scene, lay the dead and mutilated body of Lieutenant Murnaugh. He was attacked at tie Club House by the same party. Some ladies did all they could to save him, but to no avail ; the demons were bent upon their designs. A large number of men were at the Club, among whom were many of the civil officials who might have stopped it, but no — in thier hearts they said — go ahead. Lieutenant Murdaugh was murdered in a manner which* the most uncivilised Indian or barbarian might shrink from ; such as cutting him with knives, shooting him and beating his head with logs of wood. When sure that the breath had left the body, these starving wolves commenced to plunder it, extracting from the pockets some five or six hundred dollars in gold, taking from the fingers the rings, and from the shirt the studs, and so the demons left 'him. ' About the time of the attack upon Lieutenants Borchert and Dornin, Lieutenant Smith v> as in bed. He had gotten up twice, and saw from his window the crowd firing, &c, but thinking that it was only a drunken frolic, retired again, j nor did he become conscious of what was occurring until he saw the bayonets glittering without at his door. An effort was made by the mob to gain entrance to his room, but they finally concluded that nobody was within and went off. Smith remarked that Providence bolted his door, because he had never done such a thing before. In the course of two or three hours the American Consul, Mr Hannaberg, arrived with a guard, which he succeeded in begging from General Carazo, the President of Bolivar, and conducted those left of the party to the steamer Tyne, for which kindness they will for ever be indebted to him. The papers which the officers boro were delivered to the American Consul. I have understood that a Mason endeavored to save Borchert. I do not know whether or not Borchert was a Mason. He, as well as Lieutenant Murdagh were thorough and accomplished gentlemen, excellent officers, noble, generous, kind-hearted companions, and brave fearless men. They leave companions, shipmates, friends, and relations, and all who knew them, to mourn their untimely deaths. " May their bones rest in peace," and their murderers receive their just reward. The American Consul has had the goodness to have the bodies decently interred in the Protestant burial ground with suitable head-boards. The steamer Tyn^ sailed from Carthagena on -the morning of the 2nd, bearing the survivors, who will ever remember the kindness of her officers. She arrived at Aspinwall on the evening of the 3rd, when the surgeon of the Panama Railroad kindly performed the operation of extracting the ball from Mr Dornin. He is now doing well. One Closely Connected. SURRATT'S TRIAL—EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN A COURT OF JUSTICE. Late in the afternoon of the 10th ult., the Surratt trial came to an end by the jury disagreeing. They were out seventytwo hours, and then declared it was impossible for them to agree and asked to be discharged. Their request was granted, and they joyfully dispersed to their homes from which they had been absent eight weeks. They stood eight for aeqiuttal and four for conviction. Quite a scene arose in the Court-room after the jurors had been discharged. Judge Fisher arose and said : — I have now a very unpleasant duty to discharge,but one which I cannot forego. On the 2nd day of July last, during the progress of the trial of John H. Surratt for the murder of Abraham Lincoln, immediately after the Court had taken a recess until the following morning, as the presiding Justice was descending from the bench, Joseph H. BraJley accosted him in a rude and insulting manner, charging the Judge with having offered him (Mr Bradley) a series of insults from the bench from the commencement of the trial. The Judge disclaimed any intention whatever of passing any insult, and. assured Mr Bradley that he entertained for him no other feelings than those of respect. Mr. Bradley so far from accepting this explanation or disclaimer, thereupon threatened the Judge with personal chastisement, as he understood him. No court can administer justice, or live if its judges are to be threatened with personal violence on all occasions whenever the irascibility of counsel may be excited by an imaginary insult. The offence of Mr Bradley is one which even his years will not palliate. It cannot be overlooked or go unpunished as a contempt of court. It is therefore ordered that his name bo stricken from the roll of attorneys practising in this Court. Mr Bradley rose to his feet as if a thunderbolt had struck him and pronounced the statement made by the Judge as utterly false in every particular, and told the Jud<*e that he could not dismiss him from the Court — that to do so must be the act of three Judges of the Supreme Court.

The Court- room was crowdedwith people at this time, and the excitement became intense. Judge Fisher proceeded to take his departure from the room, when he was followed by Mr Bradley, who was in a hight state of excitement. The people now began to take sides — one party ranged themselves on the side of the judge, and the other on the side of the veteran lawyer, and a general fight seemed imminent, which, however, was prevented by the dexterous movements and activity of the police. The lawyer and judge had now got into the street. The latter hailed a street car and got into it, followed by the police and a number of his friends. The former immediately got into the same car and pushed his way to where the judge was stauding, and handed him the following note : — " In the altercation which occurred between us when you returned to the Court-room after the adjournment on the 2nd July last, you observed that you were then sick, and were pleased to add, ' You know where to find me, and I hold myself responsible in every form for whatever I say or do,' or words to that effect, after which you applied to me the most opprobrious epithets. There is but one interpretation of such an intimation received among gentlemen. I told you I could wait. lam gratified to find you have recovered, and that the trial of the pending case being now closed, we are both at liberty. That no time be unnecessarily lost, I beg yoii will let me know as soon as you conveniently can when it will suit you to meet me out of the district, that we may arrange to our mutual satisfaction the points of difference between us without the risk and odium which might accompany any controversy here or in public." The judge refused to pay anj r heed to this note, and there it was supposed that the matter would drop, but a few days after a meeting of the members of the Bar of Washington was called to take into consideration what action was necessary in regard to the order of Judge Fisher in summarily dismissing Mr Bradley from practice at the Court, and resolutions were adopted looking to an amicable settlement of the difficulty between them. Since then Mr Bradley has been arrested for sending a challenge to fight a duel, and has had to give five thousand dollars to keep the peace and appear for trial when called upon to do so. The penalty in the District of Columbia for sending a challenge is five years' imprisonment.