The Weekly Minnesotian

Massacre of Six Americans on the Amazon.

The Para, Brazil, correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing under date of Sept. 20th, gives the particulars of a late massacre of American citizens, at the Fort of Tabatinga, on the frontier of Brazil, on the Amazon River. It appears from the Brazilian account, which is probably colored and partial, that six men, whose nationality could not be wholly distinguished, although all appearances indicated that they were North Americans, had forced the authorities of Loreto (in Peru) to give them a pass, with which they entered the Territory of Brazil, robbing and destroying whatever they found, without any regard to whom it belonged, or to the directions that had been given them by the authorities of Peru.

The account goes on. The authorities of Loreto, from whom they had extorted the pass, hastened to give information of the same to the commander of the fort of Tabatinga, Capt. Garcez, who, putting himself on the alert, saw the filibusters coming into port in a canoe, and ordering them to halt, they answered by a discharge of their guns and passed down the river. Without loss of time they were pursued and they, jumping on shore, proposed to strengthen themselves, taking for a wall the trunks of trees, behind which they made, over the top of the canoe, a very lively fire, from which one soldier was killed and a Tapulo Indian gravely wounded.

In these critical circumstances the commander of the expedition judged it prudent to let the canoe be taken down the current, and then making a small disembarkation under cover of a high bank of earth, he ordered that a small division to cut away through the matted undergrowth to the rear of the enemy, while he turned to take him in front and divert his attention, for which end he returned up the river, expending some shots for diversion of the enemy, until the filibusters, finding themselves surrounded, redoubled their energy and exposed themselves to everything to which a general subjects himself when he has no place for retreating in good order. Now throwing into the water whatever they had brought with them, they struggled and fought boldly as if they were sixty; because, having arms of ten barrels, the number they represented appeared thus large; but the low, steady aim of the Brazilian soldiers succeeded in sending below and ordering within a little time from this for a better world, five of the resistants.

The sixth, the only one that escaped an ounce of lead, took to his heels with the nimblest activity; but encountering a lake, and thrusting himself into it head foremost to pass it by in swimming, he was made a prey of by the alligators that called him bait.