Text: Edgar Allan Poe (?), Literary, Broadway Journal (New York), May 3, 1845, vol. 1, no. 18, p. ???-???

[page 284:]

CRITICAL NOTICES.

The Prisoners of Perote; containing a Journal kept by the Author, who was captured by the Mexicans, at Mier, December 23, 1842, and released from Perote May 16, 1844. By William Preston Snapp. New York: Burgess, Stringer & Co.

This is a book at all points entertaining, and now and then imbued with a vivid and terrible interest. We quote some instances of Mexican vagrancy and audacity: — if these things were not known to be fact, we should speak of them as capital romance:

“Among the numerous wretches who, as professional beggars, swarm the streets of this city, or in the filthy guise of blackened leperos, haunt the pave by day, and prowl for plunder at night, are outcasts and cut-throats, whom previous convictions have deadened to all sense of shame, and habitual vice and indolence trained to every deed of violence. In the portals of the churches, beneath the walls of the convents, in the markets, or their lairs in the suburbs, they crouch to watch tor their unsuspecting prey, and wo to that unarmed pedestrian, who, in reply to their Por el amor de Dios, reveals a purse to tempt their ferocious cupidity.

“Banded in fraternities, that reach from the pulque shops to the palace, their organization has been known to reveal itself through every grade of rank, from the roofless footpad to those nearest in authority to the president. An instance of audacity is authentically related to have occurred some years ago, which not unaptly illustrates the lawless spirit of these plunderers. The mules of a conducts were ranged in two tiles in the square of the Adouana (or custom-house), and, surrounded by a strong squadron of cavalry, mailed to be loaded with the bags of specie, containing fifteen hundred dollars each, and piled up in the square to be sent off. A large crowd was as usual assembled to look on, when a gang of mounted thieves charged through the streets leading to the square, and riding down idlers and troops, seized each a bag ot the treasure, aed bore it off in triumph.

The energy of the present government has done much to reduce the frequency and insolence of these outrages about the capital, yet they continue to prevail in all their wonted atrocity elsewhere through the republic. Not a league of their only national highway from the city to Vera Cruz, hut is the scene of some robbery within the year, the public coach being repeatedly pillaged within hail of the cities that lie on the route.

“The following notorious instance of a participation in these enormities by persons of rank, is familiar to all persons of inquiry who have recently been in Mexico.

“The Swiss consul, (M. Mairet,) a merchant and man of fortune, lived in the western suburbs of the city, and was suspected to have a considerable sum of money, about his house. His dwelling was more than ordinarily secure, being built in the strongest manner, with grated windows, and several ferocious dogs were kept chained in the court and on the terrace.

“A man in the habit of a priest, accompanied by two others, appeared at his gate one day, and announced to the servant, who answered their summons, that they desired to purchase some merchandise of the consul, in which he was known to deal. Upon being admitted, two of them seized the servant, bound him to a pillar, and gagged him, whilst the third relocked the gate. All three then passed into the house, where they found Mairet alone, and after stabbing and gashing him repeatedly, finally compelled him to disclose the place where his treasure was secreted. This, to the amount of some ten thousand dollars, with various articles of valuable plate, they brought off; the consul only surviving his wounds long enough to relate the particulars of the affair, with such descriptions of the assassins, as it was thought would lead to their apprehension. A noisy search and pursuit was kept up by the police, until a miserable creature was arrested, tried. and garroted, upon the around of some dec-laratious said to have faUen from him whilst grossly intoxicated. No money or article of the plunder being found in his possession, nor any corroborative circumstance accompanying his insane confession the foreigners denounced the execution as a cowardly subterfuge of the government to atone for its corruption and remissness by a double murder.

“Some time elapsed, when two daring robberies were again perpetrated in rapid succession upon wealthy monasteries of the city. These were entered and pillaged of more than thirty thousand dollars, and the church being roused and continued in the pursuit with the civil authorities, finally traced them home to the door of Colonel Janes, an officer of standing, and acting aid-de-camp of Santa Anna. This worthy colonel, having access to the passport office, was more than suspected of having planned several previous robberies of the public coach, availing himself of the information thus acquired to direct his accomplices where the booty was such as to indemnify an attack.

“The trial of himself and his associates for the pillage of the monnasteries [[monasteries]] lasted nearly three years, every effort being made during this tune by Santa Anna and other officials, to screen him from conviction. Their attempts, however, proving abortive, and sentence of death being finally awarded against him, it fell to the lot of the dictator, who had. in the meanwhile, risen to the presidency, to ratify the verdict, and order his execution. This he declined to do upon one pretext and another, granting the condemned respite after respite, until popular indignation became exasperated to the highest pitch. Dreading the fury Isis equivocal course bad excited in the public mind, and alarmed by threats of a revolutionary character, Santa Anna re. tired from the city, and left the task of consummating the vengeance of the law to General Bravo.

“Janes was finally executed, and, before suffering, confessed his numerous crimes. Amongst these was the murder of Mattel, in which, as in all, he plead the Connivance of Santa Anna, and other accomplices. He died, invoking the most direful curses upon thou heads, for abandoning him and concurring in his death.”

In justice to Mr. Brantz Mayer, the author of “Mexico as it Was and Is,” we must say that the “New York Mirror” has lately pointed out some very remarkable plagiarisms from Mr. M.'s book, perpetrated by Mr. Snapp.