114 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



I state this on the authority of the Guatimala official 

 account of the battle — of course 1 heard nothing of it 

 at Aguachapa — and if true, it is a blot on Morazan's 

 character as a soldier and as a man. He escaped from 

 the city with five hundred men, and strewing the road 

 with wounded and dead, at twelve o'clock arrived at 

 the Antigua. Here he was urged to proclaim martial 

 law, and make another attack on the city ; but he an- 

 swered no ; blood enough had been shed. He entered 

 the cabildo, and, it is said, wrote a letter to Carrera 

 recommending the prisoners to mercy ; and Baron 

 Mahelin, the French consul general, related to me an 

 anecdote, which does not, however, seem probable, that 

 he laid his glove on the table, and requested the alcalde 

 to give it to Carrera as a challenge, and explain its 

 meaning. From that place he continued his retreat by 

 the coast until I met him at Aguachapa. 



In the mean time Carrera's soldiers poured into the 

 plaza with a tremendous feu de joie, and kept up a ter- 

 rible firing in the air till daylight. Then they commen- 

 ced searching for fugitives, and a general massacre took 

 place. Colonel Arias, lying on the ground with one of 

 his eyes out, was bayoneted to death. Perez was shot. 

 Marescal, concealed under the Cathedral, was dragged 

 out and shot. Padilla, the son of the widow at Agua- 

 chapa, found on the ground, while begging a Centralist 

 whom he knew to save him, was killed with bayonets. 

 The unhappy fugitives were brought into the plaza two, 

 three, five, and ten at a time. Carrera stood pointing 

 with his finger to this man and that, and every one that 

 he indicated was removed a few paces from him and 

 shot. Major Jose Viera, and several of the soldiers on 

 the roof of Mr. Hall's house, let themselves down into 

 the courtyard, and Carrera sent for all who had taken 



