Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1873
No. 297.
Mr. Foster
to Mr. Fish.
Mexico, August 27, 1873. (Received September 12.)
Sir: In my dispatch No. 31, August 15, I noticed the complaints in the Mexican press in reference to the depredations of the Apache Indians of Arizona Territory, United States, upon the citizens of the State of Sonora, Mexico.
These complaints continue to be repeated and discussed. I inclose an article from the Two Republics of this city, containing a list of these depredations; and also an article from the Estrella de Occidente, the official organ of the State of Sonora, giving further details upon the same subject.
I am, sir, &c.,
border raids.
There have been many raids on the Rio Grande, some upon the persons and property of Mexican citizens, and, if we accept all the statements in the Texas papers, a greater number upon the citizens of the United States. All the raids from both sides of the Rio Grande bear no comparison with those committed on the people of Sonora alone [Page 691] Yet we see no references whatever, except in the California papers, (greatly to their credit,) by the press of the United States to the murderous warfare carried on against the defenseless people of Sonora by Indians living on reserves and clothed and fed by the United States Government. The San Francisco Alta and Examiner have exposed and denounced these outrages and the agents and officers of the United States who have connived at, or, what is equally criminal, neglected their duties, and passively permitted these murders and robberies to be perpetrated, in shameless defiance of treaty obligations and duty to a neighboring friendly nation.
But every raid committed upon Texas has been published and reiterated with the most exaggerated accounts. The extent of damage is so much overestimated that the preposterous claims of the Texans have risen in volume until their exaggerations have at last produced comments in many quarters that have hitherto been sympathizing with the “poor frontier settlers of Texas.” These claims for stolen cattle have been inflated until the principal and damages have been aggregated to over $40,000,000, while the census shows that, in all the counties bordering on the Rio Grande, the assessed personal property in 1870, which includes every other as well as cattle, amounted to only $2,500,000, and when it is known that the stock in the Rio Grande counties is, at this time, estimated by the owners at double that amount.
Have not the American people sufficient sense of justice to give to these important revelations their due weight in considering this subject? When the murders and robberies of Mexican citizens by raiders from the United States are double the number of those upon the people of that country; when the claimants for stolen cattle have presented such unjust and fraudulent claims, amounting to twenty times more than they ever possessed, is it not time for the honorable and just people of the United States to pause in their clamor against Mexico, and to inquire into the causes and motives that propel this filibustering element? The New York World and Tribune have often vindicated Mexico, the Examiner and Alta of San Francisco much oftener; the Press and Age of Philadelphia, the Herald of Cincinnati, the Picayune of New Orleans, and some other papers, have nobly withstood the filibustering clamor, and have occasionally spoken the truth in relation to Mexico. They have their reward, not only in the consciousness of having performed their duty to their own countrymen, and having acted justly toward their neighbor, they have also won the esteem and gratitude of the latter. But, in the great and diversified excitements of their rapidly progressing country, they seem to have but little attention to spare to Mexico. Of course, the latter has no claim to their attention, more than what can be expected from a just and generous press, yet the papers referred to, and others, can do much in support of the honor of their own country and toward the dispensation of justice toward a neighboring friendly people, by a more frequent reference to the subject of the raids, with a fair statement of the facts in connection therewith.
In reference to the constant warfare carried on against the people of Sonora, we have to state that the California papers have persistently stated that in General Howard’s treaty with the Apaches, there is a “weak clause,” if not a criminal one, which protects these Indians in their raids; and these papers have demanded the publication of the treaty, which, as yet has not been done, while in the mean time everything that can be hunted up, is published and exaggerated to excite the people of the United States against Mexico. These are subjects worthy of the ability and influence of the papers referred to; and also another, to which they call their attention, is the following list of some of the raids, that have been committed in Sonora, by the Apaches, within the brief space of five months, viz, from October 18, 1872, to March 7, 1873, in which it will he seen there were thirty-one raids in those five months, and besides the robbery of horses, cattle, sheep, and other property, twenty-four men and three women were murdered.
We give this statement, taken from an official document, which furnishes names, dates, and details, and is authentic beyond all controversion.
The following, taken from the Pajaro Verde, of this city, is a list of the raids referred to:
- October 18, 1872, two men killed in the ranche Bajari.
- October 25, 1872, one woman killed in Saucito.
- October 25, 1872, one man killed at El Cerro del Chile.
- November 8, 1872, a wagon stolen near Uras.
- November 29, 1872, seven horses and two oxen stolen near Magdalena.
- November 29, 1872, one horse and several cows stolen near Jumeréz.
- December 13, 1872, a herd of horses stolen near Arispe.
- December 20, 1872, a herd of mules stolen at Punta Amarilla,
- December 27, 1872, thirty cows stolen near Altar.
- December 27, 1872, eleven horses stolen near San Pablo.
- January 17, 1873, three oxen stolen in Jacori.
- January 17, 1873, three men killed in Cañeda Ancha.
- January 21, 1873, one man killed in Tecolote.
- January 21, 1873, four men killed in Los Tanques.
- January 24, 1873, two men (one of them president of the supreme court of Sonora, killed in Duranguillo.
- January 27, 1873, a herd of horses stolen in San Felipe.
- January 27, 1873, one man killed in El Tangus.
- January 27, 1873, one man and one woman killed in Monteros.
- January 27, 1873, one man killed in Calera.
- January 27, 1873, one man and one woman killed in Puntas.
- February 14, 1873, one man killed and a herd of horses stolen in Casita.
- February 14, 1873, one man killed in Eneiz.
- February 14, 1873, two oxen stolen in Herepora.
- February 21, 1873, a herd of horses stolen in San Pablo.
- February 21, 1873, two men killed in Bocoachi.
- February 21, 1873, a herd of horses stolen in Panzas.
- February 21, 1872, a herd of horses stolen in Lajas.
- February 28, 1873, one man killed near Pesqueira.
- March 7, 1873, two men killed near Molinos.
- March 7, 1873, one man killed near Guadalupe.
On account of the pressure of matter upon our columns in our last two numbers, we were unable to give extracts from the various reports sent to the government by the prefecture of Montezuma, and we confined ourselves to giving an account of the murders committed by the Apaches, viz, those of the unfortunate Soto, Gaxiola and his son. The attacking party did not consist of two hundred Apaches, as was at first stated, since the person who made his escape says that there were only five, and the authorities of Oputo state that there were as many as twelve.
Nevertheless, when we consider how the Indians have separated in that district into small parties of from two to six, the number does not seem insignificant.
Although these tactics of the Apaches render it very difficult to pursue them with success, the government has taken measures to prevent the evil as far as possible in future, and the citizen prefect is prepared to pursue them, having commenced by cutting off their favorite places of ingress and egress.
On the 19th of June six Apaches killed two head of cattle on the Mortero estate. Twenty men started in pursuit, and followed their trail as far as the Jamaica Hills, where they lost it. These Indians had already stolen some four or five animals; but as they always separate, going either toward the interior of the State, or retreating, it was equally impossible in that case to follow their trail.
The prefect was engaged in organizing two parties for pursuit, columns of smoke having been seen both in the Madera and Basura Mountains.
According to a report received from the municipal president of Cumpas, the Apaches killed an ox at El Sauce on the 13th of June. The same president believes that the camp of the Apaches was near, and was preparing to attack them, for which purpose he asked arms of the prefect in order to organize a suitable force. The robberies committed by these Apaches at Cumpas were frequent, for in another report, dated June 29, it is stated that they killed another ox in Alizo Valley. The party that went in pursuit of them followed their trail until they lost it in the mountains, when they were obliged to return on account of the rough character of the ground.
The municipal president of Bacadehuachi reports, under elate of June 16, that three Indians stole ten horses at La Galera. The want of arms and ammunition prevented him from starting in pursuit as early as would have been desirable, and an insufficiently armed party set out on the day following and followed their trail as far as the mountains, when they returned because their provisions had given out.
For lack of arms, moreover, the municipal president of Bacerac was unable to send men in pursuit of a party of Apaches who had attacked the citizen Loreto Pisano, who escaped from them miraculously. The commandant of Bavispe did so, however, sending a party of citizens of Bacerac after them, who followed their trail for two days, and then lost it. The above-mentioned attack took place on the 7th, and on the 11th they attacked the citizen Don Leandro Enriquez, also stealing two horses from D. Miguel Terrazon, and D. Juan Valencia. They were likewise pursued as far as the mountains.
The municipal president of said town remarks that the Apaches give daily evidence of their presence, and that it is impossible to pursue them, on account of the lack of arms.
The municipal president of Bavispe reported, under date of June 15, that the Apaches had appeared in the neighborhood of that town and stolen six horses. Fifteen men set out in pursuit of them, and followed them as far as Punta del Agua, when they returned, their shoes being very bad, and their provisions being exhausted.
[Page 693]On the 13th they stole three horses from the citizens Feliciano Ruiz and Donaciano Parra. The commandant of the garrison was able to lend no aid for the pursuit of the Indians, because his men had no shoes, and he had no means of procuring any.
These reports, which show in what situation the district of Moctezuma was, are of no very recent date; we were unable to publish them at the proper time, for the reason which we have already explained. With the means which have lately been placed at the disposal of the government, the most pressing needs have been supplied as far as possible, and such measures have been taken as were imperiously demanded by the safety of the inhabitants. With regard to the lack of arms and ammunition, all the districts are, more or less, in the same situation, it not having been possible to make the purchases of such material which were so desirable. As no appropriation has been made, except to pay such forces as should be actually armed against the Apaches, the government has not been able to apply the surplus funds to the purchase of arms, and this is the reason why arms are so scarce.
For the present, the citizen governor has issued his orders for the frontier company, re-enforced by that of Bacoachi and Chinapa, to take post at Agua Prieta, in order to guard, in conjunction with that of Santa Cruz, which has occupied the Heredia marsh, the whole line of the extensive plain of San Pedro, including the places of ingress and egress of the savages, from El Saucito as far as La Penascosa. Both detachments are under the command of that indefatigable leader, the citizen Florencio Ruiz.
The Bavispe company has taken post at Batepito, under the command of its intrepid chief, the citizen Jesus Escalante, for the purpose of cutting off the passage of the Indians through the valley, and pursuing them as they deserve.
The citizen prefect of Moctezuma has been furnished with means to set on foot such a force as he may think proper, for the purpose of frightening the enemy, or of attacking any point where he may suspect that Indians have encamped with their families; he has also been authorized to make use of the Bavispe company whenever he may think it necessary for the success of an expedition.
Arizpe.—On the 25th ultimo the Apaches stole two working horses from D. Antonio Sanchez. Eight men started in pursuit, and, after a forced march of two days, overtook them in the Sierra de los Locos, recaptured the two horses, and also took from them three gourds, four American blankets, and some other plunder which the Indians had to leave behind in their precipitate flight. The roughness of the ground prevented the pursuing party from giving them such a lesson as they deserved.