No. 115.
Mr. Williamson to Mr. Fish.
Guatemala, July 10, 1874. (Received August 19.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the official journal of to day contains an account of an affair which occurred on the 28th and 29th of June, in the department of San Marcos, of Guatemala, which lies next to Soconusco, Mexico, that seems to be of sufficient moment to report.
The statement of the affair is substantially as follows: On the 28th of June, as a force of one hundred and fifty infantry and fifty cavalry crossed the frontier of Guatemala, at a village called Malacatan, and, having surprised the small garrison there, completely routed and dispersed it, after killing the commandante and another person.
It seems, without halting long, they marched on in the direction of San Marcos, and reached that night a town called Ixtepeque.
Here they were attacked on the morning of the 29th by a Guatemala force of seventy men, and in turn completely routed and dispersed, after a fight of two hours.
The Guatemalan commander of the force reports that, without the loss of a man, he killed forty of the enemy and captured about the same number. Among the latter is the chief of the expedition. He also reports the capture of a number of arms, and that the remainder of the invading force is dispersed through the mountains.
This report, the minister of war tells me, he has good reason to believe [Page 175] to be true. I confess that, until he so assured me, I was almost incredulous enough to suspect it might be a canard.
The noteworthy feature of the affair is that the invading force was composed almost exclusively of regular Mexican soldiers, who composed a part of the garrison of Tapachula, in the Mexican department of Soconusco. They were in the employment of a Spaniard named José Garcia, a refugee from this city.
The minister of war and of foreign affairs both tell me they do not believe that the reactionary party in Guatemala had any connection with the affair. Their present explanation of its origin is about as follows: That the leaders of the expedition, Garcia, Coyote, and others, who had been former military associates of President Barrios in the revolution of 1871, believing that they had been badly treated by Barrios, and thinking the present a favorable time to overthrew his government and obtain their revenge, employed or hired the Mexican troops.
They express themselves as fully satisfied the Mexican authorities had no hand in the matter.
This would seem to be correct, because the Mexican civil officer at Tapachula gave notice of the invasion, and a Mexican officer, with about two hundred men, is reported on the frontier for the purpose of assisting in the capture of the fugitives.
It is, however, altogether an inexplicable affair to me at present. I will report further if I can obtain reliable information.
I am inclined to the opinion that the invasion was made with the knowledge and expected co-operation of the disaffected parties in Guatemala, who furnished the means, and that treachery has been the cause of the total defeat of their plans.
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I have, &c.,