No. 434.
Mr. Foster
to Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
Mexico, May 14, 1875.
(Received May 27.)
No. 287.]Sir: In my dispatch No. 279, of the 4th instant, I
transmitted a copy of my note to the Mexican minister of foreign affairs,
relative to the late raid into Texas, with his reply thereto, and also a
report of an interview which I had with the minister upon this subject. On
the 3d instant I sent the minister a copy of the inclosure of your dispatch
No. 214, of the 14th ultimo, giving fuller information concerning the
burning of the post-office at Nueces, Tex., and other outrages.
Under date of the 7th instant, the minister, Mr. Lafragua, transmitted to me
copies of communications received by him from the department of war and from
the governor of the State of Tamaulipas, in reference to the measures
ordered to guard the Rio Grande frontier and the progress had in the trial
of the persons arrested upon suspicion of having taken part in the raid into
Texas.
It will be noticed that the measures cited in said communications were taken
very promptly by this Government, ten days or two weeks before the date of
my first note to Mr. Lafragua, under instructions of the Department, making
formal complaint of these outrages.
In a note of the 11th instant, in thanking Mr. Lafragua for the information
furnished, I stated that I would forward it to my Government”, which would
doubtless be gratified to learn of the measures adopted, especially if they
should prove efficacious in preventing the passage of the Rio Grande of
further bands of outlaws to commit depredations in Texas.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 287.]
Mr. Foster to Mr.
Lafragua.
Legation of the United States,
Mexico, May 3,
1875.
Sir: I inclose herewith to your excellency a
copy of a communication,* sent
through the Secretary of War to the Department of State of my
Government, giving fuller information in relation to the burning of the
post-office at Neuces, Tex., and other outrages, which were the subject
of the note which I addressed to your excellency on the 14th ultimo, and
to which I had occasion to refer in our interview of to-day.
Your excellency will please to accept the assurances of my high
consideration and esteem.
To His Excellency J. M. Lafragua,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico.
[Page 917]
[Inclosure 2 in No.
287.—Translation.]
Mr. Lafragua to Mr.
Foster.
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Mexico, May 7,
1875.
Sir: In acknowledging the receipt to your
excellency of your note of the 3d instant, and its inclosure relative to
the outrages which have recently been commit ted in Texas, I state to
your excellency that, in conformity with what I communicated to you in
my note of the 17th ultimo, there have been ordered, both by this
department and that of war, all the measures which have been thought
most proper for the arrest, trial, and punishment of the criminals which
may have sought refuge in Mexican territory. As your excellency will see
by the copies, which I have the honor to inclose, and which are of a
communication from the governor of the State of Tamaulipas, and of two
others from the department of war, the guard of the line of the Bravo
has been increased, and the arrested men, who had crossed the Rio Grande
below Roma, after the preliminary investigations having been made, have
been sent under secure guard to Saltillo, where they are at the
disposition of the government for assigning them to the proper
authority, according as the circumstances of the case may require.
I re-iterate to your excellency the protests of my distinguished
consideration and esteem.
To His Excellency John W. Foster,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
of the United States-of America.
[Inclosure 1 in 2 in No.
287.—Translation.]
Mr. Mejia to Mr.
Lafragua.
Department of War and Marine,
Mexico, April 12,
1875.
Citizen Minister of Foreign Affairs: Colonel
José L. Christo, in a communication dated the 29th of March last past,
states to me the following:
“As I had the honor to say to you in my telegram dated yesterday, I
to-day send you a certified copy of the letter of the citizen Mexican
consul in Brownsville, sent to me on the date stated therein, as also
the newspaper, which I received inclosed therein. By both of these you
will be pleased to be informed of the recent events which have occurred
in Texas, and the authors of which are said to be Mexicans from our
territory; which, in my judgment, cannot be the case, granting that it
is correctly stated that some Mexican robbers pass from this side to
Texas, as also those from that side to this, they only engage in the
robbery of cattle and horses, and never attack a town, as has occurred
in the present case; for this reason my opinion is that the wrongs are
committed by individuals resident in Texas itself, who, in consequence
of local State questions, have risen up as a kind of insurrectionists
against the government of Texas. Notwithstanding this, the same day on
which I received the said letter I sent a force of cavalry to pass along
the bank of the Rio as far as Reynosa, and I will keep it constantly in
this service in order to be on the watch and to be prepared, both for
anything which may occur and to furnish an opportune remedy, of which I
will make report to your department, asking you, citizen minister, to
give me orders for the manner in which I should proceed in this matter,
as I greatly fear that, with the ideas only peculiar to Texas, efforts
may be made to complicate the events, making us appear responsible for
acts with which we have had no connection.”
I quote this to you for your information and its proper effects,
inclosing to you copies of the documents which are cited.
Independence and liberty.
[Inclosure 2 in 2 in No.
287.—Translation.]
Governor Echartea
to Mr. Lafragua.
Government of the State of Tamaulipas,
Victoria City, April 22, 1875.
Citizen Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico:
With due promptness the government of this State has addressed the
authorities of the line of the Bravo, making
[Page 918]
known to them the contents of the telegrams which
your superior authority was pleased to send me in your worthy
communication of the 3d instant, relative to the local disorders or
crimes committed in the interior of Texas, which outrages are supposed
to have been perpetrated, in part, by some malefactors resident in
Mexico, who avowedly went to those regions to commit acts of vandalism;
with the object that these authorities may report to this superior
authority the information which they may obtain, but especially with the
object of preventing the crossing to American territory of any Mexicans
to commit crimes, and also of arresting those who may have committed
crimes there and who may come seeking a shelter in our communities.
You will please, citizen minister, to make known to the citizen President
that there have already been taken the proper measures by this
government, in order that there may not be the least occasion of
complaint against the authorities of the frontier, stating to you that,
on receiving the reports which have been called for, I will communicate
them to your department for your superior information, and in compliance
with the request in your worthy note cited.
Independence and liberty.
[Inclosure 3 in 2 in No.
287.—Translation.]
Mr. Mejia to Mr.
Lafragua.
Department of War and Marine,
Mexico, April 30,
1875.
Citizen Minister of Foreign Affairs: In a
telegram of to-day General M. Escobedo states to me from San Luis
Potosi, among other things, the following:
“Yesterday prisoners arrived at Saltillo. Direct me what proceeding ought
to be instituted for their trial.
“Informed of the arrival of prisoners. As I said to you before, keep them
in security, and inform me by this medium what is stated concerning the
conduct, antecedents, and other circumstances which relate to said
prisoners, in order that the proper determination may be made in regard
to them, as up to the present nothing-has been received.”
I communicate it to you for your information.
Independence and liberty.
[Inclosure 3 in No. 287.]
Mr. Foster to Mr.
Lafragua.
Legation of the United States,
Mexico, May 11,
1875.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your excellency’s note of the 7th instant and its inclosures
relative to the measures taken by your government for the arrest, trial,
and punishment of the criminals guilty of the outrages in Texas, who may
have fled to Mexican territory, and for the preservation of good order
on the Rio Grande frontier.
I have to thank your excellency for the information contained in your
said note, which I will communicate to my Government, which will
doubtless be gratified to learn of the measures adopted, especially if
they shall prove efficacious in preventing the passage of the Rio Grande
of further bands of outlaws to commit depredations in Texas.
I renew to your excellency the assurances of my high consideration and
esteem.
To His Excellency J. M. Lafragua,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico.
