[Inclosure in No.
87.—Translation.]
Mr. Mariscal to Mr.
Manning.
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Mexico, March 11,
1887.
Sir: I have the honor to reply to your
excellency’s esteemed note of the 8th instant, relative to the
spontaneity displayed by the Mexican Government in the arrest and
punishment of the participators in the disturbance which lately occurred
at Nogales, Arizona Territory.
It gratifies me very highly that your excellency should have so
courteously recognized the spontaneity to which I refer. Still, as in
said note, you are pleased to manifest your satisfaction, not only at
the measures take for the punishment of those who rescued the prisoners,
but also for the steps tended obviously to deliver those prisoners to
the Arizona authorities, I find myself obliged to place in writing what
I had the honor to state in the interviews we held, and which is as
follows:
During the first interview I said that my Government would do all that
was possible to punish in an exemplary manner the guilty parties and
give full satisfaction to the Government of the United States. In
consequence of this statement, your excellency addressed me the note, to
which I have the honor to reply.
Moved by its contents, and having also received on that afternoon a
telegram from Mr. Eomero to the effect that Hon. Mr. Bayard had informed
him that the difficulty could be arranged either by Mexico returning the
prisoners, which it was by no means obliged to do, or punishing them
itself, I toot the liberty of summoning your excellency to a second
interview. I therein corrected the mistaken idea you seemed to hold,
reminding you that my offer was that prompt and due justice would be
administered, and the Government of the United States be satisfied. I
added that such a promise did not involve the return of the prisoners
(or rather prisoner, for there was but one), and that I was also highly
pleased to learn that Mr. Bayard should view with satisfaction and an
elevated judgment, worthy of praise the practicability of terminating
the matter without extraditing a Mexican, a process involving many
difficulties. Among other things, I referred to the fact that all the
guilty parties could not be tried in the absence of some of them, and I
especially alluded to the irritation, even though unfounded, which that
extradition would cause in the Mexican town upon the frontier as
contrasted with the spirit of conciliation and harmony which should be
cultivated.
It has appeared advisable to me to thus chronicle these occurrences,
especially as in that second interview your excellency did not question
the accuracy of my assertons.
I should add that the efforts of the Mexican authorities to arrest the
fugutive Gutierrez have been happily successful, and that person is now
in jail; also that the Government of the United States may rest assured
that Gutierrez, as well as all others who are responsible for the
annoying affair I allude to, will be rigorously punished.
I renew, etc.,
