No. 770.
Mr. Bayard
to Mr. Connery.
Department
of State,
Washington, February 27,
1888.
No. 270.]
Sir.: I herewith transmit for your further
information in connection with my No. 269, of the 24th instant, a copy of a
letter from Hon. Wm. G. Laidlaw, a member of Congress from New York, dated
the 24th instant, covering a letter to him from Mr. S. H. Bradley, of
Jamestown, with which is inclosed a letter from a resident of Ventanas, in
the State of Durango, Mexico, in relation to the arrest of a man named Wood,
supposed to be Oliver Woods, by Mexican troops, for alleged complicity in
some of the misdeeds of Bernal’s band. The writer of the letter from
Ventanas expresses disbelief in the alleged complicity of Wood, and states
that he fears the troops intend to put him to death.
I am, etc.,
[Page 1139]
[Inclosure 1 in No. 270.]
Mr. Laidlaw to Mr.
Bayard.
Washington, D. C., February 24, 1888.
Sir: I received the inclosures late this
evening by mail. I beg to call the immediate attention of the State
Department to their contents.
The man Wood, or, as he is called, “Don Bull,” seems to be in great
danger, and if not now too late something might be done for his
safety.
The letter of Mr. Bradley contains a few lines of criticism on our
Government, which, if not erased as not respectful, I would beg leave to
say this: That the letter was only intended for me by him, but it is
necessary to a-full understanding of the case, and I can not take time
to have him rewrite it.
Very respectfully, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 270.]
Mr. Bradley to Mr.
Laidlaw.
[Extract.]
Jamestown, N. Y., February 23, 1888.
Friend Laidlaw: The inclosed letter explains
itself. The Mr. Wood (Don Bull, as the Mexicans call him) is an old man,
of whom my friend Fred. S. Powell, of this place, bought his ranch, and
makes his living by furnishing supplies from the ranch to the mining
camp at Ventanas. Mr. Powell says Bull is honest, and has done nothing
but what in his exposed position he was obliged to, and nothing
criminal, and the writer, Joel Summery, is personally known to me, and I
can vouch for what he says. He is in Ventanas in the interest of Mr.
Powell and myself. Wish you would have our Government move in this
matter at once. Wish you would do all possible to have our Government
move in this matter at once. By telegraph if possible. Ventanas is in
the State of Durango.
Yours, etc.,
[Inclosure 3 in No. 270.]
Mr. Summery to Mr.
Powell.
[Extract.]
Ventanas, January 5,
1888.
Friend Fred.: I am well and at work the most of
the time. I lost Saturday on account of a painful circumstance, of which
I now write—in fact the object of this letter. The town is now full of
soldiers. I wrote you in my last that Eraclio Bernal was among the dead.
With him when killed they found papers implicating many as his aids
scattered over the two States of Sinaloa and Durango. They have now
shot, without trial, over fifty in the two States. This is perhaps all
right in a Mexican point of view; in fact, there is hardly any other way
to deal with this people. They brought one from Sanchemas with them, and
shot him in the street yesterday. They have in this country an officer,
with the pay of colonel, called Ab Hiffe de Alosdada, who possesses an
unlimited amount of power, something like the destroying angels of
Brigham Young of the early days of Utah; that is, they have power to
kill when caught without trial.
When they first arrived here they arrested Mosonis, of this town, a
Mexican, as being implicated in the robbery of this town. I hardly
believe it, although I think he is a mean man; in fact, he caused me to
lose a mine that I have often wrote you about. Still I think he is
innocent of the charge laid against him. Yesterday they arrested Don
Bull as also being implicated. Now his offense is this: when Eraclio
Bernal was here he made a levy of so much money, say $16,000. The people
here could not raise it on short notice.
Don Bull had known Eraclio when he was living at Maquey, and as far as
any person knew a good man or rather a good boy. Don Bull done all he
could for the town, he convinced Eraclio that it was impossible to raise
the whole amount at once, and that he must take papers for part of the
amount payable at some future time. On [Page 1140] the above the matter was settled and the money
afterwards paid, Don Bull carrying the same to the mountains and
delivering the same to the chief or his lieutenant. Now during this
waiting Eraclio and some of his men were often at the ranch for
supplies, took any and every thing they wanted without paying one cent
for the same; in fact they were so persistent in their demands that Wood
was compelled to leave the ranch and come and live in town. He has not
dared to live on the ranch for seven months during all this time. Either
Eraclio or some of his men have visited the ranch from time to time in
hunt of supplies. There has been nothing for them to get at the ranch
for seven months. He is also accused of delivering to said chief four
guns and ammunition for the same. This accusation I am sure is false, as
I was at the ranch so often about that time that I would have surely
known had he left to purchase rifles.
Monday, January 6. The soldiers have left, taking Don Bull with them. We
done all we could in our power to get them to send him to Durango for
trial or try him here, They refused all offers we made them. I sent a
messenger to Gilman to have him meet him in Sanchemas to see if he can
get him tried there. They say they are ordered to take him to the city
of Mexico for trial. This is doubtless a grave offense against our
Government to take an American citizen by military, without even a
preliminary examination, away from friends and home to a distant city
for trial. We fear they do not intend to try him, but will leave him on
the road, as they do all their Mexican prisoners. He has took one
Mexican with him, Masonis has taken two, so I think we will, in the
course of time, know his fate, unless they force the mozos to return. In
that case they will say they tried to escape and they had to shoot them.
I am almost certain he is innocent of any crime against this
Government.
Now, if it is possible to get our Government to move in the matter I hope
they will do it quickly. All the consuls we have in the country will be
informed as soon as possible. I am not afraid of the result if he gets a
fair trial. Justice will not convict him under the circumstances.
Yours, etc.,