File No. 811.0144/20.

Consul Garrett to the Secretary of State.

[Extract.]
No. 235.]

Sir: Referring to my telegram of yesterday, stating that Samuel Cantú had been released and conveyed to American territory, I have the honor to report that further investigation fully confirms my contention that Mr. Cantu was kidnapped on American territory, and taken across the boundary line by force. It is further disclosed that this outrage against the Government of the United States was perpetrated by Mexican officers, under the direct orders of General Gustavo Guardiola y Aguirre, the commander of the federal forces in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and carried out in utter defiance of international law or the rights and dignity of the American Government.

The Mexican Generals, when they received the order from Mexico City to release him, offered him his release on condition that he would pledge himself to immediately go to Lampazos, of which city he was formerly Mayor. The object of this was to prevent him from giving the press the true story of the dastardly outrage which was perpetrated upon him and the American Government in being forcibly taken from American territory by a captain and major of the Mexican army, assisted by a soldier, a customs guard and one of their detectives.

As Mr. Cantú was not aware that a demand had been made by the American Government, he readily agreed to this, as he despaired of securing his release by other means. But I objected to this arrangement to whitewash their actions, and insisted on him being returned to American territory, from whence he was forcibly abducted. General Guardiola invited me to leave their office, giving as his reason that if they gave him a pass to cross the river, they wanted it understood that it was not on account of any influence that myself or the American Government had with them, and both he and General Quintana stated that they wanted me to understand and so state to the press that they “were not delivering Mr. Cantú to me as the representative of the Government of the United States, nor oh account of any demand by the United States, but were simply giving him his liberty because they chose to do so.” I politely refused to leave until the matter was settled, unless peremptorily ordered to do so, in which event I assured them I would immediately report the [Page 904] facts to my Government by telegraph for such action as they deemed necessary, at which point General Quintana invited me to remain. They told me further that they were in command at this port, and the man was a Mexican citizen, and had elected to go to his former home at Lampazos, Mexico, and I had no right to interfere. I replied that Mr. Cantu had been forcibly abducted from American territory and my Government had the right to demand that he be returned to the boundary line, and that I, as the representative of my Government, insisted that he be so returned, and added that until such action was taken, the incident would not be closed, and my Government would reserve the right to take such action as it deemed proper to preserve its rights and dignity in the premises.

General Quintana finally said that if Mr. Cantú wanted to go, he would give orders at the bridge to allow me to take him over, which he did.

General Guardiola y Aguirre is the same man who executed Laurel in defiance of my protest, and it seems to me that the American Government can not afford to pass this second outrage by without making a vigorous protest to the Mexican Government, especially as I am informed that he has boasted since this case came up that he will avoid trouble with me in the future by having Americans executed before knowledge of the case comes to me.

I would respectfully suggest that in my opinion these two outrages would justify the American Government in demanding his removal as commander at this place. Such removal would certainly redound greatly to the security of Americans, and would, I believe, be welcomed by the leading Mexican citizens, as his arbitrary and oppressive rulings are destroying the prosperity of the city and driving many of the best and most influential residents to seek asylum elsewhere.

I have [etc.]

Alonzo B. Garrett
.