File No. 812.404/49.
Vice Consul Stadden to the Secretary of State.
Manzanillo, January 18, 1915.
Sir: I have the honor to report, in compliance with your telegraphic instructions dated January 14 [etc.] as follows:
The Catholic priest Santillana gives the following information.
When the Constitutionalist forces entered Guadalajara, the Saleciano priests, in charge of the School of Arts, and all other foreign priests who were in charge of charitable institutions, hospitals and college, up to the number of 47, and all the nuns who were in charge of the female college, were expelled from the country, leaving via Manzanillo on the British steamer City of Mexico. The priests and nuns were abused with vile language as they were marched to the trains. All Mexican priests who remained in Guadalajara including the Bishop from Tehuantepec who happened to be in Guadalajara at that time, were placed in jail, and they paid 100,000 pesos for their liberty. All churches were closed by order of the military authorities; the cathedral, residence of the Bishop, and the female college, were turned into barracks for the troops.
The priest Cano, secretary of the Bishop of Guadalajara, issued a circular addressed to all priests recommending that they be prudent and take no part in politics. Cano was arrested and placed incommunicado, since when nothing is known of him.
In San Luis Potosí the priests were persecuted so that they all left there; part of them arrived here in disguise and related their experiences to the priests here.
About ten days ago troops went to El Gruello, Jalisco, to arrest priest Simon Cobian; he escaped but in retaliation his house and its contents were burned by the troops; the reason given for this action was that the priest did not notify the Carranza forces that a Villa force had been in town.
About the same date, in La Huerta, Jalisco, the priest Santana had his clothes torn off on the street by the secretary of the local court; the people of the town came to the rescue and got him away; he has not been heard from since.
In Tonaya, Jalisco, the priest Adolfo Moto, from Platancillo, was arrested; also the local priest Cisto Mithchell; ropes were tied around their necks, they were then led through the streets and offered for sale and told they would be shot in an hour; they were made to dance jigs. The name of the Carranza officer is Tenorio. The people of the place finally persuaded the officer to release the priests.
On January 3 the priests Juan Quintero, Antonio Gómez, Antonio Salazar and Hilario Morales were arrested in Sayula and brought to Manzanillo in company with the priest Sixto Acosta of Chihuatlan; they have been prisoners here for about ten days and were informed that they would be sent out of the country on the first steamer leaving here.
On the 16th instant the Captain in charge of the troops here called on me to inquire when the steamer Peru would leave, and if it was necessary for the priests to have money when they landed in San Francisco; I translated the immigration law; the Captain then remarked that he thought it was best to shoot the priests instead of paying out money for their passages. This afternoon two of the priests called on me and said that they had just been informed by [Page 1012] the Captain that the military authorities would not pay out a cent to get them out of the country and that if they did not leave on the Peru they would be shot as soon as the Peru leaves the port. The people of the town are now raising the money to pay the fares of the five priests and they will leave for San Francisco tomorrow. The captain of the Peru, instead of leaving tonight, will remain until tomorrow so as to allow time for the priests to get away from the death that threatens them by remaining here.
The people who are now in charge of this district are as bloodthirsty as Apache Indians and their whole aim seems to be to kill and get money. On the steamer Peru there are being shipped 45,000 pounds of cow hides by General Dieguez to Dr. Felipe Valencia, the person who took the several million pesos to San Francisco last month. These hides are from the cattle on the properties that have been confiscated by General Dieguez.
I have [etc.]