File No. 812.0144/45
The Mexican Ambassador ( Bonillas) to the Secretary of State
Excellency: I regret to inform your excellency that the Department of State of my Government has forwarded to me the following report from Gen. J. C. Murguía, commander of the garrison at Ciudad Juárez:
By telegram No. 88 dated the 10th instant a report was sent to the citizen Gen. E. Hernández, Chief of Military Operations, in the matter of the firing of shots at the ford of the island, which came from the American troops without being returned from the Mexican side, as it appears from the investigation of the case and the declarations of two men who were picked up on the river bank wet through, one of them wounded, who said that they tried to cross to the American side at about 9 p.m. in company with a 50-year-old lady, the sister of one of the men, and were spied before they were half way across the river by the American guards who, without a warning of any kind, fired more than 60 shots at them, killing the woman and wounding one of the men, and the woman fell in the water. She was carried off in the stream and they hastily ran back to the Mexican side. The American patrols very often fire on the revenue officers along the dividing line and have killed their horses. In every case the firing was not returned from the Mexican side, for the revenue officers as well as the soldiers on watch duty were under positive orders not to fire as much as one shot at the American side. The foregoing is here transcribed for your information.
Supplementing my telegram of November 5 I have the honor to transcribe the message I have just received from the S. M. of Ciudad Juárez:
Your telegram 2026. On October 30 last, Francisco and Luis O-Gas and Mrs. Matilde Torres tried to go over to the American side at the Libertad Gate. It might have been 3 or 4 in the afternoon. As they can not read and were asked for the bath ticket, they could not meet the requirements and were turned back. The same persons tried to cross the river one kilometer away from the Reforma Gate between 10 and 11 in the night, when Francisco lost a shoe about the middle of the stream and cried out to Luis to leave him behind and go on. It was then that the American soldiers noticed their presence and immediately opened a steady fire which sent the men back to the Mexican side. Mrs. Matilde Torres who probably was hit by the bullets was carried away by the stream and drowned. She [Page 549] has not been found yet although this command and that of El Paso, Texas, agreed to have searches made for her on both sides. Mrs. Matilde Torres was going over to see her children. I bring the foregoing to your knowledge with a request that by order of the citizen President of the Republic you may be pleased to send suitable instructions to our Ambassador at Washington to take steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
The citizen Undersecretary of War and Marine on the same subject says as follows:
The citizen General Chief of Military Operations of the State of Chihuahua in his despatch No. 667 of the 2d instant reports as follows to this Department:
I have the honor to inform you of the contents of a message from General F. Murguía reading as follows:
I take the liberty of informing you that at about 9 p.m. yesterday steady firing was heard over the boundary line of the United States. Upon investigation two men were held who according to their own statement tried to cross to the American side with a 50-year-old lady and when about half way across, were surprised by American troops which without a word fired their guns at them, killing the woman and wounding one of the men. From the Mexican side not one shot was fired. The judge has taken cognizance of the foregoing which I communicate to you for your information and transmission to the higher office. Respectfully.
I take the liberty of transmitting these communications to your excellency for your information and with the request that the military authorities be moved, through the proper channel, to have the said facts thoroughly investigated, the persons found to be guilty thereof punished, and appropriate measures taken to prevent a repetition of such acts.
I avail [etc.]