File No. 812.0144/93
The Mexican Ambassador ( Bonillas) to the Secretary of State
Excellency: I have further reference to your excellency’s kind note dated 8th of April1 in which your excellency is pleased to inform me that you have sent to the proper Department of your Government the representations of this Embassy in connection with the invasion by a group of American soldiers of the Rancho de Pilares, which was set on fire.
Further data having come to me I have the honor to forward them to your excellency.
On the 28th of March last, at 10 o’clock in the morning, the inhabitants of the Rancho de Pilares, State of Chihuahua, saw the coming of a force of Cavalry of the American Army consisting of about 200 men riding in the direction of the T. O. Rancho; in view of the attitude of the force, the inhabitants of Pilares prepared themselves for defense. They were 19 in number; 2 of them were killed in the fight: Cornelio Quintela and Higinio Alvarado. Manuel Michaca, an old man, 80 years old, who on account of his age could neither fight nor leave the scene, also lost his life.
In view of the numerical superiority of the Americans, the civilians withdrew to the highlands. A Mexican reinforcement of 150 came up and exchanged fire with the American force which withdrew after completely destroying the Rancho de Pilares by fire without leaving a single article that could be used or a single house of the inhabitants [Page 565] standing. I enclose an inventory of the articles lost by each one of the inhabitants as a result of the fire.1
My Government protests against these facts which it considers to be a violation of the sovereignty of its territory, and as more than a month has passed since then and no decision has been reached in the matter, I find myself constrained again to beg your excellency that the guilty be punished, as there is no law that would warrant such an invasion of Mexican territory and such destruction.
I also beg your excellency to be pleased to order that the sufferers from the fire be paid an indemnity for the losses they sustained.
I avail [etc.]