Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-03-18
The Right Kind of Tactics.


following interesting letter. develope the kind of tac-
tics which should long since have been adopted against
the Mexican robbers and assassins. If the war had
been carried in such a spirit, it would now be
nearly if not quite at an end
CAMARGo, Mexico, Feb 5, 1877.
Ny Dear Sirs When wrote you last the mule
tram was IN check by rancho force near Aida mas
COL Morgan, OF the Ohio volunteers, who is in COM
mand at this place. upon the receipt of the ipteli-
gence, Immediately mounted a party of his men and
proceeded to the scene Of action When he arrived
there ne found the train had halted, and waited
enforcement. He ordered it forward and proceeded
two days, and when within three miles of Capdaro
he encamPed for the night placing his mules (abcut
5OO) IN an enclosure, with guard over them. That
night the ladrones or robbers fired upon the guard
stampeded the mules and broke for the chapperal A
party pursued them and recapured all but eighty
Col. Morgan with party of thirty men. started on
the TRAIL which, winding along the bases of the noun
tains and through the chappare led in the direction
of China.
In his route he passed several rancheros occupied
and owned by these ladrones, and used by them as
rendezvouses and depots In several of them he found
pistols, knives swords saddles, &C., &C., all of which
he directed to be burned. Thus he continued on until
he reached China and in Its suburbs he found large
rancho which well known from its elevated posi-
ton to be one used by these people as q lookout and
for other purposes. This, also the COL burnt He
was about to commence his operations on the town.
as he had traied the party into it, and was only in
duced to desst by the entreaes of the Alcade and his
offers to return the same number of mules. The Col
remained two days. received eighty-two mules, better
than those he lost, sent them to the tran which he
directed to pass to Monterey, required fresh horses
for his men, paid the Alcade for what provisions they
wanted, and left with many proesations of friend
ship from the Alcalde and the pries-always the two
head devils in every town of Mexico.
hat fac Ia ,r,or tbo ~
made upon them, when he spoke of the probability of
visiting them again, if acts Of a similar nature were
repeated In his neghborhood, they told him that he
need not put himself to the trouble of coming him
self, but just to send them word and they would do
every thing necessary.
In China they came near grabbing the famous Cara
jaba, one of the moving spirits of all these depreda
tlons He was sitting in the house with the priest
they had just returned from mass-when Morgan and
his party came in sight, and the sentinel on the watch
tower no doubt communicated the fact to him. and he
'udmosed'
Expeditions of this kind are the best conciliatory
policy which can be adopted with such people. In
the neghborhood of China, Metemorellos, Aldamas
Reynosa and Mer are regularly organized ladrones,
to whom the Alcades and priests give their counte-
nance and support. The party that Col. Morgan was
In pursuit of not less than two hundred strong
and the Alcalde of this place has a in the band
From their former habits of smuggling numbering
and robbing, they have acquired perfect knowledge
of all the passes roads, paths and trails in the whole
country, and therefore you can imagine how easy it
for these robbers to escape pursuit; must there
fore fall on some other plan to prevent their depreda
tions Gen. Taylor, am told. has now in Monterey
hostages from the little town where Lit. Richie, with
dispatches, was taken; and further. that the general
has given the authorities three weeks 70 produce the
actors of this tragedy, he will level their
the ground. Let this system be kept up, and in
short time nothing Of this kind will occur any other
course is fooling away time.
Capt. Ben McCuoch is again in the field He,
with about twenty picked Texas b'hoys, joined Gene
raj Taylor few days since at Monterey.