New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-11-19
INTERESTING LETTER FROM THE POST
MASTER
Signed in Presenee Of
PosT-OFFIcE, BRowysvILE, Texas, ]
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1859.

PosT-OFFIcE, BROWNSVILLE Texas,
Wednesday Now 2, 1853.
DESR sir: II becomes nv duty TO inform you that
mail routes COZ and 595 made impossible by the
forces acting under the bandit Cornas. This force
commands the country around IN every direction 10
within 400 yards Of our city market.
Accommodating this please find the affidavit of Mr..
Rapures mail carrier on route S6O6; also letters ard
envelopes, and post-biiH the same, and IN the same
condition as they to this Office on the 18th ulmo,
except that the letters have been delivered and the
enyelopes retained % they broken and letter
from r. G.. City, which not broken, and was de-
Hvcred. The bag cut and mended. send You the
bag. 40, ~.
ult and on route $685. due the 9th and Both ult,
have not arrived at this Office We are reliably iu-
formed that the mails on both these trips and both
these routes for the last trip are in the possession
of Cortinas and that he has the carriers prisoners.
The mail on route sos is brought and carried on
the right bank of the river to its mouth, and has
until now succeeded in passing through unmolesled.
No letters are mailed TO go by routes S,oOo to
1896.
All the carriers are prisoners. Any attempt 10 send
mail by either route would certainly fall aud on the
3lst ult and lst inst no mails were dispatched by
either route They are regarded by me as closed ior
the present, and accordingly engaged no SUBSTITUTE
Cortinas is in camp, about half league from here
with an uncertain number OF men, but he II known 20
have several hundred At least twice IN every twenty
four hours and frequently otener his scouts fire ran
dom shots into town. Scouts of over fifty have been
counted from housetop, and his men are IN sght
most az the day lowering about They have taken
all the stock for miles around to the other side of the
river; have robbed nearly every rancho, and certainly
every American, within range OF thirty miles, and
thew now command the country without dispute up to
within AGO yards OF our market.
The parts of the town best built are Oarreaded, ana
into that the families all brought. Every man Is
COMPELLED 10 stand guard or patrol each night The
apprehenfiOn and vigilance Of the authorities may be
Judged from the fact that after beng IN me ranks ten
nights cut of twelve last night remained IN my Office
10 distribute the New-Orleans mail, which was
brought over from MatamoT0s about sunset, and be-
fore o'clock i was arrested and sent TO the guard
house for absence from duty, ana renamed thers I'M
der guard until midnight, when the enemy SHOTS gave
us apprehenson of a general attack, and l was re-
leased and placed in the ranks. Every night men are
detailed to bring out delnquents, and they open the
dOors of citizens by force when necessary ana org
them into the ranks; and Sir, the necessity OF tins
court is so obvious that there is scarce murmur AZ
the hardship Every citizen Of standing sustans this
proceeding though has been applied to our hrst citl-
zens.
termination Death TO Americana Is the cry, and
and no quarter is expected by prisoners IL Il the cry
in the streets of Matamoros and IT goes unrebused.
The band have been largely REINFORCED lately from
both sides of the river. In band ninety conylets
escaped from the prisons Of Victoria, Mexico, and
Joined Cortinas.
lie sympathy of the Mexican people and the active
udTtlCllailOn OF inc low bioc1tr aEoohos "' 10 nv
doubted by any one and these facts Us apPre-
henson lest they may come az they can hundred 70
our one TO plumber the town, in which case an the
pcpulation cave the Mexican, would be eXternina,ed
I'VE have held out thrty-six days without assistance
II is matter of anxious inquiry how much longer we
can endure the seige and in what time the robbers VIII
be so armed az 10 venture upon our deienses
make these statements in full, that every material
fact NAV be placed at your disposal.
The Acting Postmaster at Rudyylle has iust arrived
he eseaped with his life only The neighboInood OF
Rudy vile is robbed. lie tells me that nearly every
mail from here up for the last three weeks has been cut
opeu and many letters taken. The nails have been
greatly DELAYED and in the whole mail, every
package, was taken out, the bag sent on, aud The
packages broken open, every letter unsealed, and,
after being soaked in water were sent by the mex,
mail up
Private expresses 10 Rio Grande City, on the right
bank Of the river carry letters for merchants at So
Per letter postage. This has been doing for month
remain very respectfully, your obedi.nt servant, 49,
r. T. PENN, Postmaster Brownsville
p. ST. send paper giving an account TO the 2'ih
ut since which time the Victoria eonyicts have been
ascertained certainly TO have joined Cortnas. lhey
number about 60 Other parties are coming IN to loin
him constantly. FF.F