The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-07-14


pations of the citizen President, Benito
Juarez Failing to revive the much-vaunted
Constitution of 1851 Vega has, with the CO.
operation of the Indian military chief
Lozada, entered upon his present hopeful
scheme. The latter is sufficiently noto-
rious actor on the stage of Mexican politics.
He has for years maintained a semi-inde-
pendent authority in the kingdom of Topic,
situated in the northwestern portion of the
State of Jalisco, and has by an amount of
lawlessness, remarkable even in lawless
country, earned for that section of territory
the title of the ''Hell of Mexico"
Aided by this precious ally, General Vega
has maintained a desultory warfare of some
months duration against the authority of
President Juarez Early in May an expedi-
ton was fitted out and placed under the COM
mand of Colonel Vascayno. Its object was
to levy black-mail on the commercial ports
for the furtherance of the cause of the new
republic, and the general benefit of the lead
ers. Guaymas was selected as the first point
of attack, and Vegas instructions to his
subordinates were to levy the sum of four
hundred thousand dollars on the merchants
of that city, giving them in return promises
to pay by the projected republic certain
amount of discretion was allowed, should
specie not be forthcoming, to make
up the levy in merchandise
and munitions of war; The strength of
the naval force chiefly consisted in
the Forward, q small steamer which had pre-
viously been an English gunboat, and which,
it was said, was fitted out in the very port
which she was shortly to return to and pill
lsge. On the 2Sth May the revolutionary
forces entered Guaymas without opposition,
and having captured the Collector of Customs
and other officials, they issued an immediate
summons to the merchants to pay up the
outstanding duties. Having obtained these
to the amount of one hundred thousand
dollars, they proceeded to make up the def
cheney by taking possession of arms and mer-
chandise as directed. The advance of body
of national troops caused them to evacuate
the city on the following day. Two ships
were towed out of the harbor by the Forward,
and the spois were conveyed to the appro-
pirate receptacle of the territory of Lozada.
This was intended to be only the first
chapter in the cruise of the Forward. La
Paz, San Bias, and Mazatlan we're severally
designated for the honor of visit, and the
privilege of contributing to the establishment
of the ''Northwe tern Mexican Republic" "
1t was evident that in the interests of inter
national commerce, it was highly desirable
that the filibustering career of the Forward
should be interrupted. Fortunately, a United
States gunboat, the Mohican, happened to
be at Mazatlan; and in compliance with repre-
sentations of our Consul and the merchants
of the place, her commander, Cap
tain Low, sailed in pursuit of the
buccaneer. The chase was protracted
and exciting, and the closing incidents of it
read like a chapter from Cooper's ''Water
Witch" On the 18th of June the Forward
was destroyed and her crew taken prisoners,
after causing the death of an officer and a
seaman on board the Mohican. In spite of
this, we find our Consul generously inter-
posing to save the prisoners from the usual
infiction of the unfailing Mexican barbarity.
The flibusters do not appear to have been
| Immediately shot, as was at first reported,
| though doubtless the result of their trial at
Guaymas will prove that the news was only a
| little premature.
Comment upon such state of things is
needless. The spectacle of government so
impotent that it cannot protect its chief
ports from the attack of privateer mount
ing one or two guns, and whose merchants
are compelled to invoke the aid of foreign
power to prevent their utter spoliation, is
one which custom has enabled us to regard
without astonishment, but whose continuance
! is nevertheless one of the most striking
anomalies of the North American continent