, 1873-05-31
TEXAS.
Indian Outragos on the Rio.
Grande Border.
Murders and Robberiesby Saw
ages from Mexico.
Exaggerated C1niins Presented to
tho United States Conn
l.. mission.

sptcfal Correspondence of Thd Chicago Tribune.
ConruB Cnn1Brr, lex, May 20, 1875
This Is tho headquarters Of Con. Lewis G.
Brown, Collector Of neyonuo Of tho Second Tox-
as District. Tho General Is wcll acquainted
with tho doprodatng Indians Of the Rio Grando,
who cross the border, massacre our settlers,
atoal our property, and retire to tho protection
Of tho Mexican flag. Your correspond
ont recently interviewed tho General on
tho subject Of tho Indians, and
found him q frank and conBotont1ous, tlough
not swift witnoHn. Whnt ho knows ho has
sloprncd partly from personal experience md
partly from information derived from sources Of
wliosc trustworthineas personal acquaintance haa
mndo him good judgo
FROM Ills sronY IT AprEAns:
Fi,.st-That tho Rio Graudo border Of Texas
hna boon, and ia yet invaded by robbors from
Moxico. >.
second-That those maraadors steal stock and
murder pooplo.
1'hird-That tho invading robbers and mur-
derers aro Indians residing in Mexico, and not
MoxicanB.
Fourlh-That tho Toxan sufferers by thom In
property arc American rancho-ownors; whilo
their employos, Moxican shepherds resident on
ranches in Toxaa, suffer most In loss Of life.
Ffnh-Ihat tho claims Of persons laid 'boforo
tic Government 0ommiesion for losBos really
sustained arc, in the opinion Of the best ctizons
In the affected districts, nbsurdly exaggerated.
Tho robbers, ho says, live chiefly in Coahui1a.
They arc tho
K1oKApoos AND muscA1EnA TRIBES
Of 1ndinns. Just before tho War, thoy movod
from q reservation in tho United States and sot-
tlod in Coaluila, whore they have remained over
Rince. Tho territory liablo to their inroatls. ex-
tondB 100 miloa baok from the Rio Grande, md as
far up as San Antonio. Their inroada are secret
and sudden, thoir stay short. and their rctroat
rapid, About three or four days ia the longest
river. During this time, thoy usually move day
nnd night. The Rio Grando, narrow and easlly
fordod nearly all the. year, opposes no obsta-
Clio to their invasion Or t'ight:;. Pursuit
be believed that thoy could not bo ovortaken.
This Was mistake, however, for, within tho last
eight wcols, in addition to tho MoKenzio raid, Q
band pursued d rotroating squad OF Indlans, and
DROUGHT BACK scALp8
rs IN evidence TINT they had killed five Of them.
Thoao robbors cross the Rio Grando In compn-
MICS Of 40 or 50i thon Hcatter over tho country
in squads Of 10 or -; and. returning, rendoz-
vous at tho riyer. and entor Moxico united: Thoy
como mounted, armed with good riaos, and bows
and nrrowH.
Horses arc their chief, in fact almost thoir
sole booty; Other stock they seldom care to
with cattle or sheep. The result is, that 10
koop moro than 10 OF (which is tho isan1e In
Texas, whore, it q man has not 50 or GO horses,
ho does not consider TINT lo has any,
Con. Browns rancho. 90 miea from Corpus
OhrlAtio, has boon rado1 twice within tho last
oight woeks. In November last. In one Of thoso
raids, tho Indiana carried of Domingo, Mo1i-
can shepherd, and Juanita Trovino, tho wjfo Of
hayo never been leard Of einco. In 1871, thoy
nttackod aud robbed Bau jnse rancho, and, 2
miles from this place, killed an American aud
l'is vito, and carried captivo thoir two chdrnn,
WHO lavo mover been heard from. Within d
year, ut one Of thcHo raids upon sorornl rancl,oB
at this point, thoy got away with 90 horses.
Usually they arc not 80 successful.
THE DLooD1EsT RAID
was made oarly In Inst July. There wore II
Indians aud q BquRw In tho snyngo gang. Con.
Browns ranohe was tho first ono struck. Two
shepherds, both NlexicanH, III swimming, dis
eoyored tho approach Of Tho foroSoas robbers
pricsly place and briar, shouting to givo word
at tho rancho. They succeeded in alarming
thei, companions Who 20 escaped By flight ono
to SOC md l,oar ali that went on. Tho bloody
sayagoa tied their captiyo'a hands be-
hind him.. regaloa themselves for
while Il listening :. to . bis p1eaaings
tGoy M ' told M lin T to run away IL Ind scareeiy; ;
turned when tho Kickapoo squaw Of their purity
sont III arrow through Ills body. Tlloy Lott him
and went on. Within three or four hours, thoy
mado four moro captures, every one Of whom
this human tigress pierced through with an un-
orring arrow from her bow.
WHY DON'T THE RANoHNEN DEFEND THEMSELVES?
I asked. Gon. Brown explained that there woro
scarcely ever moro than 10 or u Of these on q
rancho. These woro separated, tending different
focks. This gayo opportunity to drivo on or
capture tho men In detail.
Then why don't tho State provide defense? 1
inquired. Gen. Brown said tho State Ind made
tho experiment With two or three regiments Of
entorpriao hatl to bo abandoned. United States
soldiers were distributed ut various points along
tim Rio Grande. droator numbers Of them, 80
aB to make closor chain Of stations, might stop
theae outrages, or at least limit their range to
within few mics Of tile Rio Grande.
Ho says thnt fully fonr-tlfths Of tho ranchuon
aro Mexican shephords, employed by tho ownors
Of lands to take care9 Of tho focka; Fully nino-
oaas Of Mexicans. 1t has been alleged that I.
Mexican or two generally came over with tho
Indiaus in their 'inoursonR; bnt ho had neYer
mot any trustworthy testimony. to this object.
As to the claims laid before tho
nouNpAnY-uI.A1m COMMISSION,
many were, according to reports made to hin, BY
acquaintancos, greatly exaggerated, especially
s20o. 600 and s9o6. 900, which $4,000 to 5i0,0 600
ought to fairly satisfy. It ia further stated that
many Of these men wont before the Commits
aion, intending to mako fair clams, but listoned
to bad advice from Gwarms Of lawyers mud claim
agents. Many Of sSSspe olaimants employ lawyors
or agents, who stipu1ato for contingent
foos Of about 80 por cent Of the claim. This,
Gen. Brown statos. is tho version Of tho best
citizons Of that country, who deplore tho unwiHo
calculated to defeat tic whole ca6e by these ab-
surd pretonsions. He had no doubt that there
was Just claim against Mexico for indemnity for
Losses by raids from hor territory, but did not
bolieve it amounted to any such figures as were
in many caseg laid before tho Commission.
This raidng he said, had boen, according to
tho representations Of old oitizenB, WorBo during
tho past two years than ever before.
As to tho native rougha in Toxas, he said thoir
rulo was nearly over. Wondora lad boeu ac-
oomplAhed In the last throo years In tho
ESTABLISHMENT or ORDER.
Three yoars ago, murder was rite, and tho
Shor1lB dared not attempt to arrost the murder