The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-05-27
ON THE TEXAS BORDER.

A DePIOrable Picture of the situation
Tho mRtamOras Cut Throat, COrti-
mas at the Bottom OF All the Trouble
His Early Downfall Probable.
Mr.. Samuel Brantom, a gentleman
who hos resided west of the Nueces.
river, Texas, for seven years, much of
that time near the RIO Grande, passed
through the city yesterday on his way
TO Ohio. In a conversation with a re-
porter of the Republican, Mr.. Brantom
drew a deplorable picture of the situa-
ton along the border. He SAYS that
the outlaws of both Mexico and the
Unit, d States are engaged in the
maraudIng raids and murderous at
tacks on the rancheros. Desperate es
fleeing from Justice, in Arkansas, Texas,
Missouri, and states further to the east
escape to the border, where they come
in contact and act in collision with the
bandits under the protection of Cor
tinas, the robber mayor of Matamoras.
There is 10 doubt, according to his
belief, that the raids which have C, So
the people of Western Texas so much
loss have been organized, or if not, at
least encouraged by this scoundrel Cor
tlnas, who has usurped the chief au-
thority in the state Of Tamaulipas
wv NlAA4etANSS III A1IduAOm Saws. is
utterly pOwerless to do ANYTHING and
cannot assist in bringing the thieves TO
justice, which he seems yerv willing to
do if it were not for the superior in
tiuence of COrtinas. There are a good
many Mexican troops stationed along
The Rio Grande, and Gen. Escobedo,
has his headquarters at SaItilIo. There
are two regiments OF cavalry disposed
along the river between Matamoras and
Luredo. Recently the soldiers have
assisted Texans in making some arrests
of cattle thieves who have ESCAPED
across the river. But it has been of
little avail, as, under the laws of Mex
leo, they could not be held bv the
military or tried by courtmartial while
the civil courts are open, and Cortinas
has managed to have them all turned
over to his creatures, who are alcades.
and they have been turned loose again
Meanwhile the stolen property of Amer.
lean citizens at last finds its wav into
the possession of the bandit chieftain
who rules in Matamoras. Mr.. Brantom
expresses a hope that the treacherous.
rascally career of Cortinas is about TO
be brought to a close by the action of
the Mexican government. Gen. Ca.
males who has been virtually super
seeded IN the exercise of the functions
of his Office as governor of the state of
Iamaulipas, by the audacity of Cor
tlnas, has long entertained towards the
Matamoras bandit a bitter animosIty.
has been using all his influence and
power to effect the downfall of that
thieving scoundrel. Canales once re-
moved Cortinas from the Office of Mayor
of MatamOras, but through some tech
nIRQITfU ma rnoroInn1 he I
since been more audaciOus than before
actually assuming the government of
OF the state. In this usurpation he is
supported by all the thieves. yagabopds
and desperadOes on the border.
AT the time Mr.. BraLtom left Browns
vile, little more than a week ago. il
was rumOred that Gov. Canales, who
has the active sympathy of all the bet
ter classes of society and the MOI al
support OF Gen. Escobedo, backed bv
the army, has secured ample evidence
of the completely of COrtinas with the
raiders into Texas, and that meas
ures are being taken to arrest him on
a charge OF conspiracy to make war on
a friendly government, contrary to
treaty stipulation entered into by the
government of the republic, and also
under the charge of highway robbery
and other crimes.
Mr.. BrantOm says the Mexican mill
tary forces in Tamaulipas, Nueya Leon
and Coahuila are sufficiently strong to
execute any order against Cortinas
which the federal authorities may issue.
and Gen. EscObedo only waits the sum-
mons for assistance from the supreme
civil authority to act, with decision and
energy, against the robber.
1t is the opinion all along the border
that if COrtinas was once removed
hanged as he richly deserves-there
would be- no further trouble from Next
can raids on the Rio Grande frontier.
Mr.. BrantOm thinks it impossible to
estimate the actual losses sustained by
the rancherOs between the Nueces and
the Rio Grande, by the depredations of
the raiders. He thinks moro than a
hundred and fifty lives have been lost,
and at least 1000 head of cattle, be
sides heavy losses in merchandise and
household gOods.-T. Louis Repub-
IicGn.