The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-07-22
ARR EST OF CORTINA---TExASA AND
MEXICO.

The New York World says that the Mexi-
can government has been able to capture
Cortina in the seat of his power and influ-
ence and carry him off to the City of Mex
leo for trial, in spite of the threatening
demonstrations of his partisans, argues an
important growth in the moral strength of
the central government. For years Cortina
has virtually deied the government.
Though his crimes have been notorious and
uAdisguised, the government has not until
now dared to order his arrest. In the two
States bordering on the Rio Grande he has
been able, either by terrorism or by making
the interests of the inhabitants identical
with his own, to reign supreme, and doubt
less he has felt as secure from the hand of
Justice amid his ranches as the robber barons
of the Middle Ages in their rock bound
castles. His deliberate seizure, therefore,
by the officials delegated for the purpose
by the Minister of War marks the beginning
of new and better era in the career of
Mexico an era of law and order.
This Cortlna is murderer, an iucendiary
and thief. He came into notice shortly
after the conclusion of peace between the
United States and Mexico in 1S4S, and has
led lawless, desperate life ever since.
Sometimes he has called himself an Ameri-
can citizen; at other times he has worn the
uniform of Mexican general; but what
ever has been his ostensible calling, the pur-
pose of his existence has been plunder. To
attain that he has never hesitated to slay
and burn. Indictments for horse-stealing
and murder. found in Texas, have hung
over him for years, but these have not de-
tered him from visiting Brownsville at his
pleasure. He seems to have been feared as
much on one side of the river as the other.
Witnesses who appeared before the Mexi-
can Border Commission, sent out by our
government, testified that in the great cat
tle-stealing raids made since 1871 from the
Mexican frontier into Texas, Cortina was
frequently seen on the American side
experimenting the passage of the stolen
property across the river. American
cattle have frequently been traced into his
own ranches, and it is related that in
one of his warlike expeditions against the
Mexican government he fed his army on
stolen American beef. Such audacity must
have been the product of connivance on the
part of our own officials along the border.
Il Is impossible to believe that the suthori-
ties at Washington could have been fully
informed of the operations Of this man and
used no means to secure his arrest.
The scandal has recently grown % great,
however, that policy Of inaction is No
longer possible. The bandit has been
seized In his lair by the Mexican authorities
at the peremptory demand of the United
States. When Cortina reaches the capital
under guard he may be tined by q military
commission. II the AIe1ican governnenti i.
in earnest, there are plenty of issues upon
which he can be tried, and witnesses can b,
found in overwhelming numbers. Nothing
short of hanging VIII satisfy the require.
ments of his case. But if he Is permisted
to escape and gets back 20 the Rio Grande,
as he probably viii, serious disagreement
between the two countries might follow.