New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-04-06
Doubtful Character of the Reports of
Mexican Outrages.
The Washington correspondent of tn


New York Times furnishes the following:
Colonel Nelson, late United States min.
lister to Mexico, expresses the belief that
the recent outrage at Nueces, IN Texas, was
perpetrated by Texan desperadoes or un-
scrupulous persons who are interested in
provoking hOstilities between Mexico and
the United States. Colonel Nelson saws
there exists in that portion of Texas living
west OF the Nueces river an organization Of
men whose avOwed Objects to create a war
between the two countries in order that
they may be afforded unlimited opportunity
to pursue their trade of robbery.
There is another class OF men who create
disturbance for the purpose of manufactur-
ing claims against the Mexican government.
and charge their own depredations on Mex.
leans. Colonel Nelson believes that while
some depredations are committed on settle
ments lying contiguous to the Rio Grande,
the great majority are perpetrated bv
Texans, and that all Outrages committed at
any distance east of the Rio Grande are the
work of the latter class.
He refers to the commission appointed
by President Grant in 1871 to ascertain
damages resulting from Outrages alleged
to have been committed by Mexicans prior
to that year.
Texans appeared before that commission
and made oath to having suffered from
Mexican incu7sions damages aggregatipg
S35, 600, 600. No individual claimant sW ore
to loss less than $50, 600, and MANY of
them made oath to having lost as hig gh as
$500 The losses thus sworn to agere-
gate sum equal to three times the as
sessed value OF all the lands, tenements
and cattle in the counties in which the in
curslOns were alleged to have been made.
After the report of the American commits
sion was made, Mexico appointed commits
sion, at the head of which was Emilio
Veiasco, an eminent Mexican lawyer and
statesman, who visited all points on the Rio
Grande opposite which the depredations
were said to have been committed, and in
vited all persons on the American side, who
had been aggrieved, to appear before the
commission and substantiate their claims,
None OF the parties thus invited appeared.
The report of SenOr Velasco is now pre-.
pared, and will be published in New York
under the supervision of Minister Mariscal.
These parties finding their rascaIity about
beng exposed, are now engaged in fOment-
ing fresh distur Dances, and casting the
blame on Mexicans.
The country lying between the Rio
Grande and Nueces was defnitively ac-
quired from Mexico by the war of 1876,
The inhabitants at that time were Mexicans.
and were made Americana citizens by the
They have all the vices of
their race, and spend their lives in herding
and stealing cattle. and plundering those
who immigrate to and settle in their neigh.
borhood.
Colonel Nelson says it is absurd to sun.
pose Mexican banditti would cross the Rio
Grande and pene etrate as far as the Nueces |
tor plunder. He believes Mexicans com !
mltted the crime, but they were Mexicaps |
who dwell in that part of Texas, and whose |
allegiance, If they owe any allegiance any
where. is to the United States.
Colonel Nelson expresses surprise that |
Governor Coke should take the view pre-.
,ented in his communication to the Presi
lent. While in Mexico similar outrages
we're frequently brought to Colonel Mel
sons attention, and investigation satisfied
lim of their character and purpose.
Sen0r ZaDacOna, OF the Mexican claims |
discredits the telegraphic re-
'orts, and believes them to be gross exag.
,eratiOns. He says the Mexican authorities
10 all that is possible to prevent preda.
1ry bands crossing the Rio Grande.
te does not believe the outrage at
sueces was committed by Mexicans.
10 inducement commensurate with the
isk and danger, existed for Mexicans to !
enetrate 100 miles of American territory
n connection with claims for damages now
ending before the Mexican commission.
enor Zamacona produced the printed tes-
lmony of Colonel }. L. Haynes, of Travis
ounty, Texas, in which Haynes says
Q has reason to believe that shewd and
nscrupulons men have been engaged
! manufacturing claims along the
10 Grande against the United
tates and Mexico, and that he has been
nportuned by this class of men to go to
lexlco ito get up claims" 1t was sug-
ested to him that the United States were
nxious to get large claims against Mexico
18th view of acquiring territory as an
ldemnity. This is the class of men whom
enor Zamacona charges with fomenting
equent troubles on the Rio Grande, and
g believes some of the same class are
'und ON the Mexican side Of that river.
lough the number Is fewer than in Texas.
Senor Zamacona claims that the Mexicans.l
liter quite as much from the lawlessness I ;
Texans as do the Texans from the law
IS Mexicans. He believes irritation is
metlmes caused by the unwise action of
Cal authorities on both sides of the Rio
rande, but insists that most of the trouble ,
Planned and executed bv parties in Texas.