Wilmington journal., 1876-02-11
[FrOm tie Ga-Te=tol y VS.
THE MEXICAN BORDER.
What McNeIly Says OF the Cattle
Raids A Province Practically
Supported by PIun-
dering Texas.
Pursuit Upon Mexican SOIi the
only Cure.

A Washington City correspondent of
the Galveston (Texas) News, having
had an interview with Captain McNal-
ly. who was then in Washington TO
testify before the committe, makes the
following report thereof:
"What kind of a country" I asked,
sis that which borders the Rio
Grande 2"
s'A strip of country about twenty
miles wide on each side of the river, !"
he replied, is covered with 'Fhat IS
called in Mexico 'chaparrai. 1t is Il
thicket of tropical or semi~tropicai
shrubs, which, on account OF it's densi-
ty and the immense thOrns with which
it is thickly covered, is literally i'm
penetrable except where trails have
been cut through it. [ hardly know
how I can convey to you definite idea
of its character, but you may judge
something of the difficulties of cam
paigniDg IN such a country when L tell
YOU that, although two trails may ex
tend almost parallel with each other
aad not more than fifty yards apart,
still it is often necessary to travel as
far as seven or eight miles III order to
find a point wnere 1t is possible TO pass
from one to another. 1t is like a thick
ct of enormous thlsties fifteen feet
high, with thorns hard and woody and
as large as your finger.
From my description of the char
acter of the country you will see how
difficult it is to intercept hand Of
| Mex1cans, even when information of
one of these incurslons has been OBJ
| tanned. On one occasion I informed
| the commandant of the United States
| troops that raid in force was to b..
made at or about certain date, and
| that the cattle would be driven across
| the river at given point. He station
| ed two companies of cavalry in the
| chapparal at a short distance apart,
and deployed men on either side, in
order to intercept the party as 1t
| passed. But the Mexicans passed be-
tween the two companies without being
discovered until they had nearly reach
ed the river. Then the soldiers follow
ed them, aad arrived just i'll time to
see them drive the cattle out on the
other side. A few shots Were ex-
| changed, and the Mexicans were
obliged to abandon few Of the cattle
| that we're mired in the mud, but
escaped with the most OF them.
"Are these Mexcaus good fghters?'
[ asked.
Yes sir" was his reply; ''they will
stand killing as well as any people L
ever saw. ii any one expects TO gam
much glory in lighting superior num-
bers of these. Mexican raiders, he will
be very much mistaken. 1t is fact that
the Mexicans of the interior are not
very good soldiers, but after four
wears service IN the Confederate army,
and most of the time at the front, where
[ had an opportunity to know what
good fighting was, l am prepared to
saw that these border MeXicans are
about as formidable adversaries as l
ever saw"
''We have sometimes heard it report
ed that the raids are mutual. | sug-
gested; "that is, that the Texans are
also in the habit of crossing over into
Mexico, and committing g Outrages upon
Mexican citizens or stealing their cat
tie Is there any truth III these re-
ports?'
.'Such reports as these are the re-
suit of an entire ignorance of the
character of the country was his re-
plv. "While, as L have already told
YOU. the country from fifty to a nun
dred miles from the river on the
Texas side has been almost depopu-
lated, the Mexican border is quite
thickly settled. If a company of
Americans were to cross the river, IN
five or six hours force of Mexic ans OF
equal or greater numbers could be
gathered, and it would be very doubt.
full if any of the Fexans ever returned.
Besides, the country on the Mexican
side is not q good grazing country.
The people themselves raise no cattle
but depend entirely for their supplies
nnon the ra DIS which L have de-
scribed.'
"What is the disposition of the
Mexican authorities toward these out
laws?'
ssThe raiders are never punished for