The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-12-22
THE MEXICAN TROUBLE.

The large city dailics have abounded duri
the week with sensational dispatches fro
northwestern Texas, giving accounts of enOue
battles and siegeS between American Al
Mexican citizens to inaugurate half a dozen
wars with Mexico The facts of the matt,
are briefly as follows: There are in FL Pas
county, Texas. series of salt lakes, TO whiC
the people for many years, on both sides of Il
Rio Grandc. have had free access to suppl
themselves with salt without money or prc
Early last spring a couple Of Austin spccul.
tors-notably, Geo b. Zimpleman and 5. !
Mavcrick-unlcr the liberal land laws of TIE,
as located" these lakes, and thencetOrt
claiming to own them, allowed nobody to tax
away salt without paying for it. Charles |
Howard. with Atkinson and Mcbride. wcr
agent, Of Zmplcman 4 Co. to enforce pa,
ment for salt
Fourffths of the population Of FL Pas
county, like that Of many other Texas countiC
on the western border, is Mexican, and anon
Mcycans very little idea Of the supremacy d
law obtains as understood by Americans ID
a case Of this kind in Mexico the usual cours.
is for the leading citizens to ret together and
organize "iunta," which deliberatcS on thI
matter and decides what is law and what is ID
be done That course was pursued here Thu
"junta," taking the advice of Louis Cards, A
local Mexican pundit, decided that the Sail
Wells were public property and not subject ID
private ownership. The prctensions of How
ard and his principals were therefore treated
with contempt, Howard thcreupon entered
complaint before the Hon Geo n. Garcia, !
county judge, asking certain persons" to be
put under bonds not to take salt from the
wells. The precept was put in the hands OF
Sheriff Chas. kcrbcr to execute The sheriff
at once his inability to raise a Posse
or any such purpose, and thcreupon Gov.
Hubbard was appealed 10, who sent a squad
If state troops to his aid, This squad, consist.
NJ of less than so men, was surrounded bv
he mob-"McXicans," they arc called, but
most ofthem arc citizens Of Texas though of
Mexican birth, together with few whites and
doubtless also some MeXicans from the Mex
an side of the river, as both sides were equally
in the question of free salt" The
tate troops, with Howard Atkinson and Nc.
Bride, after the death of a sergeant and men
" the mob, took rcniap in bullet proof
uilding and here were btsieged until 3o'clock
asst Saturday, when they surrendered. How.
I'd, Atkinson and Mcbride, Immediately on
ne surrender, were condemned and shot by
rider of the 'junta," and the rest released
There were only about 90 t. S. troops in the
icinity at the time, who it appears in no way
lteriercd, though it looks as if the mob would
ave respected their authority as in the midst
the row they allowed the L. s. mail to pass
nmolested though they knew it carried ur
ent appeals to the governor and president for
ID against them
These appeals for aid have been answered
Y the president who has ordered some 500
en with three guns from Mesilla and other |
,r,o, "a 4,rw nicAICu 10 uIe anu Vi the author
les in Ell Paso county, though the probabili- |
es are the fuss will all be over and the mob
altered long before they get there, as the
arrest troops were IS miles away, and had to
, aiopt