The daily gazette., 1877-07-11
THE BORDER CROSSED.
From the New York Herald.

from Jne New 1OrK deralu.
A party of Indians appear to have come
over from chihuahua for raid in Texas;
they were pursued across the Rio Grande
by a detachment of American troops,
who made pretty short work with them.
Twenty-seven were killed, twenty-three
captured and the remainder driven into
their mountain retreats. Meantime ad-
vices from San Antonio report that spe-
Gle train from Chihuahua was attacked
last Monday at Seco Creek, about fifty
miles southwest of San Antonio, and
within the Texas line, by highwaymen,
patty Mexicans, who were beaten off
only after desperate fight, in which the
master of the train was killed. We have
no doubt General Ord has already order
ed the pursuit of these robbers, and if
they should fly across the Rio Grande
our troops would probably cross the river
after them.
General Trevino, the Diaz commander
on the border, hes sent subordinate,
Gen. Villareal, to San Antonio to explain
to General Ord his instructions from
DiaZ. Villareal will arrive at Ord's head
quarters on Wednesday, and he will hear
there that the Mexican robberes will have
follow the cattle raiders across the line.
We trust these explanations will be sat-
| isfactory to the Mexican commissioner,
and that he will prove to be a sensible
man and one familiar with this question.
| If he is he will remembes that it is not
new thing for American troops to cross
the Rio Grande to protect American
/, property or to pursue Mexican robbers /;
on the contrary, it has been frequently
done, and the Mexican government of the
day was wise enough to make no fuss
about it. So long ago as 1860, Major
Inow General Heintzelman, sent de-
tachment of Texan Rangers across the
river to guard an American steamer
against attack by the Mexican robber
| Cortlna. He had some correspondence
with the Mexican General Garcia on the
subject, in which he very properly wrote,
81 am here with my forces for the pur-
pose of dispensing these outlaws and de-
Tending the frontier from further out
RACES"
In the same year, Colonel (afterward
General) r. E. Lee wrote to the authori-
ties of the Mexican town of Reynosa. 81
hereby notify you that you must break
up and disperse the bands of banditti
within your jurisdiction engaged in CON-
mitting depredations upon the persons
and property of American citizens, and
that shall hold you responsible for the
performance of this plain duty on your
part" In 1878 Secretary Fish wrote TO
Minister Nelson. "Sooner or later this
government will have no other alterna-
tive than to endeavor to secure quiet on
the frontier by seeking the marauders in
their haunts, wherever they may be In
1874 Governor Coke. of Texas, organized
la State force and ordered them to pursue
the robbers across the border, which was
done, and quiet was for while restored.
Governor Coke was called to account for
his action by Attorney General Williams
but on a statement of the case the Attor-
ney General ceased to interfere. Gen.
: Mackenzie, Captain McNally, Captain
! Randlett and perhaps others crossed the
border in pursuit OF the banoitti. The
Mexican government demonstrated, out
I it wisely took no further notice OF these
acts. In 1876 committee of the House
of Representatives, after hearing evidence
= at great length, reported resolutions
authorizing the President to do precisely
, what President Hayes has done:-"1 c
! order the troops, when in close pursuit Of
the robbers with their booty, to cross the
: Rio Grande and use such means as they
: find necessary for recovering the stoleI
property and checking the raids, guard
ing however in all cases against any un
, necessary injury to peaceable inhabl
tants of Mexico"
' General Ord who is prudent and ex
perenced officer, testified before tn