Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-12-28
while as horseman he was unexcellsd
by yone-Texsu or Mexican-ou the

border
''One sultry day in 1859, CortiRs was
standing in the door of a gambling
house In Brownsville and saw the city
J marshal--a man named Speers-shoot
down Mexican on the plaza, Cortina
advanced to Speers, spoke TO him and
then deliberately shot him in the face.
! Mounting his horsa, revolver in hand, he
rode out of the city, biddiL defiance TO
| all Americans Dlybreak next morning
! found him in froat of the Brownsville
! Jail at the head OF thirty well armed aud
! suPerbly mounted men. The keys were
demanded from the aiIer (Johnson) who
/ stepped forth, holding the key on one of
the fingers of the left hand, remarking:
| Come and take III
/ "A Mexican stepped forward 20 re-
celve the keys when John son shot him
/ dead in his tracks and wounded two
Others, but In turn WAS riddied with bull
! let's and so hacked with sabres as to be
unrecognizable. Oortina then release d
all the prisoners, murdered blacksmith
named Morris because be had forged fet-
! ters for Mexican prisoners, slew several
| other persons, pluudered a number of
stores and rode ont of town upmolested -
This deed threw the state of Texas
into fsver of excitement. Cortine was
| declared an outlaw and q force of regu-
lars and rangers detached to the Rio
| GRANGE. In the mean -lme Cortina had
made mis- headquarters at his mothers
| ranch, where he issued prouuuciamen-
to calling upon all Me1jcans to rally to
his support and declaring his int ntion
of wrestling all the lands west of the
Nuesas river from Texas. He raised as
many as 500 men, and in a fight near Rio
| Grande City was defeated by United
5 ates troops under command of NJ. j.
Heintzleman and Texas rangers under
Col. John s. Ford, known throughout
Texas as Old Rip
"CortIna remained on his ranch until
the occupatjoa of Mexico by the French
forces under Marshal B zane, when he
rallied has forces and declared against
Msxmililan, usu ping the governorship
of the state of Tamalipus for himself. In
1868 he prevailed upon yousg Mexican
named Adrian Vidal, captain of com
pany of confederate troops stationed
near Brownsville, to mutiny, which they
did, and after com mnittIng ten murders
and numerous roboeries crossed the
river and Joined forces with Oortina.
The imperielists then captured Mata
morris and Vidal was taken prisoner, but
Cortina escaped. Gen. Mexia, who was
afterwards shot at Queretaro with the
Emperor Macmillan and Gen. Mjramon,
was IL command of the imp alist
forces. Strong appeals were made to
him for Vidal's life, but he replied: For
Adrian Vidal no mercy. He dies at sun
rise The next morning Vidal WAS
hraught from the prison, oliudfolded, his
= 4. , L.
by q tie OF Austin soldiers.
after the expulsion of the im perialists
Cortina became Mexican Brigadier Gen
and ruled the roost along the border for
many years, plundering and numbering
with mpunity. He bscame SO bad that
t.. Mexican government, fearing trouble
with the Upited States, had him arrested
and sent him To the City of Mexico in
1876, stripping him of all rank, and keep
irg him closely confined for several years.
He is under Indictment for murder in
Texas, and should he be premi5,ed to re-
tUru to the border repetition of his
former acts can be expected, a5 his hatred
for the 'gringos' is SO deeply rooted .bat
it will never disappear until death. Had
have been extraditsd and hang ed for
murder years ago"
F0RD'S INNES TIGAIIUN COMMITTEE.
Few of the Members Stay in Detroit and the
Rest go Home.
DETROIT, Dec. 24.-Cong ressman Ford
chairman of the special congressional
committee on immigration and labor, is
the only member of the oommittt g on
hand ct the investigation IN Detroit.
General Spinola went to New York, Oates
stayed in Washington, and Congressman
Guenther, of Wisconsin, and Morrow
went home for the holidays. Ford went
it alone until noon, when he went to
Grand Rapids to spend Christmas.
Lyman A. Brant, deputy collector of
customs service, said he rigidly enforced
the act prohibiting Chinese immigration.
Forty per cent. of foreign peO-
pie work in printing offices il De-
troit as compositors. Many of them
live in Canada while working here. In
other trades the same condition OF
things exists. Canadian lumbermen, III
large numbers, work in the Michigan
pine woods Ill the winter, and raturn to
Canada in the spring.
Henry A. Robinson, prominent in the
labor movement, said he had personal
kuUWttuS0 Ol CduHulduS
Detroit daily, returning at night. Per
sonal investigation had shown him that
aliens are employed in boot and shoe,
chemical cracker, building and ship car
penGer trades. In dry goods stores Can
adian females are employed. He had
seen advertisements in Canadian news
papers for Iabor wanted in Detroit, hut
no names were signed. He had
intercepted number of ship
carpenters imported to Johh Craig.
and took aflidavits from sixty of them be-
fore be sent them back. Craig pleaded
| ignorance of the law, and was let off on
paying expenses. Craig was going to
| supply vacancies caused by a strike.
Street car empiOyes are, many of them,
! Canadians. Employers can advertise in
| Canada through agents and cover up their
| tracks. One-third of $50 street car en-
plO!es are aliens. OF 5000 people in a
recent labor parade, % per cent. were
| aliens.
| J. ID. Long, x-iuspectoT of customs,
| testified to the same condition of things,
/ aud said that when labor organizations
| make any effort to increase wages, Detroit
/ EN- ployer5 advertise in Canada for men
10 keep wages down. Firms keep their
| names out of advertisements.
Sohn Haire, city official, testified that
| 80 per cent of the carpenters ale aliens.
! The committee adjourned until Wednes
| day.