The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-01-07
THE SEAT OF WAR.
COMMUNICATION GREATLY DELAYED
BY FAULTY TELEGRAPH WIRES.
General Stanley Is Still Hurrying Addi-
tional Troops From the Post at San
Antonio-The Movement Reported
To Be Spreading.
Special to The Statesman.


SAN ANTONIO, Tex, Dec. SO.-Fhe
movement of the United States troops
on the Rio Grande border and the
situation there has not been reported
to military department headquarters
here for the past thirty-siX hours, and
the feeling of anxiety among the Of
ficers here is at high pitch.
Troops D and u of the
Third cavalry will leave
this post by special train tomorrow
for the scene Of the trouble. They
will be commanded by Major Louis
II. Morris. The point where Garza's
forces are reported to be concentrated
is q remote section and very difficult
of access by the United States troops
owing to the dense chapparel. 1t Is
not great distance from the home
of Garza's father-in-law, who is a
prominent, wealthy and highly re-
spected ranchman in one Of the coast
counties. He is said to be
not in sympathy with the
bold movement lnaugurated
by his -in-law, although reports to
the contrary have been in circulation
from time to time. Those who are
acquainted with him assert that he is
not man who would lend his imam
cial or moral support to such an un-
dertaking. ...
The forces of the United States
troops in the country between La
redo and Brownsville are all well
trained men and it is believed
by those who are acquainted
with them that they will not
hesitate to make fight if they are
successful in encountering the revo-
lutionists. If they are concentrated, las
planned in the dispatch from Capt.
Wheeler, they will number about l45
men. Garza's forces at that particu-
lar place mentioned are estimated at
$50 men, but it is generally believed
that he has more than that number.
General Stanley stated today that
he would not be at al surprised to re-
ceive news of an engagement within
the next few hours. He has great
faith in the government troops and
their fighting qualities, and expressed
himself as confident that if they came
upon the revolutionists they would
rout them completely and put an end
to the trouble.
The telegraph wires between Fort
Ringgold and Brownsville are down
and it is impossible for any late adj
vices from the seat of war to get
through, greatly mountaineering the
directions of operations from head
quarters here. There was formerly a
government telegraph line running
from Laredo to Fort Ringgold, which
was on a paying basis and was cost
ing the government comparatively
nothing to keep up it's repairs. 1t
was of great benefit to the
military stationed along the Dor
der, but the department. at Wash
ington decided that it was a
useless luxury, and by its order it was
removed. The necessity of havirg
such line is now readily apparent,
and it is probable that the mistake in
disseminating its operation will be
fully realized by the secretary OF war
before the present trouble is ended.
The only telegraph facility now af-
forded along that part of the border
from Fort Ringgoid to the out
side world is the line run
ming from that post to
Brownsville and as that is now USE
less and is likely to remain so for
some time, the only possible way in
which the military authorities here
can keep up with the movement is by
means of couriers from the scene of
active field operations, or from Fort
Ringgold to Laredo or BROWNSVILLE, a
distance of about 100 miles either way.
General Stanley stated today that
the officials at Washington are
greatly excised over the situation on
the border and utterly at q loss to un-
derstand how such troubles can take
place. This is because they have no
accurate or practical knowledge of
the vastness or condition Of the Rio
Grande frontier. General Stanley
saws that he has repeatedly called the
attention of the war department in
his report to the necessity of in
creasing the military force on this
frontier, but it has been the policy of
the chief authorities instead of acting
upon his recommendations to decrease
tie protection already afforded by
taking away the troops on duty there
to some other section where their
presence is not of near as great impor-
lance. In the case Of the present
trouble Catarino Cara and his men
are thoroughly familiar with the coun-
try in which they are carrying on
their enlisting and organizing opera
tions and apparently have no
fears whatever of capture by
the United States authorities. They
are known to be well armed
and are receiving the support of nearly
all the ranchmen in the border coun-
try who sell them horses, cattle and
food supplies, thus making themselves
liable under the laws Of the United
States to arrest and Imprisonment.
The federal and military authori-
ties, doing duty along the frontier,
have orders to obtain all the evidence
possible against these offenders, and
several of them have already been ar
rested. The trial of some of them
will come up during the coming term
of the federal court, which convenes
at Brownsville next Monday.
The statement has been made by
Naxican authorities that GarZa's fol-