The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-24
STURM CLAIM RECALLED
EFFORT or j. c. HAssARD To At
TACH NEW MEXICAN BOND ISSUE.
Gen. Sturm Compromised the Debt
Due Him by Taking Governs
ment Franchises.

WHO mas a judgment against the
government for 100000. occasioned some
interest here in the condition of the Gen.
Herman Sturm claim against Mexico. 1t is
| understood that OF the recent Mexican bond
issue $4,000 900 is to be sold in this country
and at Amsterdam, and the rest in Eng
land and Germany The bonds are now
quoted at 1ooll with interest and are finding
ready market. Attaches Of the Mexican
embassy said they had always been puzzled
to know how Mr.. Hassard secured judgment
on his claim. and while they expressed no
fear that the attachment proceedings would
end in the judgment being paid. they limited
that II Mr.. Hassard's proceedings were sue
cessful a claim would likely be filed by the
Mexican government against the United
States to recover the amount paid to Mr.
Hassard.
During the struggle of the Mexican Re-
public to overthrow MaximilIian a number
OF the Mexican States issued bonds and in
business transaction Mr. Hassard came
into possession of 3,075 OF the bonds Of s, eco
each, bearing per cent interest and paya-
Die in twenty years The date of the issue
OF the bonds was Sept. l, 1866. He made
frequent demands on the Mexican govern
ment 10 recover principal and interest, but
with no success. After years OF litigation
ne was successful in getting a Judgment
against the Mexican government for $1,000
OOo-the amount to which the interest had
increased the debt. When the Mexican Re-
public was successful in shaking off the rule
OF Maximillian, some of the States repudi-
ated the bonds they had issued and others
paid them. The Mexican government an
nounced it would not stand good for the
repudiated debts of its States, because the
bonds were Illegally issued, and a num-
Der Of Americans who had bought the bonds
were caught. Mr.. Hassard was among this
number. Appeals to the United States gov
eminent TO demand that Mexico pay the
bonds were of no avail, the government up
holding the decision of Mexico that the
bonds were illegal After Mr.. Hassard Sc
cured his judgment he could find no prop
erty of the Mexican government in this
country, and he laid in wait for the chance
that recently came to him, the new issue
of Mexican bonds, and then swooped down
with his attachment. The result is looked
forward to with interest In governmental
and financial circles in the East.
During the struggle of the Mexicans for
national liberty General Sturm was their
agent in this country. He shipped arms TO
by their government. He and his family
came 10 this city forty years ago. Frederick
dcnefdi DrOlneI, mas re-
tired from business and is living at his
home at 1112 North Temple avenue. His
son, Roy Sturm, lives near him. General
Sturm has long been out of the public eye,
and for that reason he has been thought TO
be dead by many Indianapolis people.
GENERAL STURM PROSPEROUS.
NO. said Mr.. Sturm yesterday, my
brother is far from being dead. He is living
happily with his family at Denver, where
he has been since the Mexican government
paid his claim. He has silver mine that
yields more gold than silver and he is pros
porous. The Mexican government has al
ways been his best friend, though it was
long time before his claim was settled.
There were several men interested with him
and the whole claim did not amount TO
million dollars, but it was generally report
ed that the claim was about ten millions.
i do not know Mr.. Hassard but the bonds
he holds are the Woodhouse bonds and they
are worthless. I do not understand how he
got judgment on them.
Ing for liberty, Gen. Lew Wallace was sent
down TO the border to prevent the Confed-
crates from going over into Mexico and
helping Maximillian. While he was there
the Mexican Republic officials asked him
who would be a good man TO represent the
republic in the United States. General Wal
lace recommended General Sturm, he
was given the position He went to New
York and began shipping arms to Mexico.
Five shiploads were sent, but two of the
ships were wrecked in storms. General
Sturm was representative of the Mexican
government between 1866 and 1870. When
was worn out, and took Se tR Re'n trips S from
New York to Mexico for the good the sea
would do me- !, All the arms were delivered
Mexico.
There were several factions among the
rebels. but President Juarez's faction was
the only one that had representative in
hnf "a tive mae
General Sturm and Porfirio DiaZ was con-
nected with President JuareZ. Therefore,
the Juarez and Diaz faction was the only
one recognized by the United States govern
ment, and the only one whose bonds were
recognized as legal by the United States
government. The other factions also issued
bonds, and some of these bonds were sold in
this country by a man named WoOdhOuse.
Mr.. Hassard's bonds are Of this kind and
ment was established General Sturm filed
his claim. Porfirio Diaz. always his friend,
sndeavored TO nave 1t paid, but the republic
in General Sturm's behalf. and finally, eight
years ago. the claim paid.
General Sturm received $4,000 in cash
was at liberty to sell. These franchises were
for railroad from the City of Mexico to
the Pacific coast, for belt railroad around
the City OF Mexico and for number of
ether like privileges. He sold the fran
cEsses and went TO Denver, where he settled
and has lived since"
the civil war, and he was afterward inter-
ested in the overthrow of Macmillan.
When he was asked to tell of this interest,
he replied:
ION the last trip I made with a shipload
or arms they asked me 10 stay there and
train their officers in the use OF artillery
They knew nothing about handling guns.
l stayed for two years as a sort of instruc-
tor, and / was only mixed up in the fight
ing once, and then only to a small extent
There was little gunboat on the Tomasi
river the MexicanS wanted TO CAPTURE Tie
only piece the Meixcans had was Spanish
twenty-pounder, and they had American
twenty-pound shells. Well. you know how
an American twenty-pound shell fits
Spanish twenty-pounder piece-we had to
wrap rags around the shell 10 make 1t fit
the gun. Besides, We had no fuses, and we
had TO trust TO luck for the shell to explode
when IL struck. loaded and fired, and the
shell struck the gunboat. The she'll didn't
explode, but il put hole in the firebox un-
der the engines, and then the boat couldn't
get away. We went out TO the gunboat
and when the enemy saw us coming they
jumped over the sides into the water and let
us take their boat. That's all l had TO do
with the war except to train the Mexican
officers how TO use artillery"
General Sturm was a chief OF ordnance
during W nd NOS -, Oh e