The National tribune., 1901-10-03
TRBUNE WASHINGTON


| ly Iuartered on United States soil, ail
| under the projection of u foreign dag.
nothing could be more convenient for him
| than to dash across the river, take II shoi:
| tour of observation, and of plumber, and
then Withdraw his. troops to the neutral
side Of the simmons Rio Grande.
No boat in, the Imperial service could
| ascend the river any considerable distance
above Matamoras, without being in I'M
minent danger OF falling into the hands of
Cortina. One vessel. too venturesome for
her own good.Ic thus fell into Liberal pos
session, and vas tied up to the Texan
shore, but was finally ransomed by the
lmperialistS.
Reinforcements having arrived from
the interior, the Liberal party determined
upon laying the Heroic City under
siege. Their whole force did not probably
exceed 5000 men-a very Insignificant
storming party when compared with the
stupendouS operations of onr late civil
war, but which appeared frightfully large
and powerful to the denizens of the
doomed town. The Qualifications of
and the Liberals could therefore intrench
themselves within easy bombarding dis
lance of the town itself.
Among the beSieged preparations for a
stubborn defense of the city were made
with all possible haste; many of the first
citizens went voluntarily into the fortiti-
cations; the principal shops were closed;
the streets were barricaded with bales Of
cotton and pressed hay; and the ground
in the outskirts of the town, near the
forts, was cleared for hot work by reduc-
ing to ashes the jacals of the poems.
Some idea of the panic which prevailed
among them may be obtained from the
fact that rewards ranging as high as 5000
in specie were offered to any one of their
neutral neighbors, or to any of our dis
charged soldiers, who were willing to
bind themselves to go into the city de-
fenses and serve for period of SO hours.
As a precaution against violence and pro-
lection to their property in case of the oc-
cupation of the city by the Liberals, many
of the inhabitants provided themselves
with United States flags to display to the
gaze of the pillaging troops.
The principal attack took place early
on the morning Of Oct. %. The assault
was made on all sides of the town, COM
mencing at the westward, and as the
firing slackened in that quarter it was
taken up and prolonged on the south and
east. The roofs of the buildings in
Brownsville were soon covered with eager
spectators to the fray, and crowds of our
soldiers rushed to the bank of the river,
both above and below the town, to see
how the Mexican would deport themselves
As the Liberals charged one Of the forts
on the east of the town, our men, becom-
ing rather enthusiastic, gave vent to their
feelings in hearty cheers. A little French
gunboat, called the Piazano, which had
run down the river to aid in repulsing the
attacking party and prevent them from
capturing the works, being naturally in
censed at this display of Liberal sympathy
on the part of the Americans, turned her
guns and fired several shots at the in
sulting crowd, fortunately without serious
effect. The circumstance was made
known to Gen. Weitzel, but no action, to
my knowledge; had been taken in regard
to the affair when + left
The Liberals. gained possession of one
it, being driven out, by the guns of the
Piazano.
After brisk engagement of about two
hours the firing ceased, and the Liberals
retired to their works, without having &C.
their object or gained any ad-
vantage. The most, of their wounded
30 or 40 in ntimber-were brought to
Brownsville, where they received medical
attendance from our Surgeons. The Lib
eral Gen. EspinozaA 1.-The second in com
REPORTED as killed and his
body in the hands Of the Imperialists; but
a subsequent report gave denial to the
story, and declared that he was only
slightly wounded.
COMMENTS. o., A RENEGADE.
The Matamoras Ranchero-a dirty and |
ex-rebel sheet, which was form |
erly published in Brownsville but which 1
made its exodus when Kirby Smith |
threw up the SPONGE" and now does
homage to the Imperial pow |
vrs that Disappeared the following |
with an elaborate account Of the
affair. in which the victory of the Inn |
perialists and the utter rout of the |
marauders" was set down as most COM
plete, and the result most gratifying to |
The advocates of the holy cause of despotic |
rule. The account was full of gasconade, |
gloriication of the Macmillan dynasty, |
and hopeful anticipations that the city |
was free from any further attack from |
what the editor termed 1.-THE enemies of |
civilization and good order" 1t also in
iulged in few comments condemnatory |
IF the course taken by their Brownsville |
isighbers in furnishing laid and comfort"
10 the Liberals. Such sympathy the
Ranchero thinks is misplaced, and will |
not be countenanced by the Washington
Government when the circumstances are
S renegade Ohioan, and never lets slip
4 good opportunity to give the Govern
nent under which he formerly lived and |
he whole Yankee race in general, a
thrust with the point Of his
'ecreant quill.
With regard to the sympathy of our
military officials for the cause of Republi-
,anism in Mexico, it was too apparent to
De easily mistaken or gainsayed. In many
ways this sympathy was manifested and
extended by giving them direct and eff
cient aid in carrying out their offensive
operations. The feeling between our peo-
Die and those of Matamoras was anything
out agreeable, although everything was
lone to engender and cultivate spirit of
friendship by the French officers. Balls
md social gatherings were often appoint
ID, to which orr officers were courteously
invited, and yet disturbances between the
wo parties were of frequent occurrence.
For about 4 week after the main at
ack the Liberals remained near the town,
making occasional slight demonstrations,
nut without gaining any material ad
Tantage. Planting one of their artillery
pieces on the bank of the river, a short
distance above the city, they succeeded
n throwing quite number of shells into
he same, killing and wounding several
If the inhabitants. They did not, how
yer, seem to have a large surplus of am
and did not produce very great
lavoc among the walls and towers of the
,eleaguered city. Learning that rein
orcements of French troops were at the
mouth of the river, ell route for Malta
noras, they finally raised the siege and
into the country. The report
f reinforcements, however, proved to be
mere buncombe but it had the desired eff
ect. Thus ended the great siege, and
hus the denizens of Heroic Matamoras'