The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1903-09-16
ABUSE OFAUTHORITY.

Tie IOl4Ohlu5 otdtCu4Sht Va AoOto III
lis last issue:
Saturday of the last week Mrs.
Josephine Nichols accompanied by
her daughter Josie, crossed over to
Reynosa with the intention OF
proceeding to Brownsville. Miss
Josie was on her way to enter the
convent school at that place, and
her trunk, which was in charge Of
Nick. Mrs. Nichols son, lad of
only IS years, was crossed after the
ladies had proceeded to the railroad
station. Upon the arrival of the
boy with the trunk on the Mexican
bank of the river he was stopped,
the trunk opened and its contents
strewn around on the dusty ground.
A new pair of shoes and some new
underwear and bed linen, which |
Miss Josie was taking along for her
personal use at the convent, was
pronounced as ''contraband," and |
were seized.
Poor innocent Nick proceeded to |
the station to inform his mother of |
the situation at the ferry, and while
he was talking to her some one told |
hin that he was wanted at the
'.jnzgddO." He at once proceeded |
there, and on his arrival he was
confronted by the same official who
had seized the trunk, and was in
formed that he was arrested as a |
smuggler, and incarcerated in the
common jail, where he was held
prisoner until last Wednesday,
when he was ordered released by the
Matamoros authorities.
We have nothing to say against
any officer for performing his duty.
We do not know the name of the
officer who made this Seizure ri"
nor do we know how he stands with
his superiors, but we must say that
his conduct in this case showed that
he was either ignorant or was ac-
tuated by spite. We have for many
years transacted business with
Mexican officials, and as a rule we
have found them to be courteous
and considerate gentlemen, and
capable of using sound judgment
in such cases as this. There may
have been a shadow of excuse for
the officer seizing the new articles
in the trunk, but there is abb
solutely none for the arrest and
Imprisonment Of the boy who was
in no way responsible, and we hope
the authorities will give the matter
q full and searching investigation.
On more than one occasion the
harmony existing between the
United States and Mexico has been
disturbed by the arbitrary acts of
ignorant or over Jealous officials.
and when such persons accidently
get into office on either side of the
river they should be removed as
soon as their conduct proves them
unfit for responsibility. They are
a menace to the amicable relations
existing between the two countries,
to say nothing of the annoyance to
individuals. 7
Hon. ]. H. Edwards, informed
the associate editor of THE HERALD
of the particulars in the above
case, when he was here last week,
and the arbitrary and violent abuse
of authority of the customs official
at Reynosa was something so un-
usual to the way THE HERALD man
is accustomed TO seeing things done,
that his Texan blood was aroused
instanter and he wanted to cali out
the army and secure the release
of fellow citizen Ga Is year old
boy) from the foul dungeon in
Mexico in which he was ruthlessly
thrust and kept in denial of bail.
But Mr.. Edwards assured us that
the matter was taken up with L.
S. Consul Griffith. who, he felt
sure, would succeed in releasing
the boy.
We are pleased to note that he
did so. However, we are still of the
opinion that the best way to do in
such cases is for Uncle Sam to '.get
busy" Immediately and impress
his power and dignity upon all
foreign officials who presume to
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