Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-20

ndu DCCOiiit dihAOSl INV 49,
A~mericanized. Upon returning to
Matamoros, right after the Ameri-
can invasion, observing the great
hardships imposed upon his
trymen by the heavy import a col
lected through the Mexican customs
house, and, to a great extent, in
fluenced by the representations OF
the American merchants, residents
on both sides Of the river, first by
petition, and then by force Of arms,
tried to compel the Mexican govern
ment to establish what was after
wards known as the "Zona Libre,"
a strip running along the Rio
Grande border and being 30 leagues
or % miles wide. He called his re-
form measure plan de Ia Loba.
In the representations made TO his
government it was cpntended that
Bagdad, Matamoros, Reynosa and
Camargo were too distant from
Monterrey or any other Mexican
market to enable them cheaply to
transport the common necessaries OF
life, and the penalties on exports
were excessive. C~arabajal and his
followers did not contend that the
import duty should be entirely re-
moved. but that this zone should be
made an exception and that foreign
goods imported within it should be
taxed merely enough to maintain
the customs house force, or. as we
call it, for revenue only. After re-
peated efforts in this line, and hav-
ing met with a refusal from the gov
eminent, on October %, 1851, with
a pretty good sized force composed
half of Mexicans and half Of Amer
leans, he appeared in front Of Mata-
moros and demanded its surrender.
Lieutenant Colonel Jose Maria
Canales joined Carbaajal and citi-
zens from all of the villages located
on the Rio Grande lent their aid.
On October Both a very vicious at
tack was made on Matamoros but
the defenders, under General Fran
cisco Avalos, soon defeated them,
Carbaial's forces retiring after hav-
ing sustained a very heavy loss in
killed and wounded.
AS the city of Matamoros spon-
taneously united with General Ava
los to defend the place, the local
congress recognizing the brilliant
triumph Of her arms. added to her
name the words, "Unconquerable.
Loyal and Heroic" and voted her
thanks to the general and his troops.
Carbajal and Canales were pur-
sued by the combined forces of An
tonic Canales and Jose Uraga until,
finally to save themselves, they
crossed to the IeXas size.
Carbajal again crossed the river
into Mexico in February 1852 at the
head of more than 500 d%issenters
with several cannon for the purpose
OF reopening and establishing the
workings of the Plan de la Loba.
Immediately Colonel Canales and
Valentine Cruz left Camargo in his
pursuit. They found him at the
ranch called Auzcar, close to Ca
MARCO, where they again defeated
him. For this act the congress Of
the state conferred upon Canales
and his officers and troops, medals
and insignias.
Robert P. Letcher, plenipotentiary
of the United States, who entered
Mexico on October Sth, 1851, did
his utmost 10 convince the Mexicans
that the American government was
not backing Carbajal and his party.
and he even sent his secretary to
Matamoros with instructions to have
the Americans to take steps to try to
avoid the passing over to Browns
VILE of any of Carbajal's party.
Just before the defeat of Carhajal,
Rufino Rodriguez. commander of
the national guard at Matamoros,
adopted the plan of Guadalajara, be-
lieving it to be the work of the lib
eral party and against the reelection
of Jesus Cardenas against whom the
largest part of the liberals of Vic
toria, Matamoros. Tampico, Tula
and other towns had pronounced.
Rodriguez abandoned Matamoros
on the 23rd of September and
marched against Victoria, but Gen
eral Avalos sent agains him Colonel
Macedonia Capistran who overlook
him on the plains called TETON. but
ii being nighttime postponed an at
tack. Rodriguez silently abandoned
camp that night and by a forced
march fell upon Victoria giving the
governor and Colonel Canales barely