Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-20


facto government of Mexico:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, June 20, 1915.
"Sir: I have read your communi-
cation which was delivered to me on
Nav 22 1915, under instructions of
the Chief Executive of the de facto
government of Mexico, on the subject
of the presence of American troops
in Mexican territory, and l would be
wanting in candor If I did not, before
making answer to the allegations of
fact and the conclusions reached by
your government, express the surprise
and regret which have been caused
this government by the discourteous
tone and temper of this last communi-
cation of the de facto government of
Mexico.
Continuous Bloodshed
THE government of the United
States has viewed with deep concern
and increasing disappointment the
progress of the revolution in Mexico.
Continuous bloodshed and disorders
have marked its progress. For three
years the Mexican republic has been
torn with civil strife; the lives of
Americans and other aliens have been
sacrificed; vast properties developed
by American capital and enterprise
have been destroyed or rendered non
productive; bandits have been permit
ted to roam at will through the terri
tory contiguous to the United States
and to seize, without punishment or
without effective attempt at punish
ment, the property of Americans.
while the lives of citizens of the
United States who ventured to remain
In Mexican territory or to return there
to protect their interests have been
taken, in some cases barbarously
taken, and the murderers have neither
been apprehended nor brought to JUS
tice. 1t would be difficult to find in
the annals of the history of Mexico
conditions more deplorable than those
which have existed there during these
recent years of civil war
Atrocity After Atrocity
TT would be tedious to recount in
stance after instance, outrage after
outrage, atrocity after atrocity, to il
lustrate the true nature and extent of
the widespread conditions of lawless-
ness and violence which have pre-
vailed. During the past nine months
IN particular the frontier of the
United States along the lower Rio
Grande has been thrown into a state
or constant apprehension and turmoil
because of frequent and sudden in
cursions into American territory and
depredations and murders on Ameri-
can soil by Mexican bandits who have
take the lives and destroyed the prop
erty of American citizens, sometimes
carrying American citizens across the
international boundary with the booty
seized American garrisons have
peen attacked at night, American SOL
dlers killed and their equipment and
horses stolen, American ranches have
been ralded, property stolen and de-
stroyed and American trains were
wrecked and .plundered. The attacks
on brownsville, Red House Ferry,
Progreso Post Office and Las Paladas
all occurring during September past
are typical.
Acts ReprehcnsibIe
In these attacks on American ter
ritory, Carranzista adherents and even
Carranzista soldiers took part in the
lootlng. burning and killing. Not only
- We're these murders characterized nv
~ruthless brutality but uncivilized acts
OF mutilation were perpetrated Rep
resentations were made to General
'arranza and he was emphatically re-
quested to stop these reprehensibIe
acts IN section which he has long
claimed to be under the compIete
domination of his authority, Notwith-
standing these representations and the
promise of General Nafarrete to pre-
vent attacks along the interna tiona1
boundary, in the following month of
OCTOBER a passenger train was
wrecked by bandits and several ner-
sons killed seven miles north of
Brownsville and an attack was made
upon United States troops at the
same place several days later.
Bandits Enjoy Impunity
since these attacks, leaders of the
bandlts well known both to Mexican
civil and military authorities as we'll
as to American officers have heen on
JoylnT with impunity the liberty of the
towns of northern Mexico So far ha c
the indifference of the de facto gov
ernment to these atrocities gone that
some or these leaders, as I am ad-
Ilsed' have received not only the pro-
lection of that government but en-
couragement and aid as well.
Innumerable Depredations
Depredations upon American per-
sons and property within Mexican
jurisdiction have been still more nu-
merous. This government has repeat
edly requested in the strongest terms
that the de facto government safe
guard the lives and homes of Ameri-
can citizens and furnish the protec-
tion which international obligation i'm
poses to American interests in the
northern states of 1'amaulipas Nuevo
Leone, Coahuila, Chihuahua and So
nora and also in the states to the
south. For example, on January 8
troops were requested to punish the
band of outlaws which looted the Cusi
mining property, eighty miles west of
Chihuahua, but no effective results
came from this request. During the
his band of about 200 men was op-
Grating without opposition between
Rubio and Santa Ysabel, a fact we'll
known to Carranzista authorities.
Cites Great Massacre
Meanwhile a party of unfortunate
Americans started by train from Chi
huahua to visit the Cusi mines, after
having received assurances from the
Carranzista authorities in the state of
Chihuahua that the country was safe
and that guard on the train was not
necessary. The Americans held pass
ports or safe conducts issued by au-
thorities of the de facto government
On January 10 the train was stopped
by Villa bandits and eighteen of the
American party were stripped of their
clothing and shot in cold blood in what
Is now known as the Santa Ysabel
massacre
General Carranza stated to the
agent of the Department of State that
he had issued orders for the imme-
diate pursuit, capture and punishment
of those responsible for this atrocious
crime and appealed to this government
and to the American people to con-
slider the difficulties of according pro-
lection along the railroad where the
massacre occurred. Assurances were
also given by Mr.. Arredondo, pre-
sumably under instructions from the
de facto government. that the muir
dererS would be brought to Justice and