[Inclosure in No. 112.]
Mr. Schuchardt to
Mr. Hunter.
[Extract.]
Consulate of the United States,
Piedras Negras, Mexico
,
February 18, 1881.
No. 262.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your instruction numbered 136, dated February 2, 1881,
relative to the impressment into Mexican military service, of five
citizens of the United States, and inclosing a copy of a letter from Mr.
Minister Morgan to the honorable the Secretary of State, also a copy of
a letter from Mr. Morgan to Mr. Mariscal, and the latter’s reply to Mr.
Morgan, all treating on the same subject; and pursuant to your
instruction, to express my opinion whether it would be well to take any
further action in the case.
I respectfully submit the following report to the consideration of the
Department:
Mr. Minister Morgan, in his letter to Mr. Mariscal, demanding the speedy
discharge of the American citizens, refers to the action of the
Government of the United States during the late civil war against the
demands of local recruiting officers. This involves the belief that the
Mexican army is regularly recruited, and that our citizens in question
were drafted by mistake, but there exists no regular recruiting to fill
the places of the unfortunates who escape from or die in the Mexican
army. Only the poor and friendless are taken by force to fill the ranks
thinned by desertion and starvation. As it does not reflect well on
company commanders that frequent desertions occur in their troop, they
try to substitute the vacant places on the rolls by any one whom they
think they can force into the service without responsibility. The men
thus made soldiers generally go under the assumed name of some who died
by bad treatment or who deserted. This, in my opinion, accounts for the
difference in the name of George Cino, whose name is quoted in the roll
as Guadelupe George. In order to show that these subaltern officers feel
no responsibility for their arbitrary acts, and that such outrages as
those committed on the five American citizens occur, and in the future
may be repeated at anytime, I respectfully relate a more recent case.
Some time in last January, José Maria Gutierrez, a freighter from San
Antonio, Texas, an American citizen of Mexican race, had unloaded his
freight at Eagle Pass, Texas and on Sunday afternoon came over to
Piedras Negras to visit a public show. When he came out from the show he
was surrounded by a squad of soldiers, and taken to the military
quarters and made a soldier. When Gutierrez’s friend spoke next day in
his behalf to Captain Villareal, the commander of the troops stationed
here, he was told by the captain that he needed about sixteen soldiers,
and was obliged to take them where he could find them, but that if he
(Gutierrez’s friend) would bring him a substitute he would let Gutierrez
go. As Gutierrez, however, was released on that day, I abstained from
reporting the case to the Department at the time.
Mr. Mariscal in his note to Mr. Minister Morgan states that four of the
American citizens had been discharged and that Guadelupe George had
deserted. It is true that Felipe Buruato and Manuel Guerrero have been
begged out, the former by his wife and the latter by his old mother; it
is also true that George Cino or Guadelupe George deserted in October on
the march of the battalion to Monterey, and was fortunate to reach
Texas, where he is working now; but in regard to Mr. Mariscal’s
statement as to Santos Hernandez and Miguel Guerrero I respectfully beg
to rectify it. Both Santos Hernandez and Miguel Guerrero have not been
discharged from the military service in which they were impressed, but
were only transferred from the thirty-first battalion of infantry to a
cavalry force, called “colonias militares.” It is safe to state that
they have been discharged, but it should be added, from the thirty-first
battalion of infantry (in which body I reported them as serving) into
the “Colonias militares.” While serving in the “colonias militares”
Miguel Guerrero was killed some time this winter in a fight that troop
had with Indians, Santos Hernandez, a few days after Miguel Guerrero was
killed, deserted and is working now in Texas. Manuel Guerrero, who had
been discharged, is now at Eagle Pass, Texas, where the Mexican consul
proposed to make him a Mexican citizen; for what purpose I am unable to
say.
In my opinion, in order that the Mexican Government in future hold
responsible its subaltern military officers as well as the civil
authorities for the consequences brought on by similar arbitrary acts
against American citizens like those committed by them on the five
citizens, the subjects of this correspondence, those citizens should be
indemnified by the Mexican Government for their losses and sufferings;
Buruato and George Cino for illegal imprisonment and detention, Miguel
and Manuel Guerrero and Santos Hernandez for the loss of their property,
consisting of three horses, saddles and bridles, two Winchester
carbines, one pistol, all their wearing apparel, and for illegal
imprisonment and detention; the old mother of Miguel Guerrero for the
loss of her [Page 759] support by the
death of her son while in involuntary military service of Mexico. All
these men are poor and depend on their daily labor, and belong to that
class who need most the protection of their government.
* * * * * * *
I am, &c.,
WM. SCHUCHARDT,
Vice-Consul.
