No. 299.
Mr. Schuchardt to Mr. Hunter.
Piedras Negras, Mexico, January 3, 1872. (Ree’d Feb. 26.)
Sir: Ever since I wrote my No. 60, dated December 22, 1871, this place is kept in a state of siege. The revolutionists outside, who were in the first days of Valdes’s occupation of the place of a comparatively small number, could have been very easily dispersed by him if he would have marched out to meet them, but his object being not to expose himself in fight, he preferred to fortify and give them time to concentrate a force of eight hundred volunteers three miles from here, and they only await the arrival of two pieces of artillery to attack this place. Valdes has completed his fortifications. Barricades are erected on the corners of the plaza, and a mine laid into the church in front of one of the barricades, and not more than fifty yards from my house. This is, I believe, to prevent the revolutionists from using the church as a shelter when they attack. Inside of these fortifications, which occupy about one acre of ground, from ten to twenty head of cattle are killed daily, and the residue left on the ground. In the narrow court-yards of the houses the cavalry horses are kept, and the manure, which is never removed, is accumulating to a great quantity. If rain should set in, this must result [Page 698] in epidemic diseases. The dwellings outside of the fortifications are broken into and robbed by the soldiery, who only are following the examples of their chiefs, who do the same, only on a greater scale. There is no mercantile establishment where the goods were not disposed of by the officers to their own benefit. Most of these goods, in my opinion, have been crossed over to Texas. One whole cart-load of soap, crockery, &c., was seized by the inspector of Eagle Pass, having been crossed at dark by the second in command without permit from the custom-house. Goods of all descriptions are offered for sale by these men, and, as few persons will buy them, they are sold at very low prices. Valdes also commenced to sell his horses, and, as their title is of a very doubtful character, men buying them should expect to be prosecuted for buying knowingly stolen property. There is a large number of his horses on the Texas side. They are now under bond there, and bound to be recrossed before he can sell them.
Valdes’s force consists of about two hundred men, most of them pressed into service, not paid, very dissatisfied, and have no confidence in him. They see that he sells everything, and know that he had several interviews on the Texas side with Colonel Falcon and his (Valdes’s) brother, leaders of the revolutionists; they think he will sell out to them as he did when he left here in October. The rumor goes that, at that time, he had signed an agreement with the revolutionists to evacuate this place, go to Monclova by the high road, not pass through and molest the towns on his way, and, at his arrival at Monclova, pronounce in favor of Diaz; for this he should receive $4,000, but, as this money was not paid to him, he got embittered against the revolutionary party and commenced depredating through the country. When he made his escape from the besieged city of Saltillo he was ordered back by Governor Zepeda, but did not obey the order of his superior, whereupon Governor Zepeda declared him an outlaw (afuera de la ley) and ordered General Gonzallez Herrera to pursue him, but Valdes reached the frontier before he could be overtaken. This band of Valdes’s is considered the only government force, if it can be called so, left in this State and the State of Nuevo Leon. A merchant who arrived at this place, and had left Monterey ten days ago, reports that place and Saltillo, since these cities are in the possession of the rebels, very quiet, and he did not hear that there were government troops from the interior expected to retake these places. Commerce is ruined; the only traffic going on is that of a few people with Valdes, who sells them his plunder. The owners of cotton trains detained, at heavy expense, on the Texas side, in view of these sad affairs, applied to the collector of customs of Eagle Pass to allow them to export their cotton, at their own risk, below this place, paying duties only to one party, (the Diaz,) who occupy the country of their transit, but the collector refused to admit such exportation, thinking, by doing so, he would assist a fraud on the revenues of the legitimate government of Mexico. Valdes has sent emissaries to San Antonio, Texas, with a power of attorney to sell bonds at a great discount, to be accepted at this custom-house at full for all importations the holders of said bonds would make. He claims ample powers conferred on him by the federal government of Mexico. I have authenticated his and his custom collectors signatures to said power of attorney. Besides the soldiers there, there is not a soul in this town; all families have emigrated to Eagle Pass, and many of them will become permanent residents in Texas, probably because they cannot see an end to the troubles of their country.
I am, &c.,
United States Commercial Agent.