Mr. Foster to Señor Cayetano Romero.
Washington, December 27, 1892.
My dear Mr. Romero: I have to inform you that I have received a communication from the Secretary of War, in reply to two letters from this Department, dated December 14 and 17 respectively, in which I transmitted for his views your two notes of December 13 and 14 in relation to raids into Mexico.
The Secretary in his communication calls attention to the fact that the parties which make raids into Mexico are organized secretly in Texas and do not appear as organized bodies until the moment of crossing the Rio Grande, too late for attack by United States troops. Likewise, after committing depredations in Mexico and upon returning to Texas, they disperse and scatter over the country, either individually or in small parties, making pursuit difficult, if not impossible, as they never present an object of attack by troops on American soil. The commanding-general of the department of Texas, has put in the field all of his available force in pursuit of the returned bandits, and three troops of cavalry, fully mounted and equipped, have been ordered from. Fort Riley, Kans., at great expense and inconvenience to the Department, for service on the Mexican border.
With reference to the prisoners said to be held at San Ignacio, the Secretary of War says that while the military authorities have no positive information as to the detention of these prisoners in Texas, should the troops in pursuit capture the raiders and meet with any Mexican soldiers detained as prisoners, they will at once be released and placed under the protection of the United States troops.
It is pertinent for me to remark here that the efforts of the United States Government to prevent these raids from its territory into Mexico seem to receive little cooperation or assistance from the Mexican side of the border. If the same relative force was kept by the Mexican Government on their side of the Rio Grande, raids of the nature complained of could hardly happen, as the commanding general of our [Page 430] Army feels confident that it would be next to impossible for a small band of raiders to cross from Mexico into Texas, surprise one of the United States garrisons, set tire to the barracks, and return in safety.
Very truly, etc.,