Page:Mexico of the Mexicans.djvu/249

Rh 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 and rendered non-productive; bandits have been permitted to roam at will through the territory contiguous to the United States and to seize, without punishment and without effective attempt at punishment, 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, and in some cases barbarously taken, and the murderers have neither been apprehended nor brought to justice.

"It 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." The note frankly states: "It would be tedious to recount instance after instance, outrage after outrage, atrocity after atrocity." It did mention, however, specific cases. Details of attacks on Brownsville, Red House Ferry, Progreso Post Office, and Las Peladas, "all occurring during last September," are cited.

"In these attacks," the Note continued, "Carranzista adherents, and even Carranza soldiers, took part in the looting, burning, and killing. Not only were these murders characterised by ruthless brutality, but uncivilised acts of mutilation were perpetrated. Notwithstanding representations to General Carranza and the promise of General Nafarette to prevent attacks along the international boundary, in the following month of October a passenger train was wrecked by bandits and several persons killed seven miles north of Brownsville, and an attack was made upon United States troops at the same place several days later. Since these attacks, leaders of the bandits well known to both the Mexican civil and military authorities, as well as to American officers,