Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/395

Rh It contained eleven articles, and embraced persons who, to the 19th of September of the same year, had been guilty of infidencia, or treason, sedition, conspiracy, and other offences of a political nature. From its benefits were excepted, 1st, the regentes and lugartenientes of the empire; and 2d, generals who, while commanding in chief a division or corps d'armée, deserted to the foreign invader. One month was granted for insurgents still under arms to apply for their pardons; failing in which, they were to be prosecuted. The eleventh article declared that the persons included in the second exception should not be sentenced to the penalty of death, to which they were amenable, but to the "mayor extraordinaria." A few days later several deputies moved that the benefits of the amnesty should be extended to the men who had been regents of the empire, but congress rejected the motion. Prisoners entitled to the amnesty were released. Among them were the ex-generals Severo del Castillo and Miguel Negrete. The latter had been arrested in July, subjected to trial, and being convicted, was sentenced to death. But the people would not allow such a fate to befall one of the heroes of the Cinco de Mayo, as well as a brave defender of Puebla the following year, and petitions for his