TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1846-1859
168
I remain very Respy your Excell'ys most Obt. Svt, JOSEPH J WARNES [Endorsed] Translation by Dr. Jose J Warnes. Sefior Pedro Gonzales
To Gov. P. H. Bell Ysleta, El Paso County, Texas Complain- ing of American outrages on Mexican Citizens of Ysleta. Recd. at the Exec: Dept: State of Texas. Austin, May 26, 1852
No. 114 PETITION OF CITIZENS OF EL PASO COUNTY TO P. H. BELL El Paso June 4th 1852 To His Excellency P. Hansborough. Bell. We the undersigned citizens, and civil authorities of the County of El Paso, would most re- spectfully represent unto your Excellency, that our situation is of such a character as to enforce upon us the necessity of so- liciting Executive intervention.-We would therefore state as a fact worthy of consideration, that from the station now sit- uated upon the Leona, to the border of New Mexico, a distance of upwards of six hundred miles, there is not stationed a soli- tary Soldier for the protection of this frontier, (excepting 20 Soldiers under command of Lieut Wilkins stationed at Mr Ma- goffin's) in consequence of which our whole frontier has been subjected to the heinous and merciless depredations of the In- dians who throng our borders. -To such an extent has this system of theft and murder been carried that no citizen deems it at all within the bounds of prudence to go for even but a league from his home without carrying about his person the necessary means of selfdefence. Since the removal of the U. S. Troops from this Post in 1847, many of our citizens have been murdered upon this fron- tier, and great quantities of stock carried off by the Indians. Many instances of the above character might be particular- ized, Mr Mill, therefore only included such depredations, in limits of this representation, as can be brought to memory in the instance. In the fall of 1851 a very large quantity of mules and cattle •i.·ere driven off from the town of Frontera.
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