Early in 1865, when the Mexican patriots, under President Juarez, were
hard pressed by the French troops and the forces of the usurping Emperor
Maximilian, my friend, Don Juan Zubiran, then collector of customs at
Juarez, brought a gentleman to my office and introduced him as a
confidential agent of the Mexican government.
This gentleman did not hesitate to confide to me that his mission was to
purchase arms and ammunition for use against the invaders of his
country. This was a delicate matter because, if United States officials
favored his scheme, it might have involved our government in difficulty,
or even war with France, with which country we were friendly, although
all loyal Americans, from the President down, sympathized deeply with
Mexico in her struggle for existence. I could not betray this
gentleman’s secret, and he proceeded to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Gen.
James H. Carleton was in command of the United States troops, and thence
to Washington City; and it was not long before several hundred stands of
arms in New Mexico were condemned as being “unserviceable” and were
moved down to Las Cruces, fifty miles north of El Paso, and advertised
for sale at public auction. These rifles, with ammunition, were
purchased by my friend, Don Juan Zubiran, and were to be delivered to
the Governor of Sonora at Conalitos, in the State of Chihuahua, near the
Sonora line, and were to be received and paid for there. _Somehow_ these
arms found their way over the boundary line to Conalitos, and now comes
the interesting part of their story—if it has any interest at all.
Mr. Zubiran was about to send an express to Hermisillo, the capital of
Sonora, to notify Governor —— that the arms were ready for delivery, but
it would have been a long and dangerous journey, and as I had a deputy
collector of customs (one McWard) at Tucson, nearer Hermisillo, Mr.
Zubiran requested me to forward his letter under cover to McWard, and
ask him to send it by messenger to Governor —— and ask him to reply
through the same channels. This was done, and in due time there came a
reply to Mr. Zubiran, written on the printed letter-head paper of the
“Executive of the State of Sonora,” signed by the Governor, and to every
appearance genuine. But the contents of this letter were startling. It
stated that the Governor regretted that he could not receive or pay for
the arms; that the Mexican cause was hopeless, and it advised my friend
Zubiran (than whom Mexico had no stancher patriot) to give in his
allegiance to the Empire of Maximilian!
We were astounded; but there was the fact in plain black and white.
Some weeks later an express rider came in great haste from the Governor
of Sonora, with a letter to Mr. Zubiran, asking why such delay about the
rifles, and urging haste, and stating that the money to pay for them was
already at Conalitos.
We finally got at the explanation of this chapter of misunderstandings.
A former Governor of Sonora had espoused the cause of Maximilian, had
fled from his country, and taken refuge at Tucson, carrying with him
some of the stationery of the State, and had become intimate with Deputy
McWard, who had betrayed to him the contents of Zubiran’s letter, thus
enabling him to prepare and forward the bogus reply, with such
appearance of genuineness.
The arms were delivered and paid for, and it is needless to state that
the faithless Deputy McWard lost his official head.
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