“I am the bookkeeper of S. Schutz & Bro., merchants at El Paso, Texas,
who are also agents of the Texas and California Stage Company, of which
Louis Cardis, deceased, was a sub-contractor, running the U. S. mail
between this point and Fort Davis, Texas; hence Cardis had more or less
transactions with the firm and came frequently into the store and
office. On Wednesday, the 10th day of October, 1877, between 2 and 3
o’clock P. M., Louis Cardis, deceased, came into the office, requesting
me to write a letter, which he wished to send down to Ysleta and San
Elezario. He (Cardis) took a seat in a rocking chair standing near by,
with his back turned toward the store door—the main entrance of the
establishment. While I was writing the letter, which occupied my whole
attention, Judge Charles H. Howard came into the store, and when Mr.
Jos. Schutz, a member of the firm of S. Schutz & Bro., who was sitting
at a little table in the office, saw Howard, who had a double-barreled
shotgun in his hand, he left his seat and walked up toward Howard,
saluting him in a loud voice, thus: “How do you do, Judge Howard?” This
salute caught the attention of Cardis, who was yet seated in the rocking
chair, and he turned his face toward the store door. He (Cardis) seeing
Howard, left the chair, passed behind me (I was sitting at the desk
writing), and took a position behind the high office desk. Mr. Schutz,
seeing Howard raise his gun, in a harsh and exciting tone exclaimed:
“Krakaner, come away from there!” I at once dropped the pen, got up from
the office chair and was by no means slow in trying to reach the door.
While I passed the place where Mr. Schutz stood I heard the latter say:
“Don’t shoot here, Judge; respect my house and my family.” The moment I
reached the door I heard the discharge of a gun and another one
following in quick succession. Howard left the store at once, walking
slowly down the street toward his house. When I went back into the
office I found Cardis lying dead at the same place (behind the high
desk), where I left him a few seconds previously alive. The desk behind
which Cardis sought protection did only cover the upper part of his
body; from the navel down to his feet his body was exposed to Howard.
The latter, standing behind a showcase about forty feet from the place
where Cardis stood, fired the first shot under the desk, the balls
(buckshot) taking effect in the abdomen; Cardis then staggered, exposed
his breast and received Howard’s second shot in the heart.
“The time elapsed between my leaving the desk and the firing of the
first shot was but a few seconds. There was not a word spoken between
Howard and Cardis. When Cardis’ body was removed from the place where he
fell his pistol was found in the scabbard and was cocked.
“I omitted to state that to my knowledge Howard had not been in the
store for a period of about nine months prior to this shooting affray.
“El Paso, Texas, January 31st, 1878.
“A. Krakaner.”
Howard again fled to New Mexico, and on October 25th wrote the Governor
again about the terrible “mob” in El Paso County, the peril of all
Americans, and closed by saying: “If the Governor don’t help us I am
going to bushwhacking.” He forgot that during the whole trouble he had
been the only man who had shed any blood.
Howard returned to El Paso early in December. Lieut. John B. Tays was
then in command of about twenty State troops (Rangers) then in El Paso
County. Tays was a foreigner, an alien and a bitter partisan. I quote
the opening lines of Tays’ report of the bloody tragedies which
followed, in order that the reader may have some idea of the
lieutenant’s conception of his duty. He says: “By request of Mr. Howard
I sent an escort to El Paso on the 13th inst., as he wished to come to
San Elezario on business. He rode down to San Elezario in the ranks.” If
“all Americans” were in danger, why was one man _only_ selected to be
protected by the Rangers?
Howard had tempted fate too far, and his day had come. But the bloody
sequel shall be told in the language of another. Capt. Thos. Blair of
the United States army, was on the ground with a detachment of regular
soldiers, but to “interfere in the domestic affairs of a sovereign
State” would offend the political sensibilities of many.
(President Cleveland was later on repudiated by his party for
interfering with the pastime of a mob at Chicago.)
True, Governor Hubbard had had the good sense to call on President Hayes
for assistance, and it had been granted, but unfortunately the order had
not yet reached the Captain. Captain Blair, in his official report,
says:
“As soon as Howard arrived in San Elezario the town was surrounded by a
cordon of armed men (Mexicans) and pickets posted on all roads. As soon
as Tays saw the state of affairs he and his party retreated to their
quarters (which was a detached building with corral) and barricaded the
doors and windows and cut port-holes in the walls. On Thursday morning
the firing began, and continued with but few intermissions until the
Rangers surrendered on Monday forenoon. Mr. Ellis, a merchant, was the
first one killed; that was on Wednesday night. When the tumult began he
went out to find out what it was, and not stopping when halted by one of
their sentinels, was shot. Afterward his throat was cut and his body
thrown into an acequia. On Thursday morning Sergeant Mortimer, of the
Rangers, was killed while making his way to the building where the
others were posted. The Rangers consisted of just twenty men, I believe.
With them in the building were Howard and his colored servant, Mr.
Atkinson, a merchant of San Elezario, a Mr. Loomis from Fort Stockton, I
believe, and Mrs. Campbell, the wife of one of the Rangers, and her two
children. After hearing that I had been inside Mrs. Marsh and Mrs.
Campbell went down from El Paso on Sunday morning. Mrs. Marsh got out
her son, who was with the Rangers, but the Mexicans disarmed him and
retained him prisoner. Mrs. Campbell got out her daughter-in-law and her
two children. The Ranger party on Monday found that they could not hold
out much longer, the men were being overcome by sleep, and under a flag
of truce went out and had a talk with the leaders, who told them if they
would give up Howard it was all they wanted. This he refused to do. They
then said that if Howard would come out he could soon make arrangements
by which it would be all right. Tays returned and told him so, but told
him also not to go unless he wanted to do so, that he would defend him
to the last man. Howard returned with Lieutenant Tays to the leaders.
However, after some talk they asked Tays to leave Howard to them and go
into another room, which he refused to do, whereupon he was seized by
about a dozen men and carried out and then found that all his party had
surrendered at the instigation of Atkinson (it is said).
“During the afternoon Howard, Atkinson and McBride, Howard’s agent, were
all taken out and shot. A strong effort was made by the more violent of
the party, and by those from the other side, to have all the Americans
shot, but Chico Barela opposed this (it), said there had been enough
blood shed, and that only after they had killed him could any more
Americans be killed. Tuesday forenoon they were released, each one
having his horse returned to him, but their arms were retained. Some of
the Rangers with whom I have talked inform me they were all asked
whether they were employed by the Governor of Texas or by Howard, and
then each one was required to sign a blank paper. They were escorted as
far as Sorocco by a guard.
“The mob is estimated by Lieutenant Tays at not less than five hundred,
many of the leaders being from the other side. The loss was five
Americans killed and at least one Mexican, belonging to a party under
Captain Garcia, who tried to assist the Americans. The losses on the
side of the mob are unknown, but at least five or six are known to have
been killed and a large number, not less than forty or fifty, wounded.”
_During_ the siege Captain Blair held several conferences with the
Mexican leaders, which he relates as follows:
“I found the people much excited over the fact that Howard, who had
taken a life, was permitted to go at large, while two of their number
who had only _said_ that they would go for salt to his ‘salinas’ had
been arrested, tried and sentenced to imprisonment. They said Howard had
killed their friend Cardis, and they would have his life, cost what it
might. I found their force to consist of about three hundred and fifty
sober, well-organized, well-armed, determined men, with a definite
purpose. Howard they wanted, nothing less, nothing else. I told them I
thought they would regret their course, that for Howard personally I
cared nothing, but I would be sorry if anything happened to Lieutenant
Tays. Yes, they said, but why was he defending Howard?”
* * * * *
The object for which the Mexicans had armed and assembled being
accomplished, they disbanded, seeking no more blood. They killed Howard
because he had killed Cardis, their friend and leader. They had known
Atkinson for fifteen years, and they killed him _on general principles_.
The killing of McBride was inexcusable murder. Ellis, the merchant, was,
I believe, murdered by some personal enemy who took advantage of the
turbulence to gratify private vengeance. Sergeant Mortimer, the only
ranger who lost his life, was killed in the fight. Five were killed in
all. All the other unfortunates were citizens who had exasperated the
people by voluntarily attaching themselves to Howard’s fortunes. There
_were_ some Mexicans, many or few, from the Mexican side of the river,
who came as the commission report, “some to fight and some to steal,”
but there was no “organized invasion.” Considerable property was taken
or destroyed, but the _object_ of the uprising was always clearly
stated, and that object was _not_ plunder.
The good feeling which has usually existed between the two races in the
valley was soon restored, and no one has ever been punished for
participation in this deplorable _emente_.