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Show Mysterious Body of Men Ex- hume All That Is Mortal of Clemente Vergara, Mur- ' dered by Mexicans. STATE OF TEXAS TO H MAKE EXAMINATION H Early Reports That Texas Rangers Had Crossed Rio fl Grande Denied on Au- jH thority of Governor. LAREDO, Tex., March 3. The muti-lated muti-lated body of Clemente Vergara, the Texas ranchman lured into Texas by Mexican federal Boldiers, was secretly brought to tho American side of the Rio Grande river early today by a mys-.terious mys-.terious party of men. Departing as silently as thoy had IH crossed tho rivor, the men who disin-trrrod disin-trrrod the body from tho Hidalgo, Mcx-ico, Mcx-ico, cemetery and bore it Ave miles" to American territory left no traco of their identity. Their act 'lelinitely es-tablished es-tablished that Vergara was executed alfter his capture. American Consul Garrett of Nucvo Laredo, Mexico, and Captain J. .1. Saunders of the Texas rangers wero the only persons on thc American side who iH wero told of the inteuded delivery of the body at the border. Thoy wero not informed, they said, until aftor the body had been brought across the riv-er. riv-er. Thoy went to the scene, fort3'-livc miles up thc river from Laredo, found jH thc bod as they hud been told they JM would, and tonight, had it brought to Laredo pending au examination the state will have made. Early Reports False. None of thc officials would make a statement oxcopt to set at rest earlier reports that Texas rangers aud friends of Vergara had acted together in cross- jH ing into Moxico and obtaining the body (for burial by tho family. Rumors were to the effect that former employees of the Vergara ranch were responsible for thc recovery of the body. Consul Garrett also forestalled sur-mises sur-mises that tho Mexican authorities IH might havo taken this means of re-turning re-turning tho body by saying ho did not believe they know tho body had boon removed. Ho had. never askod or re-ceived re-ceived any authority from them to re- jH turn the body to Texas, he said. IH Only Slight Clew. Apparently the only clew to the iden-tity iden-tity of tho men tonight was a shovel left in tho open grave in tho Hidalgo cemetery. To it was attached a card inscribed: 1 ' UccwrHos' ' "Remem-braucos. "Remem-braucos. ?' Vergara left his ranch, near Balafox, Tex., Friday, February 12, and crossed IH the river Into Mexico on a message from three federal soldiers that Captain Apo-lino Apo-lino Rodriguez of tho Hidalgo garrison wished to settle for eleven horses taken from Vergara's island pasture on the Rio H Grande. , , , 1 Mrs. Vergara pleaded with her husband jH not to risk solz-uro by tho Mexicans, but. disregarding her warnings, bo crossed tho IH river In company with his young nephew. Witnessed by Wife. Mrs. Vergara since has told how sho H saw her husband assaulted by the wait- lng soldiers and after being knocked un- IH conscious, curried off. Vergara's nephew IH at tho time of thu attack on his uncle cb- IH caped und hid In the brush until ho could ll rccross the rlvor. H On tho following day Mrs. Vergara H went In search of her husband and found IH him in the Hidalgo Jail. So far as known IH there was no charge against him. He H had been cruelly beaten, according to the IH wife. She dressed tho wounds, sho said. H nnd remained with him until forced to H leave. That was thc last time sho ever saw him alive, for early next morning ho IH was taken from the Jail, supposedly to bo transferred to Pledras Negras, and IB disappeared, . H When a search was begun for tne miss- H lng American. It was learned that a man had been shot and hl3 body hanged to a treo outside of Hidalgo early Sunday H morning, February IS. and the body left hanging for several duys. Soon after H Udtcd States Consul Garrett at Nuevo Laredo. Tex., started Inquiries, the body l wan removed nnd a fresh grave was no- M tired In the old Hidalgo cemetery. It HJ finally was determined by American in- Kfl vcfa-tlgators that he had beep executed. Bfl Persistent Denial. Persistent denial was made by the 1 McNlcan foderalB. however, and prior lo thla Goneral Alvares, commander at Pledras Negrns, had promised American Consul Blocker at Pledras Kegras that Vergara would be released and his cap. tors called to account. This allayed tne fears of his friends until his continued absence set In motion an exhaustive in-vest in-vest Jgn Hon. in which tha United States SGwett prKdod to Hidalgo aiSSettoSfi5 inteewed Captain Rod-r Rod-r giie. the man held rfflIKnalblc for Ver-para's Ver-para's kidnaping, but the attain denied all knowledge of tho ranchman s death and said he had been sent to Pie-droa Pie-droa Nesras. but that he had escaped en route and that thc federals were cer-talii cer-talii ithnt ho had joined tho constitution- alConsuJ. Garrett, however, aftor inter- vlowlng numorous Mexicans and others. H (Continued, on Page Two.). jH BODY 15 SECRETLY TIEN OH (Continued from Pago One.) reported officially that Vcrgara had been executed. Hp. added that ho was convinced con-vinced from the federals' attitude while lie was in Hidalgo that it would have boen dangerous for him to demand surrender sur-render of tho hotly. Tlio Island pasture of Versa ra. where It :lrsl was reported tho ranchman had been assaulted, complicated the affair by the question whether it was Mexican or American territory, until It was found that Vcrgara had been actually seized on the Mexican mainland. Tills rendered ren-dered those responsible rafo from prosecution prose-cution In Texas. As the horses wero alleged to have been tatcan from this pasture, however, and county records showed It belongs to the state of Texas, Mrs. Vcrgara llicd on affidavit charging Captain Rodriguez and three of bis men with horse theft. Permission "Denied. Governor Colquitt requested permission permis-sion of the atate department to bond Texas rangers across tho border to pursue pur-sue the "abductors and murderers" of Vorgara. and was told by Socrctarv of Stale Hrynu that the United States government gov-ernment alono could take authority for Mending an armed force into a foreign country. Later, when Mrs. Vcrgara mado the charge of horse theft. Govornor Colquitt asked of tho Mate department, whom the United States rccognlr.od as constituted authority In northern Mexico. po that lie might make requisition under the Mexican treaty for the men named. This question nover was answered to the ?atlKfaciIon of Governor ' Colquitt, and the governor announced that to eolvo the location lie would requisition both the federal and conKllliitlonallat governors of the states of Nuovo Jeon and Chihuahua. This was on Friday, and so far as Known tlm requisition Iuih not been Issued. Vcrgara 'h seizure and disappearance cast the Texa-s border country in this section Into a turmoil. Many bitter expressions ex-pressions have been board, and while there has boon no sign of disorder, feeling has run high. Dissatisfaction was especially espe-cially keen because of what Vorgara's friends thought a delay In demanding return re-turn of his body for burial, and there had been minora that an attempt might be mado to obtain it. Nninod In Mrs. Vcrgara's complaint were Captain Apollnlo Rodriguez and three prlvatoH of tho Hidalgo federal garrison. gar-rison. It has been said that they wero transferred to another post after tbe Vergarn Incident bocame public Their arrest was promised by General Joaquin Maah, federal commander of tho northern north-ern zono of Mexico, when Governor Col-qulll Col-qulll asked If requisition would bo honored, hon-ored, but It waa not said whether they would bo delivered to Texas authorities. No further word has come from General Ma as. EL PASO, Tex., March S. A special dispatch to the Morning Times from its correHpondont at Austin, Tex., the state capital. HHys; "Governor Colquitt at midnight issued the following statement with regard to tho recovery of the body of Clcmonte Vcrgara: " 'Captain John H. Saundor3, commanding command-ing company 13, Texas rangers, at Laredo, Lare-do, advises mo by wire tonight thai iic hod recovered the body of Clemente Vcrgara. Vcr-gara. I wired him for full particulars. He advises mo that ho did not go Into Mexico at all, but was Informed that the body of Vergarn would bo delivered on tho Texas Hide of tho river nt a place named at 3:30 o'clock Sunday morning. He. wont there and found It. As to who brought It acroKs the river ho says he docs not know. He said ho '.vid no assistance as-sistance in this transaction except from the family and relatives of Vergara who fully Identified the body.' "The governor talked with Captain Saunders Saun-ders over tho long distance telephone, for a lotur time tonight nnd tho foregoing was tho substance of tho conversation, so far as It related to the recovery of tho body of tho missing American." |
