498 



MEXICO. 



the door will be opened in the ordinary way, or by 

 force, and the culpable person arrested, and if he be 

 not found, all the inmates of the building will be 

 punished in accordance with article three of this edict. 



ART. 7. From the moment it is announced to the 

 city that the alarm haB ceased, all the inhabitants are 

 at liberty to open their doors and go into the streets, 

 and engage in their occupations, with the sole con- 

 dition of their not committing any disorder, because, 

 in case of their so doing, such disorder will be re- 

 pressed as herein provided. 



L. MAEQUEZ, General-in-Chief. 



HEADQUARTERS, MEXICO, February 5, 1867. 



General Diaz took the town of Puebla by 

 storm, and'then directed his efforts to the siege 

 of the capital. Marquez supported himself in 

 that city by forced loans from the wealthy in- 

 habitants, extorting in some cases no less than 

 $50,000 or $60,000 from single individuals. The 

 siege of the city of Mexico continued for some 

 months, as did that of Vera Cruz, but in the 

 mean time the most important and interesting 

 events were transpiring at Queretaro. 



Maximilian and his two leading generals, 

 Tomas Mejia and Miguel Miramon, with some 

 8,000 men, were besieged at that place in March 

 and April by an army of about 18,000 men, 

 under the commander-in-chief of the Liberal 

 forces in the north, General Mariano Escobedo. 

 Several desperate attempts were macje by the 

 Imperialists to break through the lines which 

 invested Queretaro ; in every case they were 

 repulsed after severe fighting. 



On the 15th of May the Liberal forces, aided 

 by the treachery of General Lopez, entered 

 Queretaro, and took prisoners the entire Impe- 

 rial force, including the Emperor Maximilian, 

 and his leading generals, Miramon and Mejia, 

 together with more than 400 other officers. 

 On taking possession of the city, General Esco- 

 bedo published the following decree : 



HEADQUARTERS BEFORE QUERETARO, May 15, 1867. 

 The General of Division, Chief of the Army of Operation, to 

 the Citizens of the City of Queretaro, know ye : 



ARTICLE 1. Any persons having concealed a chief 

 of the enemies of the Republic, will be obliged to de- 

 nounce the same to these headquarters, or the mili- 

 tary commander of the State. 



ART. 2. The same order is applicable to any one 

 having arms, papers, ammunition, and other objects 

 belonging to the enemy. 



ART. 3. The chiefs who shall fail to present them- 

 selves to_ the authorities mentioned in the fore- 

 going articles, will be shot without any other neces- 

 sary evidence than identification of their person. 



ART. 4. Persons concealing any chiefs or objects 

 mentioned in the above articles, failing to report the 

 same in the twenty-four hours following, will be 

 tried in conformity to the laws. 



MARIANO ESCOBEDO. 

 HEADQUARTERS BEFORE QC-ERETABO, May 15, 1867. 

 The General of Division, Commanding the Army of Opera- 

 tion, to the Inhabitants of the City of Queretaro, know 

 ye: 



ART. 1. All soldiers or citizens committing any 

 theft or violence in the city of Queretaro, will be shot 

 on the spot. MARIANO ESCOBEDO. 



Maximilian gave up his sword to the conquer- 

 or with these words : " I surrender to you my 

 sword, owing to an infamous treason, without 

 which, to-morrow's sun would have seen yours 



in my hands." He then made three requests 

 of General Escobedo : First, that he would take 

 cognizance of the fact that his abdication of the 

 empire had been made out in March, a copy of 

 Avhich, countersigned by the proper minister, 

 was to be found among the archives captured 

 at La Cruz, the original having been sent to the 

 President, to be made public in case he (Maxi- 

 milian) should lawfully be made prisoner. Sec- 

 ond, that if a victim were necessary, the evil 

 done might be visited on his person. Third, 

 that his attendants might be well treated for 

 their loyalty to himself. General Lopez, who 

 had been the bosom friend of the Austrian 

 prince, is said to have received $48,000 as the 

 price of his treachery. General Mendez was 

 summarily shot for failing to give himself up ; 

 and Colonel Campos, commander of Maximil- 

 ian's body-guard, was dealt with in a like sum- 

 mary manner for attempting to escape at the 

 time of the surrender. 



Soon after his capture, Maximilian issued the 

 following proclamation to the people : 



COUNTRYMEN : After the valor and patriotism of the 

 Republican forces have destroyed my sceptre in this 

 place, the tenacious defence of which was indispen- 

 sable to save the honor of my cause and of my race 

 after the bloody siege in which the Imperial and Re- 

 publican soldiers have competed in abnegation and 

 boldness I will explain myself. Countrymen, I 

 came to Mexico with the best intention of insuring the 

 felicity of all and each of us ; but, called and pro- 

 tected by the Emperor of France, Napoleon III., he, 

 to the ndicule ot France, abandoned me, cowardly 

 and infamously, by demand of the United States, 

 after having uselessly spent forces and treasure and 

 shed the blood of her sons and your own. When 

 the news of my fall and death reaches Europe, all the 

 monarchs of Charlemagne's country will demand of 

 the Napoleonic dynasty an account of my blood of 

 the German, Belgian, and French blood shed in Mex- 

 ico. Then will be the end soon before the whole 

 world. Napoleon III. will be covered with shame 

 from head to foot. To-day, he has already seen his 

 Majesty, the Emperor of Austria, my august brother, 

 praying for iny life to the United States, and myself 

 a prisoner of war in the hands of the Republican 

 Government, and with my crown and my head torn to 

 pieces. 



Countrymen, here are my last words : I desire that 

 my blood may regenerate Mexico, and that you will 

 act with prudence and truthfulness, and ennoble with 

 your virtues the political cause of the flag you sus- 

 tain. May Providence save you and make vou wor- 

 thy of myself ! MAXIMILIAN. 



[The genuineness of this proclamation has 

 been questioned.] 



After the battle of San Jacinto, near Zacate- 

 cas, a large number of prisoners had been shot 

 by order of the Eepnblican commander; and 

 this circumstance, together with other instances 

 of severity exercised upon captive Imperialists, 

 excited fears that Maximilian would not escape 

 a similar treatment at the hands of the victo- 

 rious Liberals. When intelligence reached his 

 brother, the Emperor of Austria, that he was 

 besieged in the town of Queretaro, that mon- 

 arch had appealed, through his minister at 

 Washington, to the United States Government 

 to interfere in behalf of the unfortunate prince. 

 Secretary Seward immediately directed Mr. 



