Page:Difficulties Between Mexico and Guatemala.djvu/56

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Mexico should be solicited to expel them from the republic as "pernicious foreigners." This opinion, doubtless, displeased General Barrios, who desired more efficacious measures to be taken. An order was subsequently obtained from the governor of the State of Chiapas for sending the prisoners to the state capital, but Captain Tellez, in command of a company of federal troops at Tapachula, refused to surrender them. The same officer co-operated with the prisoners respecting their projected invasion of Guatemala, seizing upon all the Guatemalan Indians in the vicinity to increase the ranks of his company. On the 27th of June the prisoners were allowed to give a ball in the house of Tellez, and, having intoxicated the federal troops, they were next morning placed under the orders of the Guatemalan exiles, nominally prisoners, for a filibustering expedition against Guatemala. They crossed the frontier the same day, committing various outrages and assassinations by the way, and on the following day were completely routed, near San Márcos, by Colonel Lopez, the political chief of that place, already mentioned. Three of the leaders were killed in action; four others were taken prisoners and were executed at San Márcos two months later. An attempt was subsequently made by General Barrios to connect Mr, Romero with this incursion. The facts were, that he had used all his influence to prevent its taking place, having even had an interview with the Guatemalan exiles while prisoners, in which he endeavored to dissuade them from any step of the kind. Moreover, at the moment of the invasion, Mr. Romero was at San Márcos, Guatemala, where he had gone to see the political chief. Colonel Lopez, respecting the destruction of his coffee plantation, and he only escaped fall-