Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918
File No. 312.115/341
The Consul at Tampico ( Dawson) to the Secretary of State
Sir: Referring to my several despatches to the Department on bandit outrages during the past year in this consular district, I have the honor to transmit herewith descriptive statements of such outrages and holdups throughout the Tampico oil fields, chronologically arranged from August 15, 1917, to June 30, 1918.
Mr. C. W. Hamilton, local manager of the Mexican Gulf Oil Co. (an American concern), has just returned from the United States. He informs me that in conversation with Department officials at Washington the Department expressed surprise at the large number of outrages as reported by him.
It is true that this office has not reported every little incident that occurred. Many of them were of too trivial a character to bother the Department with; others were not reported to the Consulate by the companies involved. Furthermore, banditry has become so rife all through this territory that it has largely ceased to be the subject of comment and is accepted as a part of each day’s experiences, even within the limits of the city of Tampico. It is so accepted by Government and Army officials.
Under the circumstances it is only natural that simple robberies, or threats against life, have ceased to be considered worthy of notice, and that only actual assaults on persons, causing serious wounds or the loss of life, bring home to us the seriousness of the situation.
Since the above list was prepared three more outrages have occurred, as follows:
Mr. A. W. Stevenson, American, was shot and killed in the southern oil fields (as reported to you by telegraph) because he refused to open the company safe. The bandits have not been captured.
The Mexican Gulf Oil Company’s paymaster was robbed August 2 as per report mailed in despatch No. 464 of August 3, 1918.
Seventeen bandits attacked the Island Oil and Transport Company’s camp at Palo Blanco, August 1, 1918, stealing a considerable amount of commissary supplies.
I have [etc.]
Descriptive statements of bandit outrages and holdups throughout the Tampico oil fields, chronologically arranged
East Coast Oil Co.
August 15, 1917, about 11 p.m., a party of eight bandits came into camp at Station “A” near Panuco. They came first to the dining room where they took two Americans who were eating there and marched them down to the house occupied by Mr. F. S. Hurd, field foreman, where they made a demand for money, arms, and ammunition. The bandits entered Mr. Hurd’s house and went through everything, and turned everything upside down, and partly wrecked his furniture and personal belongings. They found a few pistol shells and demanded the revolver to go with them, and when Mr. Hurd advised them he did not have the gun, they hit him over the head with a rifle. They also [Page 671] treated Professor Cummins in a very rough manner. The bandits took $500 worth of personal belongings from Mr. Hurd, $175.44 United States currency from the company’s safe, $70 United States currency, watch and personal belongings from Professor Cummins, two horses, and two American saddles.
On September 1, 1917, Mr. J. F. Barbour and Mr. Geo. Blardone went out on pipe line Brecha for the purpose of paying off the men, and having had advance information that bandits were looking for the pay roll, they followed a route not used before, and succeeded in paying off the men without being held up. However, after paying off, and when they had reached a point 7 kilometers from Topila, 7 bandits held them up on the Brecha and robbed them of $81.25 United States currency of company’s money, $19.95 personal money, 3 mules, and 3 saddles.
The Aguila Co.
September 4, 1917, bandits entered Bustos pump station and stole articles belonging to employees valued at $199.60.
September 29, 1917 about 7.50, Paymaster J. Hess, on board the launch Afridi while on his way to pay off camps, was held up and robbed of $23,406 Mexican gold (mostly American bills), at kilometer ⅞ on the Chijol Canal. The bandits started shooting as soon as the launch came in sight, ordering crew to stop. Four bandits came out of their hiding places in the bush and boarded the launch, ordered the paymaster to turn over the funds he had. The safe containing the money was then taken ashore by the robbers and the crew told to continue the journey and not try to go back to Tampico. A few more shots were fired after the boat, but fortunately did not hit any of the passengers. Besides the paymaster, there were on board the Afridi, the pilot and the engineer.
October 6, 1917, the Los Naranjos camp was requisitioned for material and stores to the value of $109.52.
October 6, 1917, Potrero was visited and stores and provisions and materials amounting to $246.95 stolen.
November 10, 1917, Los Naranjos again visited and provisions and materials amounting to $245.23 stolen.
East Coast Oil Co.
November 17, 1917, a force of men came into the camp at Station “A”, Panuco, claiming to be Pelaexistas, they demanded that company’s safe be opened and secured $87 United States currency. They took five mules, saddles, and commissaries to the value of $500 United States currency.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
November 24, 1917. On this date Messrs. Rox Underwood and Ed. Anderson, while traveling in a Ford automobile carrying the pay-roll money to the construction camp, were suddenly fired upon from ambush at a point one kilometer south of the crossing of the Panuco Valley Railway of our pipe-line right of way, about 10 miles from Tampico. There then appeared armed men, both in front of them and behind them on the right of way, with their guns leveled at them, and ordering them to stop, which they did. The bandits took from them 2,607 pesos and 24 centavos, oro nacional, or the equivalent of $1,402.92 United States currency.
The Aguila Co.
December 27, 1917, Paymaster A. E. Schmidt, on board launch Basuto was held up and robbed of $40,710.66 at kilometer 8/9 of the Chijol Canal. Shots were fired at the launch as she came in sight, one of them striking the engineer Manuel Viano, causing slight wound. The launch was ordered to stop and three men came on board demanding from the paymaster what money he was carrying. This was done without resistance on the part of our men. The money was passed out to other bandits on shore and the boat ordered to proceed on its way. The wounded man was taken to Santo Tomas and given first aid. Besides the paymaster, there were on board the Basuto, the pilot, the engineer, and a sailor.
East Coast Oil Co.
January 23, 1918. On this date five soldiers rode up to the station Tierritas Blancas, and after asking Paul Schultz, the pumper, a few questions in regard [Page 672] to the company, the officer in charge struck Schultz over the head with his pistol, and also struck a small Mexican boy, who was working at the station, over the head; whereupon they both ran and the bandits began firing on these men. They also attacked a Mexican woman who was living nearby and who came out to see what was taking place. These bandits were evidently drunk at the time because the attack was made on these parties without the slightest provocation.
The Aguila Co.
February 6, 1918, bandits entered Naranjos and commandeered 16 mules, valued at $3,000; also 3 horses valued at $700.
East Coast Oil Co.
February 8, 1918, a force of about 150 men visited our camp at Station “A” near Panuco, and took all our commissary supplies, blankets, and bedding and made demands from the company for 10,000 pesos, oro nacional.
The Texas Co.
February 12, 1918, Paymaster House in launch Alex 1, was held up by bandits in the Chijol Canal within a few miles of Tampico. One of the Mexican launch boys was shot through arm when the bandits shot at the launch to stop it. After launch had been stopped and came to the bank Paymaster House fired his shotgun at the bandits and it is believed that he killed two of them. At any rate they ran away and House returned to Tampico. The Mexican launch boy who was not shot and an American employee of the company were on shore when House opened fire and succeeded in escaping, reaching Tampico later in the afternoon. One or two other American employees and the wounded launch boy who were in the launch when the firing began returned to Tampico with Mr. House. The bandits did not get the pay roll or anything else. The following day Mr. House in an open launch with one launch boy made the trip through the canal and delivered the pay roll. There were about eight bandits in the party.
Freeport-Mexican Fuel Oil Corp.
February 15, 1918. During middle of February bandits held up our camp at Camalote, taking groceries and clothes of the men, also, taking one of the tool dressers, Lonnie Morris, with them, stating that the price of his release was $1,000, to be delivered to them at El Hijo. However, through the intervention and influence of Mr. J. F. Fitzgerald, contractor on the Tampico-El Hijo Railroad he was finally turned loose the next morning without our having to pay the ransom.
Compañía metropolitana de oleoductos S. A.
February 19, 1918, launch Thendara, carrying Mr. F. C. Laurie as passenger, attacked in Chijol Canal by bandits. The launch escaped but was riddled with shots during the attack.
February 21, 1918, launches Thendara and Houp-La held up in Chijol Canal by armed bandits. The launch Thendara, which carried Messrs. Shaffer and Prather as passengers, escaped. The pilot of the launch was severely wounded and Mr. Prather slightly wounded.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
February 21, 1918. On this date armed bandits appeared at the Horconcitos pipe-line pumping-station camp, about 34 miles from Tampico, which was in charge of Mr. Stein, and took from him 590 pesos and 44 centavos, oro nacional, or the equivalent of $329 United States currency.
The Texas Co.
February 21, 1918. Early in the morning of February 21 launch Alex 1 was stopped by bandits in Chijol Canal near Tampico. The bandits were looking for the paymaster and the pay roll, but as other arrangements had been made at the last moment, he was not on board. The bandits threatened to kill a passenger who was on board, believing him to be the paymaster, but a company employee, Mr. C. C. Sidwell, finally convinced them that the passenger was not Mr. House. One of the launch boys was shot through the arms when the launch was fired into by the bandits from the shore to stop it. Mr. Sidwell, [Page 673] the passenger, and the launch boys were robbed of all their personal belongings by the bandits. Just as the bandits were finishing the robbing of persons on board the Alex 1, the two fast launches of the Metropolitan (Island Oil Co.) came by the spot. They were both fired into but the Thendara kept going on account of her great speed and got away, one man, Mr. Walter Prather, being slightly wounded. The other launch was stopped because the man at the wheel was wounded. On board this launch [were] Paymaster Minnett, Doctor Brisbane and several other employees of the Island Oil Co., and Paymaster House of the Texas Co. The bandits knew exactly how much money the Island paymaster should have and were satisfied after that had been passed out to them. They apparently did not know that Paymaster House was on board the same boat but they chanced to see the end of his shotgun and demanded that same be turned over to them. On account of his previous experience Paymaster House was afraid to surrender the gun and prepared to defend himself. He was killed in the fusillade which followed. Paymaster Minnett was wounded in three places. Doctor Brisbane was seriously wounded. There were about 40 men in the party, all well armed. Total casualties: Mr. House killed; Mr. Minnett, Doctor Brisbane, and Mr. Prather wounded; Mexican launch boy wounded. All the wounded men recovered. About 14,000 pesos were taken by the bandits. None of these were caught or punished.
February 22, 1918, a small party of bandits entered the Obando camp and robbed it of about 2,500 pesos. After they left, one of the party returned and demanded more money. He became so abusive that the men feared for their lives and one of them took his gun away from him and fired several shots at him, finally driving him out of camp.
The Aguila Co.
March 1, 1918, bandits entered Tierra Amarilla and forced all men to leave camp. Food and material was taken by these forces to the amount of $175.
March 1, 1918, bandits entered Potrero and broke into house, taking bedding, etc., valued at $453.08, and personal belongings of the men to the value of $400. They also commandeered a horse valued at $35.
Compañía Metropolitana de Oleoductos S. A.
March 5, 1918, at 6 p.m. the camp at Lot No. 9 Tepetate was held up by armed soldiers. The sum of $1,341.70 Mexican gold currency was stolen from the camp office.
The Aguila Co.
March 7, 1918, bandits entered Potrero, broke into the houses and stores bodega and took bedding, etc., to the value of $100.35. Cash $1,000. From the employees they took personal effects amounting to $600, which included everyone from superintendent to Chinamen.
Freeport-Mexican Fuel Oil Corp.
March 15, 1918. On or about this date the bandits again raided our camp at Camalote, Panuco district, robbing the men of all valuables and clothes, also all stores, blankets, etc., in camp. They again demanded $1,000. During regular intervals after this they came to this camp until it became impossible to continue work, which has been shut down since that time. Two of our firemen were hanged in the derrick at this camp during these raids.
The Texas Co.
March 16, 1918. Our camp foreman at Topila was on the Panuco train which was held up by bandits and several hundred pesos were taken away from him. Some of our employees on the train were robbed of watches and small sums of money.
The Cortez Oil Corp.
March 28, 1918. Our launch Cortez 1 left Tampico with Messrs. Reber, vice president and general manager, Goldsborough, secretary and treasurer, Mathers, secretary to the general manager, and two others, field employees. The pay roll for the week was on board the launch and amounted to 32,125 [?] pesos was in Mexican currency and the balance in United States currency. Between [Page 674] kilometers 4 and 5 on the Chijol Canal a party of nine armed bandits stopped the launch and ordered everyone ashore; the Mexican engineer not coming ashore with the rest was immediately fired upon but not hit. The bandits then robbed the entire pay roll and handled Mr. Mathers in particular in a very rough manner as they presumed he was the paymaster. In the middle of the holdup a launch containing 5 officers and 15 men of the Federal Army passed by and proceeded slowly for nearly a mile before answering the continued exclamations of Mr. Mathers that the company was being robbed. The troops finally came back and fired upon the bandits with the result that they took to bush leaving 5 or 6 bags of 1,000 pesos in silver on the bank of the river. A search of the immediate vicinity lasting about an hour resulted in the finding of an equivalent amount of silver, to some of which the Federal soldiers assisted themselves quite liberally. About all the bandits were masked and one or two were recognized by our party as being among the cargadores who had that morning carried the money from the automobile to the launch at the customs wharf. Our party had altogether a nasty experience and believe that but for the timely arrival of the Federal officers the bandits would have carried out their threat of shooting one of the party as soon as they had cleaned up. Our total loss was 21,797.50 pesos, the equivalent in United States currency being $12,007.67.
The Aguila Co.
March 28, 1918, bandits entered San Petrero and looted Chinese quarters, laundry and kitchen, stealing bedding and provisions valued at $259.31. From Chinamen they took $700 in personal effects.
March 28, 1918, bandits entered Tierra Amarilla looting the camp houses, mess, etc. They took provisions and stores valued at $1,136.98. From the employees they commandeered personal effects to the value of $1,6.11.10. They also took 6 mules worth $1,200.
La Corona Co.
April 4, 1918, five armed bandits entered our Santa Fé camp and robbed the documents (?), watches and money belonging to our staff. They shot at our night watchman, woke up our cashier and had him open the safe and took the contents, being $705.50.
The Texas Co.
April 6, 1918, our production camp at Tepetate was robbed of a few hundred pesos.
Compañía Metropolitan a de Oleoductos, S. A.
April 12, 1918, armed bandits entered the camp at Lot No. 9 Tepetate and the foreign employees, who offered no resistance, were made to suffer gross indignities. Sparsely clad and shoeless, the said employees were compelled to stand in front of loaded guns while the company’s premises were ransacked and their personal effects stolen. Some of the employees were cruelly beaten. Besides a considerable quantity of commissary supplies, the amount of $323.99 Mexican gold currency was taken from the camp offices. In consequence of this and similar attacks at neighboring camps there was a general exodus of employees. This company along with others suffered considerable monetary loss and delay to operations. It has not yet been possible to replace the employees.
International Petroleum Co.
April 13, 1918, our camp was visited by four soldiers, who were later identified, who proceeded to loot and rob the camp, stealing $816 Mexican gold, and some $60 more from our help. When the bandits first appeared at camp they demanded of our superintendent of drilling, Mr. A. J. Kirkwood, $500, and being refused, they threatened to kill our paymaster, Mr. Beresford, and actually placed the muzzle of their loaded guns against his body to force the money from him. They thereupon picked out, as the important figure of the camp, Mr. Sheldon, and tried to force him to give them money, which he refused to do, whereupon the soldiers began to beat him with their machetes, together with other men in the camp. They made several threats to execute several men including Mr. Sheldon and actually did take them out with the idea of shooting them, and finally started with the men, threatening to take them to [Page 675] Cerro Azul with the expressed intention of executing them there. They made claim they were Pelaez followers; however this is absolutely refuted by the fact that these men were specifically identified by Messrs. Schmieding and Welsh, two employees of our company, who encountered the same parties on the road from Juan Cassiano, and who were followed to our camp by these soldiers. When Messrs. Schmieding and Welsh were met by these men they were held up and searched, and later, when the same ones that held them up appeared at our camp to do the robbing and abusing above mentioned, Messrs. Schmieding and Welsh recognized them as the parties whom they had met, and it is upon this statement that this company says they were the same. We have been subjected to many indignities of a character concerning which it is not necessary to go into detail, but which, however, have caused us a great deal of loss in time and money. We have been deprived of the use of our boats by Government soldiers, our mules and rolling stock have been appropriated by them at will, and always to our inconvenience. We have also suffered greatly in our land department, the personnel of which, by the way, is practically all Mexican citizens, because they have feared going down in the lower fields, particularly when it was known that the soldiers were there. We might recite endlessly the difficulties in many directions that this company has suffered, but I believe that the instances herein referred to are sufficient for the purposes we have mutually discussed.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
April 16, 1918. Following a succession of murders, assaults, and holdups by bandits and other unknown parties in the south country, the employees of the Mexican Gulf Oil Co. (pipe line and production camps) in the Tepetate district on April 16, came to Tampico; the number of men were about 35 in all, the greater proportion of which did not return to work for nearly two weeks. The entire plant in that part of the oil fields was shut down, due to this run-out and greatly interfered with our construction and operation work.
April 18, 1918, the Tepetate pipe-line pump-station camp about 65 miles from Tampico, in charge of C. C. Chambers, was held up and robbed by bandits of 450 pesos and 23 centavos, oro nacional, or the equivalent of $259.47 United States currency.
The Cortez Oil Corp.
April 14, 1918. On the night of the 14th of April our camp was ransacked by some drunken bandits and other unknown parties, and our entire drilling staff had to take cover in the bush. This was the culminating point of a series of such disturbances and our drilling staff could stand the strain no longer. Being convinced that their lives were in physical danger, they closed the camp and came in to Tampico, and all our efforts to get those men to return to work were unavailing.
The Texas Co.
April 18, 1918, production camp at Tepetate robbed by the bandits who secured small sums of money and the watch of Mr. Theo. Rivers.
April 18, 1918, our motor barge Alma R was held up and robbed in Chijol Canal. The bandits secured several thousand pesos which was part of pay roll which was being sent down without paymaster. It had been planned for paymasters to go on this boat with entire pay roll but plans were changed at last minute and the larger part of pay roll was saved. The bandits were anxious to get the paymaster and kill him. They accused the supercargo on the boat of being the paymaster, and his life was saved only by insistence of the Mexican captain of the boat that the paymaster was not on board.
La Corona Co.
April 19, 1918, a few armed bandits held up our Topila superintendent who was driving towards Tampico, and robbed him and his wife of their personal belongings, near La Crusada.
The Aguila Co.
April 23, 1918, bandits and other parties entered San Pedro camp and requisitioned $1,359.50 in cash from the cashier.
[Page 676]East Coast Oil Co.
April 24, 1918. Five bandits visited our Station “B” camp at Topila and robbed the field foreman of $18 United States currency and all of his clothes; also took all the clothes and money of three Chinamen who were employed in the camp, and afterwards visited the houses of Mexican employees in the camp and took their personal effects, consisting of clothes, money, and ammunition.
The Aguila Co.
April 25, 1918, two armed bandits entered Bustos pump station and demanded $300 from each man. The money not being forthcoming, they took $28 from one man and a $3 Ingersoll watch from another. They then insisted on the two pumpers accompanying them to see their chief, but they were finally persuaded to let the pumpers go but insisted on a note to their chief to the effect that there were no funds in Bustos.
La Corona Co.
April 26, 1918, the same bandits who before visited our Sante Fé camp, entered camp, opened the safe and disappeared with $475 and threatened to shoot our cashier.
April 27, 1918, bandits ran into the Sante Fé camp shooting all around, robbed an amount of $473.50 and disappeared.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
May 6, 1918, a party by the name of J. N. Scott, American, was assaulted in a cantina near our Tepetate camp where he was severely cut up by machetes or daggers. Two of our men, named Earl Boles and Ted Nabors, went over to investigate and to offer their assistance. However, upon arriving on the scene of action, they found Scott was being well cared for and they attempted to return to camp. In coming along the Cortez right of way they were suddenly attacked by a man with a drawn machete, who jumped from a bush, threw one arm around Mr. Nabors’ neck, and attempted to strike him, at the same time, with his weapon. Nabors, however, was successful in giving the man an uppercut in the jaw which threw him to the ground, whereupon both Messrs. Boles and Nabors drew their pistols, at the sight of which the Mexican assailant scrambled to his feet and beat it to the monte.
The Aguila Co.
May 6, 1918, bandits broke into the quarters of Santo Tomas station engineer and took personal effects and cash to value of $512.
La Corona Co.
May 12, 1918, bandits and other parties requisitioned $300, together with 26 mules, 2 horses, 1 ox, chickens, cars, machetes, medicines, food supplies, etc., cut the telephone lines, kept our employees as prisoners a couple of days in the camp, and made drilling work during a whole week impossible.
The Cortez Oil Corp.
May 12, 1918. Unfortunately no systematic record has been kept on the innumerable disturbances created at Tepetate but it is within the writer’s personal knowledge that on the 12th of May a disturbance was created by some drunken soldiers, one of whom fell asleep in one of our tents. His companions on finding him in this condition insisted he had been murdered by the occupier of the tent, and they started in to hang our assistants. They would have unquestionably taken this man’s life if our engineer had not succeeded in awakening the drunken man and the timely arrival of several other soldiers [sic.]. We have consulted with our general superintendent of construction as to the present feeling of the field staff and he advises us that his men are working under very strained and nervous conditions and that they have stated that unless the companies can afford them a fuller measure of protection than the efforts of the past six months it will be impossible for them to continue their work though it is their desire and resolve to remain at work whilst there is a possible chance of conditions improving for them.
May 16, 1918. On this date we sent our paymaster with 18,000 pesos on the Texas Co.’s pay launch and this launch was held up by pirates off the island of [Page 677] Juana Ramirez in the Tamiahua Lagoon. Our paymaster was robbed of his personal effects and subjected to three or four hours detention in unpleasant circumstances, but was not subjected to bodily violence. Our entire pay roll was plundered, the equivalent of United States currency figure being $10,547.50.
The Texas Co.
May 16, 1918. Our launch R. C. Holmes, having on board Paymaster W. J. Storke of the Texas Co. and Paymaster Morgan of the Cortez Oil Co., was held up in Laguna Tamiahua and both pay rolls, amounting to about 10,000 pesos for the Texas Co. and about 20,000 pesos for the Cortez, were taken, the paymaster of the Texas Co. having been treated somewhat roughly. Mr. Bertlien, supercargo on the launch, and Mr. Stillwell, an employee of the Cortez Oil Corp., were robbed of personal belongings. One of the Texas Co. money sacks was found on a man who was arrested in town that same night before news of the robbery had reached Tampico, About two thousand pesos were in the sack. We understand it is this man who was later executed. A number of arrests were made and Messrs. Storke, Morgan, Bertlien, and Stillwell were asked to identify them. One man was identified. We understand four men are still under arrest for this robbery and nine others were in jail for some time, they having been released several days ago. A guard of soldiers had accompanied the paymaster to Rivera and from that point had returned to Tampico, as it was considered safe once Rivera had been passed. The robbery occurred after the soldiers had left the launch.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
May 17, 1918. On or about the 17th of May Mr. Rox Underwood, while en route on the pipe-line right of way, a few kilometers south of the Cucharas River crossing, met a number of armed men, who demanded that he deliver up to them the money which he was carrying; this he refused to do and in order to protect himself jumped behind a log on the roadside, close to the underbrush, and threatening with his revolver pointed at the men, stated that he would fire upon them if they approached any closer; finally, after considerable hesitation they passed on down the road, leaving Mr. Underwood unmolested.
Near the same spot, on May 22, 1918, while en route on horseback for Tepetate, Mr. Underwood was fired upon from ambush, the bullet striking so close to him that he was forced to abandon his horse and hide in the dense underbrush along the way, leaving a sack containing 1,700 pesos, oro nacional, or the equivalent of $1,040.49 United States currency, tied to the pommel of the saddle, being unable to extricate it and take it with him.
May 18, 1918. On this date the Tepetate station camp was held up and robbed of 300 pesos, oro nacional, or the equivalent of $183.30 United States currency.
Compañía Metropolitana De Oleoductos S. A.
May 20, 1918, the sum of $103 Mexican gold currency was stolen by bandits from the camp office at Lot No. 9 Tepetate.
La Corona Co.
May 23, 1918, bandits entered Sante Fé camp and wanted an amount of $20,000; otherwise they would burn the house of the superintendent. They took the contents of the safe, being $458.50, and went away.
May 23, 1918, the same bandits visited our Topila camp and requisitioned from the camp boss all his and his wife’s personal belongings, representing a value of about $300.
May 26, 1918, bandits returned to Sante Fé camp, claiming again the $20,000 (pesos), searched all camp houses, and went away with $532 and clothes of the employees.
May 29, 1918, the same bandits overran our camp again and took $156, being the amount in the safe, as well as food supplies.
June 1, 1918, the bandits entered the camp at night and robbed all personal belongings of the superintendent and of his wife.
Transcontinental de Petroleo S. A.
June 5, 1918, our paymaster at Amatlán had stolen from the room which he was occupying, during his temporary absence, 6,000 pesos. He was not held [Page 678] up but undoubtedly the loss of the money and failure to recover it was due to the lack of proper policing of the territory and we leave it to your discretion whether this is a bandit outrage.
La Corona Co.
June 8, 1918, the same set of bandits returned during full daylight and took away the money for the weekly pay roll amounting to about 2,000 pesos at our Santa Fé camp.
East Coast Oil Co.
June 8, 1918, at 3.15 p.m., 4 bandits rode into camp at our Torres terminal and demanded our pay-roll money. The pay roll had been sent up to terminal by the paymaster in the launch and had arrived at the terminal about 30 minutes before the holdup took place. The bandits secured 1,542.65 pesos, oro nacional. None of our employees were molested because the money was surrendered immediately upon demand.
The Aguila Co.
June 9, 1918, robbers broke into the office at Tepetate and forced open the cash drawer, stealing $967 in money.
Compañía Metropolitan a de Oleoductos S. A.
June 12, 1918, during an encounter between the Government and reactionary forces the camp office at Palo Blanco was ransacked and the sum of $1,100.81 Mexican gold currency was taken, in addition to a considerable quantity of material and commissary supplies.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
June 24, 1918. On the night of June 24 the large earthen storage oil reservoir on Lot 8 Tepetate was set afire. This occurred about 8.30 p.m. The tank at the time the fire occurred contained about 150,000 barrels of fluid. At 4 o’clock of the same day the Cortez Oil Corp. had brought in their well No. 5 on Lot No. 5 Tepetate, estimated at a possible production of 50,000 barrels a day. The oil from the flow of this well, before the well was successfully closed, ran down and filled the arroyo just on the east side of the earthen storage in question. About 3 o’clock that night, when the fire had heated the fluid in the tank to a boiling point, the fluid boiled over with such a force as to blow the fire out of the reservoir, but caught the oil in the arroyo to the east. For a time it seriously threatened the big well by reason of the fact that flames began moving up stream. Fortunately, however, a large force of men were on duty in the near vicinity and peon recruits from our own and neighboring camps were already on the scene of action, endeavoring to control the fire. They were successful in fighting it and finally put it out on the following day, investigation showed that fluid to a depth of 4 or 5 feet went down the arroyo. At the time the tank boiled over there was approximately 80,000 to 90,000 barrels of fluid burned or lost by reason of the fire.
The Texas Co.
June 26, 1918, one of our employees was robbed near Topila but fortunately had only a few dollars with him.
Compañía Metropolitana de Oleoductos S. A.
June 27, 1918, another encounter at Palo Blanco took place and all the foreign employees were compelled to evacuate houses and other buildings. All employees were robbed of personal clothing. No money was stolen.
The Aguila Co.
June 28, 1918, Messrs. Horseman and Brooks were coming from Cuecillos [to] Los Naranjos, on the narrow guage railway, and finding the track obstructed by some tree trunks, they stopped the gasoline car and alighted to [Page 679] remove them. While thus engaged they were fired upon from the brush by unknown parties, both of them being wounded. When they fell to the ground their assailants came out and struck them several times with machetes, cutting them up very badly and leaving them for dead. Mr. Brooks being the first to recover, picked Mr. Horseman up, put him on the car and brought him into Los Naranjos. As neither Brooks nor Horseman were carrying funds or other valuables, robbery could not have been the object of the assault. Both men were subsequently taken to the company hospital at Tan Huijo and were found to be very severely wounded, Mr. Horseman having both legs broken by bullets and several cuts around the head, while Mr. Brooks was shot through the stomach and had his arm broken by a bullet; also badly cut by machete about the neck. At this writing both men were still in very serious condition.
Mexican Gulf Oil Co.
June 29, 1918. About 1 o’clock on Saturday in the afternoon, a party of five armed Mexicans assaulted and robbed the Prieto terminal of this company located on the north bank of the Panuco River about 4 miles above the fiscal wharf in Tampico. They were successful in securing 9,427 pesos and 81 centavos, or the equivalent in United States currency of $5,562.40. The whole affair covered approximately 30 or 40 minutes’ time and resulted in the death of Alfred Esparcia, machinist, L. R. Millard, assistant cashier, L. A. Dunn, warehouse clerk, and R. M. Cooper, commissary clerk—all four Americans—as well as the death of Natividad Flores, Mexican foreman. Robert Garcia had a narrow escape and was wounded; in fact, his flesh on his side was seared by a bullet. No resistance was made by any of the men at the terminal and no apparent cause was evident for the brutal assault and death of these men.
La Corona Co.
June 30, 1918. Our Topila superintendent has been taken away and held for ransom.