2841121Mexico under Carranza — Appendix 41919Thomas Edward Gibbon

APPENDIX IV

The following list of 61 outrages committed in the oil regions of Mexico alone in a period of 6 months and 8 days from January 23 to July 31, 1918, was published in the New York Times of October 20, 1918. The oil regions offer the most inviting field for robbery at present because they are about the only place in Mexico in which industry is active. The list includes 10 murders. The total loss by robberies in which specific sums are mentioned is $107,507. Instances in which specific values were not ascertained are not included.

1918
Jan. 23. Five soldiers held up Territas Blancas station of the East Coast Oil Co., beat Paul Schultz, pumper, with pistol, shot both him and boy helper and attacked Mexican woman.
Feb. 6. Bandits entered Naranjos and made off with 1 6 mules worth $3,000 and 3 horses worth $700 belonging to the Aguila Co.
Feb. 8. Gang of 1 50 men swept into camp of Station A, East Coast Oil Co., took everything in commissary, supplies, blankets and bedding and demanded $10,000.
Feb. 12. Attacked Ed House, paymaster of the Texas Co., on Chijol Canal, just out of Tampico. Fired on launch, wounding a launch boy. House and assistants gave battle and got away.
Feb. 15. Armed Mexicans held up camp of Freeport and Mexican Fuel Oil Co., at Camalote, carrying off Lonnie Morris, a driller, holding him for $1,000 ransom. Morris finally freed without payment being made.
Feb. 19. Launch Thendra, carrying F. C. Laurie, attacked in Chijol canal and riddled with bullets. Boat property of the Cia. Metropolitana de Oleoductos S. A.
Feb. 21. Launches Thendra and Houp-La attacked in Chijol canal. Pilot and one passenger wounded.
Feb. 21. Horconcitas camp of Mexican Gulf Co., held up and pumper robbed of $329. This is 34 miles from Tampico.
Feb. 21. Ed House, paymaster, the Texas Co., killed and 14,000 pesos carried away by armed Mexicans with Federal army equipment and rifles. Dr. Brisbane and Paymaster Minnett both wounded. Forty men in attacking gang. Hold-up in outskirts of Tampico; party taking money to pay off workmen.
Feb. 22. The Texas Co.'s Obando camp robbed of 2,500 pesos; several shots fired.
Mar. 1. Bandits ran workmen of Tierra Amarilla camp, the Aguila Co. out into brush and took supplies and $175.
Mar. 1. Bandits entered Potrero and made off with property worth close to $1,000.
Mar. 5. Oil camp at Tepetate held up and $1,340 in gold and currency taken; bandits wore uniforms of soldiers.
Mar. 7. Bandits again raided Potrero, robbing everyone from superintendent to Chinaman. Losses of Aguila Co. and men estimated at about $2,000.
Mar. 15. Made second visit in month to Camalote; took everything in sight. Subsequent raids, in which two men were hanged to derrick, compelled evacuation of camp. Property of Freeport & Mexican Oil Corp.
Mar. 16. Armed Mexicans rob camp foreman of the Texas Co. at Topila and hold up train. Considerable loot taken.
Mar. 28. Launch Crotes with vice-president, general manager and employees of the Cortez Oil Corp. left Tampico with $32,125 on board. Held up by nine bandits. Federal soldiers finally ran them off, but stole part of the money the bandits dropped. Company's loss $12,007.67.
Mar. 28. Bandits entered Potrero, Aguila company, taking money and property worth $1,000. Mar. 28. Bandits again entered Tierra Amarilla, taking property worth about $4,000 including six mules.
Apr. 6. Production camp, Texas Co., robbed; loss several hundred pesos.
Apr. 7. Repeated performance of day before.
Apr. 12. Armed bandits entered camp at Tepetate, beat employees cruelly and made off with $323 in money and much property; men lined up before armed squad during ransacking process.
Apr. 13. Four men in uniforms of soldiers raided camp of the International Petroleum Co., shoving gun into side of A. J. Kirkwood. Assistant beaten with machetes and squad of employees taken out with threats of execution.
Apr. 16. Employees of Mexican Gulf Co., finally forced out of Tepetate district after series of robberies and barbarities. Did not return to work for two weeks.
Apr. 18. Tepetate Pipe Line pump station, 65 miles from Tampico, raided and looted by bandits.
Apr. 18. Theodore Rivers, Texas Co., employee, robbed of watch and money.
Apr. 18. Motor barge Alma R., Texas Co., held up in Chijol canal and several thousand pesos taken; threatened lives of men on board, thinking pay-roll was hidden.
Apr. 19. Superintendent of La Corona Co., at Topila, and his wife robbed and mistreated and driven out toward Tampico.
Apr. 23. San Pedro camp of the Aguila Co., raided by bandits, who "requisitioned" $1,340 from cashier.
Apr. 24. Station B, East Coast Co., Topila, raided and employees robbed.
Apr. 25. Two armed Mexicans entered pump station of the Aguila Co., at Bustos, and robbed everyone in sight. Demanded and got a note to their chief, saying that they had done a clean job, leaving nothing.
Apr. 26. Same two Mexicans entered Santa Fe camp, of La Corona Co., threatened to shoot cashier and made off with $475.
Apr. 27. Armed Mexicans again dashed into Sante Fe camp, shot up the place promiscuously, secured $375 and disappeared.
May 6. J. N. Scott attacked near Tepetate camp and severely cut with machetes and daggers. Earl Boles and Ted Nabors, who went to his assistance, also attacked.
May 6. Armed Mexicans broke into Santo Tomas station, Aguila Co., and robbed station engineer of personal effects and money worth $500.
May 12. Armed Mexicans robbed camp of everything, making drilling impossible for a week; La Corona Co., victim.
May 12. Soldier got drunk and went to sleep in tent; other soldiers finding "body," declared he had been murdered and were getting ready to lynch superintendent when drunken man was awakened.
May 16. Paymaster of Cortes Oil Corp., held up by pirates off island of Juana Ramirez in Tamiahua Lagoon; payroll equivalent to $10,547.50 in U. S. coin taken.
May 16. Launch R. C. Holmes of the Texas Co., held up and robbed of 30,000 pesos in Tamiahua Lagoon.
May 17. Rex Underwood stood off gang of armed Mexicans with revolver, refusing to give up valuables.
May 22. Rex Underwood fired upon from ambush; forced to desert horse and $1,040 tied in sack to pommel of saddle. Saved life by taking to bush.
May 18. Tepetate station, Mexican Gulf Oil Co., again held up and robbed.
May 20. The sum of $103 in Mexican gold currency was stolen by bandits from the camp office of the Cia. Metropolitana de Oleoductos S. A. at lot No. 9 Tepetate.
May 23. Armed Mexicans entered Santa Fe camp of the La Corona Co., and demanded $20,000 otherwise they would burn the house of the superintendent. They took the contents of the safe, $456.60, and went away.
May 23. The same men visited Topila camp, La Corona Co., and requisitioned from the camp boss all his and his wife's personal belongings.
May 26. Armed men return to Santa Fe camp, La Corona Co., claiming again the 20,000 pesos, searched all camp houses and went away with $532 and clothes of employees.
May 29. The same men overrun camp again and took $156, being the amount in the safe, as well as food supplies.
June 1. The men entered the camp at night and robbed superintendent and his wife of all personal belongings.
June 5. Transcontinental de Petroleo S. A. paymaster at Amatlan lost during temporary absence 6,000 pesos.
June 8. Armed Mexicans returned to La Corona Co., camp during full daylight and took away the money for the weekly payroll, amounting to about 2,000 pesos at Santa Fe camp.
June 8. At 3.15 p. m. four armed Mexicans rode into camp at East Coast Oil Co., Torres Terminal, and demanded payroll money. The payroll having been sent up to terminal by the paymaster in the launch, had arrived at the terminal about thirty minutes before the holdup took place. The men secured $1,542.65 Mexican gold currency. None of employees was molested because money was surrendered immediately upon demand.
June 9. Robbers broke into the Aguila Co., office at Tepetate and forced open the cash drawer, stealing $967 in money.
June 12. During the encounter between the government and reactionary forces the camp office of Cia. Metropolitana de Oleoductos S. A. at Palo Blanco was ransacked and the sum of $1,100.81 Mexican gold currency was stolen, in addition to a considerable quantity of material and commissary supplies.
June 24. On the night of June 24 the Mexican Gulf Oil Co/s, large earthen storage oil reservoir at Tepetate set afire. Contained about 150,000 barrels of fluid. Approximately 80,000 to 90,000 barrels of fluid burned or lost by reason of this fire.
June 26. One of the Texas Co/s employees was robbed near Topila, but fortunately had only a few dollars with him.
June 27. Foreign employees run out of Palo Blanco after a regular battle.
June 28. Two employees of Aguila Co., attacked on road and left for dead, being shot and hacked with machetes.
June 29. Five armed men robbed Mexican Gulf Co. terminal four miles above fiscal wharf at Tampico. Four men, all Americans, murdered.
June 30. Topila superintendent of La Corona Co. taken away and held for ransom. July 30. A. W. Stevenson, camp cashier of the pipe line camp of the Texas Co., at Tepetate, was murdered by bandits upon his refusal to open his safe and deliver its contents.
July 31. Mexican Gulf paymaster held up and robbed of $8,000 Mexican gold within four miles of Tampico. No lives were lost in this holdup.

THE END

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