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42d ANNIVERSARYlk .)cimnd %ngan $ tid $8Ci.AS.leiiINGCE“X~X«t(Continued from Page One) mayor and four aldermen) in the city election of April 6, 1886. Higinio Garcia, father of City Secretary A. R. Garcia, svas the candidate of the Bo-tas” Club, while the incumbent, Stephen Boyard, was the candidate of the Guaraches” Club for city marshal. The campaign had been one of the most heated and bitterest ever waged in Laredo, starting soon after the Webb county election of 1885, when Dario Sanchez was appointed as sheriff to succeed Dario Gonzalez, resigned. (At the general election in Novem ber, 1886, Sanchez was elected sheriff.)Ex-Sheriff Gonzalez, dissatisfied with the conditions prevailing at the time, revived the old Guaraches” party which hadfjreviously existed and in the atter part of 1885, supported by a few followers, put a set of candidates in the field. The beginning of 1886 found the campaign waxing warm, with Higinio Garcia heading the Botas” ticket for city marshal, while opposed tc him on the Guaraches” ticket was Stephen Boyard, the incumbent. Weekly meetings and torchlight processions, with now and then a little personal set-to between prominent gentlemen, were characteristics of the campaign. The headquarters of'the Botas” Club was in what is now a part of the Two Laredos” store on Iturbide street, while the headquarters of the Guaraches” Club was at the comer of Flores Avenue and Mata-moros street in the building now occupied by the Idar Publishing Co. For an exciting campaign that of 1886 in Laredo would put to shame present-day campaigns in New York, Chicago and elsewhere, and a man had to be on his mettle if he started something he could not finish, for in those days of forty-two years ago argument was limited and men talked only when they were fully prepared to back up their words.Election day April 6, 1886, dawned with the air full of excitement and anxiety and the polls were besieged by voters who came in droves to the different precincts. (Perhaps they had been held in corrals over night, but that was one of the sure ways in ye old-time days to be assured of voters.) As the voting progressed through out the day the leaders of each faction realized that the race was dangerously ' close” and every available voter, whether American citizen or not, must be gotten to the polls. Up to the time the polls closed the result of the election was in doubt, with both sides claiming that their candidates had majority of the yotes.On April 7, 1886, when the official count of the ballots had been completed the returns showed that the Botas” ticket headed by Higinio Garcia victorious, and for a time the supporters of that ticket went wild with joy and pandemonium reigned for a time. The Botas” Club distributed handbills and sent word out by messengers announcing a grand rally at their headquarters on Iturbide street, followed by a grand parade, and handbills were simultaneously distributed announcing a ’Victory gathering” and that the Botas Club would bury the Guaraches Club that evening at the rally.” Heralding of the rally, jparade and burial” peeved the leaders of the Guaraches Club and they, too, got busy, determined 5 prevent the parade. The Guaraches” Club leaders accordingly publicly threatenedIntense excitement prevailed they would stop the parade, throughout Laredo that day and matters got to fever heat,th a foreboding atmosphere o nevery hand. The leaders of the Botas” Club finally sought from Sheriff Dario Sanchez. When all was ready for the grand street parade the members of the Botas” Club formed a long line extending west-rd from their headquarters in Iturbide street. Sheriff Sanchez, who had placed squads of ten heavily-armed men at different places along the long procession, while Garcia had also placed a squad of armed men onn guard, headed the orocession. The long parade, leaded by a band of music, proceeded to move on Iturbide I westward to Floret Avenue, Ision reached Zaragoza street and San Bernardo Ave. some members of the Guaraches Club on horseback at the comer of San Bernardo Ave. and Grant pened fi.re on the paraders passing into San Bernardo and Zaragoza. The fight was on!The fire of the attackers was returned by the armed deputies along the line of the parade and within a few minutes a genuine riot was on. The parading, unarmed members of the Botas” Club in the parade sought refuge in a hurry in nearby houses. The riot continued unabated for fully an hour and a half, during which many shots were fired. Seven or eight of the paraders and also members of the attacking party were killed in their tracks, while about fifteen others were seriously injured. Among the killed were a son of old man Baker, a man named Guerrero, Francisco Garcia and others, members of both parties.Bajor Barnard, commander of Fort McIntosh, was called on for protection by the citizens. The military commander rushed United States troops to the scene and quickly dis armed members of both fac tions. Laredo was placed under military patrol for the night of April 7, 1886, and order was restored by soldiers. Among those who had been killed during the riot was Herman Pog-genphol, a prominent business man and one of the leaders of the Botas” Club. Mr. Pog-genphol was standing in the door of the McDonald office in what is now the O’Conor Bros, office at the corner of Iturbide street and San Bernardo Avenue watching the soldiers disarm men, when he received a bullet wound in the stomach and died the following day.At the June term of district court in Webb county in the year 1886 the grand jury began investigation of the election riot, while Boyard filed a contest against Garcia for the sheriff's office. The grand jury, after a session lasting over five weeks, returned about 350 indictments against members of both clubs. However, these indictments did net count for much, as at the next term of the district court they were are all dismissed, while the case contesting the sheriff’s job was also withdrawn.Peace agaoin reigned along the Rio Grande” until 1895, when the old Guaraches” Club was again revived and elected A. Thaison as mayor. The Independent Club (which now exists in Laredo) was formed in 1894 and contested the county election of that year with the Botas” Club, resulting in the election of the entire Botas” Club ticket, with the exception of one commissioner and one justice of the peace. In 1896 the Botas” and Guaraches” Clubs combined and elected the whole county ticket here. A bitter contest resulted that year as a result of the new reform party organized by Amador Sanchez getting into the ring with a set of candidates. But victory came to the combined club over the reform organization, the former being headed by Luis R. Ortiz for sheriff, against Agustin Salinas, candidate of the reform party, From 1896 the reform party contested all elections, and in 1899 the reform party ticket was victorious, electing the late E. Vidaurri as mayor over L. J. Christen, (now city superintendent of schools of Laredo) candidate of the combined party. In 1901 the Independent Club and the reform club combined, electing Amador Sanchez as mayor. Since then, and up to Tuesday, April 3, 1928, all elections in Laredo and Webb county have been carried by the Independent Club.Contrasting the city and county elections that are held in Laredo and Webb county now wjth the elections of yesteryears is like contrasting darkness with daylight. In these days the elections are so quiet and peaceable that it is hard to induce the voters to go to the polls, due to the fact that the present officials are satisfactory to the residents and rarely ever have any opposition. In ye olden days no election passed off with opposition, much hully-baloo and the like, and the aide that won had to fight to a finish. As the old-timer puts it, how we do progress.”C1TAFORThe £ To of WMarctthe atsons Iestateed, iWebbthe psaid eEmmswidowas legdaughsidingMrs.NitzscnearLohmLohmnear 1Lina iresidiiLeipzidia NMark,ErnstMildabert,derhaPaulElsa 1residiimarmRichadrichingWoloik, Max frohn Max Willi of M fer, are ci apd t and t Te. mand O. Bi tate , said lt;Coun, term Court Larcd day i being 1928, why : shoul, E. O. said, court of th,He then the s hereo there, cuted Wiof t Coun Gi, seal lt;Lared MarcClerkCo(3-30Put1Phor12IA'81Wat IWe ;Goh nun
Newspaper Details
Laredo Weekly
Laredo, Texas, US
Fri, Apr 13, 1928
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Texas A.
TX, USA 18 Jan 2024
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