Meantime Marquez exerted himself to place the city in condition for a desperate defence. But he encountered great difficulty in procuring funds wherewith to pay expenses. Vidaurri, minister of the treasury, acknowledged his inability to provide any, and placed his resignation in the lugarteniente's hands.[1] All denials to the contrary notwithstanding, the fact was that Marquez and Vidaurri were no longer in accord, owing to the latter's disapproval of O'Horan's violent course in collecting the forced loan. J. M. Lacunza became president of the council.
Marquez paid no regard to right or common decency. He continued to extort money in the emperor's name[2] His emissaries forcibly entered private dwellings to make seizures. He also resorted to the unjustifiable device — so bitterly censured by the conservatives when Juarez' minister, Mendez, used it in 1863 — of confining those who resisted his demands, barely allowing food enough to support life, with the intent to force the payment of ransom.[3]
The imperialist press assured its partisans that their triumph was certain; Escobedo and Diaz would be compelled to retire from before Querétaro and Mexico.[4] Encouraging news reached Marquez on the 6th of May from Maximilian, announcing his victory of April 27th, and giving the assurance that he would soon march to the relief of Mexico.[5] Marquez needed
- ↑ 'No me es posible cubrir ni el ramo mas preferente del ramo militar.' Zamacois, Hist. Méj., xviii. 1437. Diaz had on the 19th of April reminded all concerned of the law of April 12, 1862, prohibiting under the penalty of death all aid to the foreign enemy, manifesting his determination to make it effective upon all that should supply provisions to the beleaguered city. Méx., Col. Ley., 1863-7, iii. 259-60; Dublan and Lozano, Leg. Mex., ix. 423.
- ↑ From the house of Barron he got $125,000; from Beistegui $100,000; and lesser sums from others.
- ↑ On les met au régime de la diète forcée, jusqu'a ce qu'ils se décident à payer rançon.' The Prussian count, Bennecke, paid $6,000 to escape that treatment. Masseras, Un Essi l'Empire, 214-15.
- ↑ The Boletin Oficial and La Union were the organs referred to.
- ↑ In another letter to Iribarren, published in the Diario del Imperio on the 7th of May, he spoke of his hopes to be able to compel the republicans to Guadalupe, forgetting that to defend those positions and the extent of seven leagues the city would require a garrison of 20,000 men, whereas he had only 5,000 or 6,000.
