The good ol’ days … pre-Vienna Convention

I’m working on a short history of Mazatlán, and ran across an item in the 22 May 1866 New York Times on some Americans who didn’t get their consular visit and came to grief here during the French intervention.

The French are generally considered a civilized and humane people, but here they are fast degenerating into barbarism, perpetuating cruelties and outrages unheard of before among any civilized nation. Americans are imprisoned without the slightest evidence of guilt and held after being tried by court-martial, when no charge has been sustained. A young man named FITZGERALD, and another named HOUCK; were arrested and kept in prison charged with having bought corn of the enemy outside. Some time after their confinement there was a break among the prisoners, when HOUCK attempted to escape. He was ordered to Tepic, but while on his way, was shot by his guards, who robbed him of his gold watch; his other effects were sent to the British Consul at Tepic. The authorities promised the friedns of FITZGERALD that he should be released on the condition of his leaving for California on the first steamer; but instead, he was heavily ironed in his cell and subjected to all manner of indignity and insult, with treats of instand death upon the slightest provocation…

Arbitrary detention and military tribunals for foreign civilians?   Imprisoning people waiting for deportation? Trial and execution without access to their nation’s consular officials?

The nineteenth century was barbaric indeed!

(By the way, since someone asked.  The United States never recognized the French imposed Imperial government, and after April 1865 was openly supporting the legitimate Republican side.  Great Britain — which had contributed troops to the original January 1862 French-led intervention — did recognize Maximiliano’s government, and acted as “protecting power” in occupied areas, like Mazatlan.