Aftermath Torreón massacre

1 aftermath

1.1 events following massacre
1.2 casualties
1.3 property damage
1.4 response
1.5 further unrest

aftermath

events following massacre

after massacre, large numbers of chinese fled torreón, el imparcial, daily newspaper in mexico city, reporting on 1,000 people on move. chinese began arrive in guadalajara seeking passage china.

property stolen torreón continued appear on black market in san pedro several months following massacre , looting.

casualties

308 asians killed in massacre; 303 chinese , 5 japanese. according british vice consul in gómez palacio, japanese killed owing similarity of features chinese. estimated dead made one-half of chinese population.

among dead 50 employees of sam wah, both estate , restaurant; wong foon chuck lost 45 employees: 32 estate, 9 railroad hotel operated, , 4 laundry; , ma due lost 38 out of 40 workers gardens. 25 employees of bank killed.

rebels, federales, , bystanders killed; according contemporary reports, these included 25 federales, 34 bystanders (including 12 spaniards , german), , 26 maderistas. among dead jesús flores, apparently killed while attempting free machine gun abandoned government forces.

property damage

1 estimate put total damage @ around us$1,000,000 (equivalent $25,703,571 in 2016). chinese properties dealt us$849,928.69 ($21,846,203) in damage. among businesses destroyed bank, chinese club, 40 groceries, 5 restaurants, 4 laundries, 10 vegetable stands , 23 other food stands. 100 chinese homes , businesses destroyed in total. destroyed number of chinese-owned gardens outside of town. in addition businesses , commercial establishments, unknown number of residential buildings robbed , destroyed. american consular agent named g. c. carothers described destruction in june 7 report on massacre:

next went chinese laundry 4 had been killed, , laundry practically demolished. bombs had been thrown on roof, windows , doors either destroyed or stolen, machinery broken pieces , carted away, stolen.... puerto de shanghai building next visited. of doors , windows of building destroyed. chinese bank, had been moved building few months before, demolished, safes blown open , contents taken, furniture destroyed, papers , valuables stolen.

american, arabian, german, spanish, , turkish establishments damaged , destroyed, in contrast chinese, u.s. properties dealt us$22,000 ($565,479 today) in damage.

other properties destroyed included casino, city courthouse, jail, police headquarters, inferior court, court of letters, , municipal treasury.

response

lebbeus r. wilfley

a month afterward, chinese government hired american attorney lebbeus wilfley conduct investigation massacre. wilfley owned law firm in mexico city, , had served united states attorney general philippines , judge of united states court in china. in june dispatched partner, arthur bassett, carry out investigation.

the same month, china demanded reparation mexico, seeking payment 100,000 pesos (in 1911 money) each chinese killed during massacre, total of on thirty million. country demanded official apology mexican government.

the hai chi in 1911.

this followed diplomatic crisis, when rumor began circulate china had dispatched warship carrying investigators mexican waters. u.s. ambassador mexico, henry lane wilson, sent telegram philander c. knox, secretary of state, claiming chinese gunboat korea en route mexico. yuan kwai, chinese diplomat in washington, d.c., sought support of united states department of state. told u.s. not approve act, not make attempt halt it, either. failing support u.s., china announced rumor false. yuan kwai stated cruiser hai chi might dock in mexico after attending coronation of george v in london. in event, hai chi docked in cuba after visiting united states , halted there while diplomatic crisis played out, , did not go on mexico.

in july, u.s. consul george carothers reported number of foreigners in torreón had received letters telling them leave city.

madero had ordered soldiers culpable killings arrested , put on trial, , 9 july 20 of 35 under suspicion of connection massacre had been captured.

arthur bassett made report chang yin tang, chinese minister mexico, on 13 july, after conducting interviews number of chinese , mexican witnesses massacre. concluded maderistas claims (that had been fired on chinese) false, citing 12 may circular reform society. dismissed claim immigrants had been armed general lojero , retreating federales, pointing out reason evacuation dearth of ammunition. furthermore, no witnesses reported form of resistance chinese. in report, called incident unprovoked massacre... conceived in malice , race hatred , concluded clear violation of 1899 treaty between 2 countries.

bassett, in collaboration owang king (a representative china) , antonio ramos pedrueza (representing mexican president francisco león de la barra), tendered second report chang on 28 august, once again attempting assess whether chinese had prompted massacre resisting madistera troops. editor of diogenes, local paper, stated lojero had authorized him deny allegations may have armed chinese. upon further inquiry, owners of local stores testified had not sold weapons chinese patrons before massacre. report concluded:

the contention chinese offered resistance pure fabrication, invented officers of revolutionary army sole purpose of escaping punishment commission of such heinous crime naturally entail upon them.

after failing gain support united states, china reduced demanded indemnity thirty million 6 million. however, continued demand official apology, guarantee of safety of chinese citizens in mexico, , punishment of soldiers responsible massacre.

as 1911 mexican independence day approached, foreign community in torreón became restless, remembering violence had broken out @ time previous year. prevent outbreak of violence, francisco madero sent 1,000 troops city.

china , mexico came agreement in november 1912, , treaty signed wherein mexico granted 3,100,000 pesos in damages china , extended official apology. deadline payment later extended 15 february 1913. however, after february 1913 assassination of francisco madero, mexico entered period of economic collapse. proposed pay china in bonds. dutch ambassador warned against it, believing mexico unable obtain foreign loans necessary payment.

the mexican senate debated number of ways pay indemnity through 1912 , 1913, including considering payment in silver. however, bonds never approved, , reparation never made.

further unrest

the massacre in torreón not instance of race violence against chinese during revolution. in first year alone, rebels , other mexican citizens contributed deaths of 324 chinese. 1919, 129 had been killed in mexico city, , 373 in piedras negras. persecution , violence against chinese in mexico culminated in 1931, expulsion of remaining chinese sonora.