The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946 Page: 348
717 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
man from the town and ordering him not to return within a
distance of forty leagues from the place."
This brought an end to the attempt to remove the records of
the city to the south bank, but it was several years before full
confidence was restored to the settlers and the town was re-
populated. In order to compel the settlers to return to the
original site of the town, Captain Sanchez, acting under orders
of Governor Santianes, on July 9, 1774, issued a decree direct-
ing that all citizens of the town who had abandoned their
homes return to the place and re-establish their residence
within three days. In his decree he stated that his previous
orders to this effect had been ignored, and to make this decree
more effective he provided a severe penalty for those disobey-
ing the order. Those failing to comply with the decree were
assessed a fine of twelve pesos, which was to be applied to the
erection of the church, and in addition the offenders were to
be punished by having their heads placed in the stocks in
public view of the populace for a space of eight days.10
As time went on Laredo recovered from the effects of the
political friction and began to assume the airs of a city. Crime
was present then as now, and homes had to be guarded. On
May 29, 1779, Captain SAnchez, as alcalde, put in force a law
familiar to our fathers and grandfathers as the "curfew" law.
In his decree he stated that the most important object of
society was to guard the peace and quietude of its citizens;
and in order to avoid the vices which destroy a republic, he
commanded that one hour after eight o'clock in the evening,
to be indicated by the tap of the drum, all citizens would retire
to their homes. The soldier, detailed as sentinel, was to make
his rounds of the village on horseback, and all persons found
on the streets were to be brought before the justice. Those
found guilty were to be fined and imprisoned. Here one notes a
distinction made in the administration of justice. The penalty
for the nobles was twelve pesos fine and fifteen days in jail,
while the fine for the plebeians was six pesos and one month
in the city jail. Apparently this distinction was made because
the nobles were better able to pay a higher fine, and their more
sensitive natures would perhaps be sufficiently shocked by a jail
9Complaint of Jose Perez and Proceedings in trial against Nicolas Cam-
pos Castellanos, February to March, 1771, Laredo Archives.
10Decree of Captain T6mas SAnchez, chief justice, July 9, 1774, Laredo
Archives.348
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946, periodical, 1946; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146056/m1/403/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.