A Porvenir Resident Testifies About the Massacre

Background: As part of the investigation into the Texas Ranger Force, the surviving residents of Porvenir, Texas, were asked to give their statement of events. Cesario Huerta was the father of one of those killed in the massacre. This summary of Huerta’s sworn testimony was included in the official proceedings.

STATEMENT OF CESARIO HUERTA:

Says that he was called by written citation before the Court to give his evidence, that he is 66 years of age, and born in Cuatro Cienegas, Coahilia, but has resided 30 years in the United States of America, but has not lost his Mexican citizenship; and that lately he has resided for more than a year in Porvenir, Texas; he was asked on his oath to tell the truth in everything, and all that he knew, or was asked, with reference to the trouble that occurred in Porvenir, Texas, on the 24th and 28th of January last, respectively, says:

That on the 24th of January of this year, about one in the morning, the Porvenir ranch was surrounded by about 40 armed men; they were Rangers and American ranchmen; that as soon as they had rounded up the ranch, they proceeded to take from the houses all of the inhabitants; that two of them went to his house, and one of the had a mask on; that as soon as they were together, in all about 30 people, they took them about a quarter of a mile from the said ranch without saying anything to them; that as soon as they were there, they told them to return to their houses, with the exception of Roman Nieves, Eutemio Gonzales, and Manuel Fierro, who they took with them and kept two days as prisoners, but allowing them to return to Porvenir; on the 28th day of the same month, a party of rangers and American ranchmen made a new assault on the Porvenir ranch in Texas, and that two of the assailants, one by the name of John Pully, that I knew, and the other was masked, and they took my son, Macadonio Huerta, and of the 19 they had together, they took 15, leaving him and three old men, and took the 15 men about one-quarter of a mile from Porvenir, Texas, and there shot them all. He was asked if he knew, and knew the names of each one of the men who were killed; he said yes, and their names are as follows: 

Eutemio Gonzales, Manuel Morales, Longina Flores, Tiburcio Jaquez, Alberto Garcia, Roman Nieves, Macadonio Huerta (son of the witness) who left a widow and 4 children, Antonio Castenada, Ambrocio Hernandez, Biviano, Pedro, and Sibriano Herrera, Serapio, Juan, and Pedro Jiminez. . . .

He was then asked if any of the inhabitants of Porvenir, Texas, were in connivance with the bandits that had been operating on the frontier, or had participated with the assailants of the Brite Ranch, or had in their possession any of the goods that was the property of the said ranch. He answered that he is very sure that not one of the inhabitants of Porvenir, Texas, had any connection with the bandits or assailants of the Brite Ranch, and that they did not have any of the goods of the said Brite Ranch in their possession; that they were all peaceable people, and dedicated to their work, that can be justified by the Americans, John Bill (John Bailey) and the American school teacher Enrique Wan (Henry Warren). This is all that he can say, and after reading same, declared that it was his declaration, and that he ratified it in all parts, but could not sign it, as he could not write, but it was signed by the Judge and witnesses who assisted him.

I Give Faith. second Judge,
Eleuterio Contreras (Seal)
A.- M. Valenzuela. - A. - Jose Mendoza (Seals)

Source: Proceedings of the Joint Committee of the Senate and House in the Investigation of the Texas State Ranger Force,” Adjutant General Records, Texas State Archives, Austin, Texas 1919, vol. 3, pp. 1600–1602.