“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

possessed some 3,500 head of cattle along the Arapey River in the Estado Oriental. Oribe’s
defeat of the colorados and the subsequent invasion of the Uruguayan countryside “forced
him to move himself and his family to [Rio Grande do Sul] on account of the civil discords
of that state.” 141 Lima alleged that da Silva then began taking advantage of his forced
absence to “lay his hands on said cattle without [his] permission or approval.” 142
In 1848, however, Lima decided to challenge da Silva’s “theft” in the Uruguayan
courts. In typical borderlands fashion, Lima drew upon local allies to sustain his claim.
Lima turned to Francisco Estolle, a merchant from Concordia, Entre Ríos, to prosecute his
case against da Silva in Salto. Lima granted a power of attorney to Estolle in 1848. Lima’s
choice in a legal representative reflected the political calculations that necessarily went into
securing property rights. Established just across the Uruguay River from Salto, Estolle
possessed close personal ties not only to town’s merchant community, but also to blanco
officials on both sides of the border. Estolle had used these connections to amass land in
Salto with the help Gregorio Blanes and other prominent blancos in the town in 1849. 143
Lima must have felt that Estolle’s political ties to the dominant blanco faction could make a
difference in vindicating his legal rights.
Estolle immediately went to work. He appeared before the juez de paz in Salto in
order to compel da Silva to answer charges. Da Silva and Estolle then proceeded to
negotiate a settlement. The agreement granted Lima the rights to remove some 3,500 head
141 Ibid., 6.
142 Ibid., 6-6bis.
143 For Estolle’s land transactions in Salto, see AGN. Administrativo. Salto: Denuncias
de Solares, 1833-1849. Libro 569, No. 60 (1849). Shifting political fortunes for his allies
brought Estolle’s property in the Estado Oriental into question by the 1850s, resulting in
several rounds of litigation against him. See, e.g., La morena Maria Artigas c. Don Francisco
Estolle sobre un terreno, AGN-SJ. Salto. Letrados Civiles, No. 8 (1858); Don Manuel Cayres en
representacion de D. Antonio Breyo c. Don Francisco Estolle por cobro de pesos, AGN-SJ. Salto.
Letrados Civiles, No. 19 (1865).
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