“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

Now facing an impasse in Uruguay, Lima turned to Canabarro for assistance in resolving the
matter in his favor. This was a common practice. Canabarro heard petitions from a number
of Brazilians seeking to vindicate disputed legal rights across the border in Uruguay.
Canabarro’s military command and vast ranchlands were in located in border town. 146
Although the records of the Santana do Livramento proceeding unfortunately did not
accompany the case, it is all but certain that the police official there was Canabarro’s ally and
subordinate. In typical borderlands fashion, da Silva confronted Canabarro’s involvement
by equally drawing upon his ties to the Ribeiros in Alegrete. The appearance of Mathias
Teixeira on da Silva’s behalf again signaled the Ribeiro faction’s interest in the cross-border
litigation. Teixeira’s first act in the case was to argue that the Alegrete court did not need to
consider the Canabarro-arranged Santana do Livramento order because police officials there
lacked jurisdiction in the matter. 147
Lima’s efforts to enforce the Santana do Livramento decision also reveal how
factional politics in Alegrete impacted his cross-border property dispute. Rather than bring
his claim against da Silva in Alegrete’s jurisdiction, Lima avoided the courts there and
traveled to São Gabriel, Brazil. Appearing before a juiz de paz, Lima attempted to compel
payment from da Silva by bringing criminal charges against him. Given Lima’s careful
selection of a friendly forum for his criminal complaint, it was not surprising that he
successfully obtained a judgment finding da Silva guilty of larceny for his activities in
Uruguay.
Teixeira responded by drafting a letter to the provincial president demanding that the
action be withdrawn. Teixeira argued:
146 Caggiani, David Canabarro.
147 Manoel de Almeida Lima c. Manoel Rodrigues da Silva, 93-93bis.
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