“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

Following the campaign, he expanded his commercial and ranching operations through a
purchase of “all the cattle on 14 leagues of land” from Manuel Lavalleja. 206
Bica’s growing prominence in the region, however, led to an assault on both his
personal reputation and property rights. The initial proceedings against Bica began in 1852
when Manuel Gándara, an attorney from Montevideo, accused Bica of trespassing on land
owned by Domingos Vázquez. The case went nowhere. The Salto courts failed to issue
even a summons for Bica to appear in the matter. 207 For the next three years, Bica continued
to consolidate his economic and political position. In 1855, however, Gándara brought a
much more serious challenge to Bica’s personal reputation, economic position and political
associations. Gándara alleged that Bica had defrauded Francisco Suarez Souto, another
Brazilian rancher around Salto. 208 The transaction in question involved a transfer of cattle
both in Brazil and the Estado Oriental. According to Gándara, Souto had agreed to sell
some 1900 head of cattle in Brazil to Bica in 1849. In exchange, Bica had promised to
provide Souto the same number of cattle in the Estado Oriental. The two men likely were
swapping cattle on both sides of the border to avoid the blanco government’s restrictions on
cattle exports to Brazil. The timing of the two transactions might also indicate that Bica was
protecting his assets from blanco officials. Bica could use his transaction with Souto to
remove cattle from the country without risking confiscation.
Gándara alleged that Souto kept up his end of the bargain. He had transferred the
cattle to Bica as planned in 1849. When Souto had traveled to Uruguay two years later to
206
Doña Juana L. de Lavalleja dando información contra D. Juan José de Bergos Giloca, AGN-SJ.
Salto. Letrados Civiles, No. 24 (1852), 3. The case involved claims that Lavalleja’s estate
owed money to Giloca from a separate commercial transaction.
207
Don Manuel G. Gándara c. Manuel Ferreira Bica, AGN-SJ. Salto. Letrados Civiles, No.
39 (1852).
208
Don Manuel G. Gándara, apoderado general de D. Francisco Suarez Souto, reclamando cantidad
de ganados de D. Manuel Ferreria Vica, AGN-SJ. Salto. Letrados Civiles, No. 11 (1855).
246