“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

The jury’s verdict represented a victory for Guarch and his allies in their struggle to
establish their personal authority over the town’s civil institutions. In essence, the verdict
ratified their status as members of the local merchant and political community. They were
honorable vecinos, not speculative outsiders and criminals. They deserved a voice in deciding
the local allocation of property rights in Salto’s courts. At the same time, however, this did
not ensure Guarch and his allies victory in their broader struggle to control the JEA. The
alcalde ordinario assigned to hear Falcon’s claims, Bernabé Mendoza, was Guimaraens’ political
ally. 14 Guimaraens also still appeared to possess the support of the bulk of the local
merchant community.
The struggle between Guarch’s and Guimaraens’ respective factions to define their
places in the community had followed the familiar script of local legal politics in the
borderlands. With their dispute hanging in the balance, each side now aggressively sought to
manipulate national authorities in order to bolster their local positions. This was not
unprecedented either. Recall that Canabarro and the Ribeiros had occasionally petitioned
the provincial government for aid in their legal struggles. What was different now was the
extent to which national authorities became involved in the conflict. Defining the terms of
this involvement and securing it in support of competing local interests became the central
front in the town’s legal struggles.
14 One at least one occasion, Mendoza used his judicial post to directly assist
Guimaraens. Specifically, during the 1876 probate proceeding over the estate of Manoel
Ferriera Bica, Mendoza arranged for an expedited proceeding that resulted in a verdict
favorable to Guimaraens and his family’s claims on the estate. This apparently resulted in
the cancellation of several significant claims by creditors. Emilio Thevenet later reopened
the proceeding, awarded some 400 pesos to Mauricio Castagnet, and ordered investigations
of other claims. D. Mauricio Castagnet c. La sucesion de D. Manuel Ferreira Bica, por cobro de pesos.
AGN-SJ. Salto. Letrados Civiles, n. 23 (1876).
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