“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

As Guarch had used these elements to deepen his trading ties to the borderlands
during the Farrapos Rebellion, Lemos Pinto similarly used his commercial and political
associations to expand his operations during the war. Throughout the late 1830s and early
1840s, Lemos Pinto supplied rebel forces. His operations centered particularly around
Alegrete. There, he maintained correspondence with important local elites like Prado Lima
and Domingos José de Almeida. 48 Almeida in particular interceded on Lemos Pinto’s behalf,
ensuring the safe passage of his goods even as Lemos Pinto attempted to cross enemy lines
from the borderlands into Rio Pardo and Porto Alegre. 49 Through this assistance, Almeida
once again bolstered his own political position. He acted as an important resource in
facilitating commercial relationships while hardening connections with traders stretching
from Montevideo to Porto Alegre.
Much like Guarch and Picant had availed themselves of personal connections and
reciprocal relationships borne through cross-border transactions during periods of acute
crisis for their commercial operations, Lemos Pinto adopted a similar stance when his
partner died in the Farrapos conflict in 1838. Lemos Pinto alleged that while he worked to
maintain his commercial enterprise during the war, Menezes’ widow Maria Guedes de
Menezes, had exploited the conflict in an attempt to control as much of the partnership’s
assets as possible. In particular, Menezes arranged for her brother-in-law, Antonio
Rodrigues da Fonseca Aranjo, to seize both the charqueada in Triumpho, as well as cattle in
Uruguay in the early 1840s. Fearing that the partnership’s assets would be looted, Lemos
48 CV-5469 (November 9, 1838); CV-2165 (December 6, 1841).
49 CV-1752 (May 22, 1841).
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