Ochoa, Once with a $50,000 Price on his Head

People

Victor L. Ochoa, of 15 Ramapo Avenue, this city, a citizen of the United States, once had the distinction of having the price of $50,000 set upon his head, to be delivered dead or alive to Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico.

Inventor and Revolutionary Victor Ochoa:
Ochoa, Once With A $50,000 Price on His Head

It is a far cry from Mexico to Paterson, but at this time when the internal troubles of that Republic are engaging the attention of the whole world, it is timely to relate what part Mr. Ochoa played years ago during a similar outbreak.

When seen at his home this morning, Mr. Ochoa told of his thrilling adventures while General of the rebels, during the soul-stirring days of 1892. Mr. Ochoa, has since then conducted himself in an exemplary manner and is through with revolutions, but he is taking a keen interest in the present revolt.

At the time Mr. Ochoa sought to overthrow the rule of Mexico’s chief executive, his family was possessed of considerable landed estate in Chihuahua. Much of this had been seized in the early nineties, and of great was the activities of the regular soldiery that an uprising was started by Mr. Ochoa. He picked a band of several hundred men about him and started a revolt that stirred the entire Republic. During one of his marches he was caught in the mountains by Diaz’s soldiers and hemmed in on all sides. He saw his men put up a gallant fight, but outnumbered, they fell one by one until Mr. Ochoa alone survived. Through a ruse he managed to obtain the uniform of one of the regular soldiers and while on the retreat was espied and shot at in the belief that he was a deserter. Then started a chase which led through the mountain , through treacherous ravines and gullies. It was a long traverse over three hundred miles, but the plucky Ochoa, finally managed to obtain some aid and eluded his pursuers. He went to Texas where he remained in exile for a long time while President Diaz’s men were hunting for him spurred on by the big reward.

Victor L. Ochoa of No. 15 Ramapo Avenue, Paterson, a citizen of the United States, has the distinctions of having the price of $50,000 set upon his head to be delivered dead or alive to Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico. Mr. Ochoa was a revolutionist who sought to overthrow the rule of Mexico’s chief executive in the early nineties. He was arrested in Texas and served three years at Crow Hill as a political prisoner. Every effort was made by President Diaz to secure his extradition, but President Cleveland refused to sign the papers on the ground that political crimes are not extraditable.

Mr. Ochoa for many years was a Mexican editor. His father, Juan Ochoa, was Collector of the Port of Presidio Del Norte, and has a conspicuous place in Mexican history as the man who smuggled the arms into Mexico which resulted in the overthrow of the Maximillian empire. The ex-revolutionist declares that President Diaz, whom he terms a monarch rather than the popular President he is reputed to be, has developed such a stanch loyal army that the present revolution is bound to be crushed.