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José Eligio Muñoz' issue of 1876

On 5 August 1876 the Porfirista Angel Trías appointed José Eligio Muñoz interim governor of the stateMuñoz (1819-1891) was a lawyer and founder of various newspapers. He held a succession of offices such as Secretario de Gobierno, Deputy, Juez de Distrito, Jefe Político of Iturbide canton, and Magistrado fiscal of the Supreme Court. Eight days later Muñoz authorised an issue of paper money, nominally guaranteed by the rebellion, to pay for the costs of war[text needed]. The issue, put into circulation by the Jefatura de Hacienda, was in two denominations, five and fifty pesos, and achieved a total of 67,695 pesos. They are described as notes (billetes)El Guardia Nacional, 19 April 1877 or chits (vales) payable to bearer and drawn on the State Treasurer, to be accepted as legal tender in payment of any tax (al portador contra el Tesorero del Estado á ser recibidos como moneda corriente en pago de todo impuesto, sea de exportación, de importación, contribuciones y derechos municipales)El Guardia Nacional, 24 May 1877.

Although the Porfiristas were ultimately victorious elsewhere in Mexico, they were defeated in Chihuahua and driven out of the state capital. The notes were then declared worthless and when the unissued remainders were stolen from the Juzgado de Distrito in April 1877, Muñoz declared them all null and void. The holders of the few notes still in circulation had eight days to present them to the Administracion General de Rentas, where, if they could prove their provenance, they would receive a certificado. The notes themselves would be cancelledEl Guardia Nacional, 19 April 1877.

Numbers

The original notes were:

Value Carpeta from to total
number
total
value
$5 1 1 250 250 $  1,250
2 251 500 250 1,250
3 501 650 150 750
4 651 900 250 1,250
5 901 1150 250 1,250
6 1151 1400 250 1,250
7 1401 1650 250 1,250
8 1651 1900 250 1,250
9 1901 2150 250 1,250
10 2151 2400 250 1,250
11 2401 2650 250 1,250
12 2651 2789 139 695
      2,789 13,945
$50 1 1 200 200 10,000
2 201 400 200 10,000
3 401 625 225 11,250
4 626 850 225 11,250
5 851 1075 225 11,250
      1,075 53,750
        3,864 $67,695

 

Juez de Distrito José Hierro received the following, which will have included the ones stolen:

Value Carpeta from to total
number
total
value
$5 6-12 1151 2789 1,639 $  8,195
$50 2-5 386 1075 690 34,500
        2,329 $42,695

 

The Jefatura Política received the other $25,000 and issued $18,735 to Melchior de la Garza and $6,265 to other creditors. Of the latter, $4,160 was redeemed by certificados, viz.

Value Carpeta from to total
number
total
value
$5 2   321 1 $      5
324 334 11 55
340 349 10 50
357 363 7 35
  370 1 5
3 546 563 18 90
  612 1 5
646 650 5 25
  not detailed  48 240
        102 510
$50 1 1 11 11 550
84 123 40 2,000
148 168 21 1,050
  not detailed  1 50
        73 3,650
        175 $4,160

 

so $2,105 was outstandingEl Guardia Nacional, 24 May 1877.