Annual elections for city officials had been held here since 1767, and in 1886 they were followed by rioting. Citizens were divided between two rival parties. The Guaraches, named for Mexican Indian sandals, were led by Dario Gonzales, and the Botas, or Boots, were led by Raymond Martin, a French immigrant. Shortly before the April election, a Bota city councilman was killed. Sheriff Dario Sanchez, a Bota, appointed several special deputies, and Guarache resentment flared. The April 6 election was peaceful, and Bota candidates won all places except two. Against the advice of party leaders, the Botas planned a mock funeral for their defeated opponents on the evening of April 7. The humiliated Guaraches determined to stop the procession. They fired their ceremonial cannon, filled with nails and scrap iron, into the Bota parade. Both sides began shooting, and a battle ensued. U.S. soldiers, dispatched by Col. R.F Bernard, commander at Fort McIntosh, ended the fighting. Martial law was imposed. Casualties were estimated higher than the 11 known dead. Col. Bernard blamed the violence on factions in both parties, and on lawless outsiders and renegades gathered on both sides of the border in the days preceding the election.