The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-12-28

with some OF his officers and friends.
1t was the national holiday of my
country-Mexico. At 10 in the eve
ming we all left my house to ride to
the commandment. AS we were pass
ing by Mr.. Shines hotel, the COM
mandante stopped and said, let us
have some fun with this American
swine The commandante dismounted
and went into the bar. Mr. Shine was
there with friend and Chinese serv-
ant at the bar. General Arts asked how
his place came to be open so late. Mr..
Shine said he had a night license and
turned to take it from the wall where
it hung in plain view. Thereupon Gen.
eral Arts struck him in the face The
commentaries nephew followed this
up with a blow in Shines face from
the butt of his pistol. Then all the
Officers set upon Shine and the other
Americans about the place and drag
ged them to Jail. During the melee
one of the commentaries men stole
the American hotel keepers gold
watch from his pocket"
Here is the testimony of another
eye witness of this affair. He was
George Milliken, an American. EN-.
ployed at the railway hospital in Ia
capa:
Il was standing opposite Shines
hotel, together with Monroe Williams,
about 1920 O'Clock on the night of
September 16, when a party of Of
Ulcers rode up, pretty dunk. Williams
said: Its the commandante We had
better get out of this and with that
went into Shines place and the next
minute there was an awful noise and
| could hear the sound of blows and
Shine crying Isl Senior, 81 Senor.' A
Chinaman came flying out through the
door with blood running down his |
face. | started to run but a soldier
ran up and struck me in the small of
my back with his rifle. | fell fiat on |
my face. AS | lay there the other |
Guatemalan Officers and soldiers set |
upon me and beat me about the head |
and body with their guns and pistols,
til lost my senses.
when | woke up | was lying on the
cobble stones in the courtyard of the
Jail with my hair wet with clotted
blood and feeling sore all over. No
body paid any attention to my calls
for a doctor, nor would they even give
me drink of water. | was kept there
for two days. At last Mr.. Spinola
came and I was let out, because Mr..
Shine, unbeknown to me, had paid $25
for me, which they claimed as a fine.
"Afterward | went to Pureot Bar
rios to be treated by DR.. Wales, the
American marine surgeon there. |
wanted to go to Livingston across the
bay to see the American consul there.
Mr.. Reed, hut the Guatemalan COM
let me 60
Evidently Mr.. Reed, at his vice CON
= I'ate across the bay in Livings-
ton, near Gritish Honduras, must have
heard of the trouble there Americans
were in, for he appears to have chart
cred a small steamer and came |
the American Marine Hospital he
found these victims of a Guatemalan |
holiday laid up in bed from the brutal |
treatment they had received.
Milliken was the worst hurt, suffer
ing from scalp wound penetrating |
TO the skull, and from concussion of |
the brain besides other hurts, while |
Shine had bruises and Commissions all |
over his body. Shine told the Ameri- |
can vice consul that he did not know |
what had brought this brutal attack |
upon him. He said he owned a small |
hotel in Zacapa with a barber shop |
and bar-room. For this last he paid |
la license fee of $3.50 per month with |
IN additional license fee of $40 for |
the privilege Of keeping open from |
3 until II p. m. The commandante, he |
said, on that evening entered his place |
at 1890 and savagely attacked him |
without any provocation on his part |
before he even had time to show him |
his license. After that he was dragged |
to Jail and spent thirty-six hours
there.
Here follows Vice Consul Reeds re.
port. as transmitted to the American |
state department.
81 have known Simon Shine for |
number of years and can attest to his |
sobriety, integrity and industry / |
feel he is an unusually good man, who |