The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-10
PLANS LAID IN
PRESIDENTS ROOM
By Benito Juarez for the Over
throw of Emperor
MEXICAN PATRIOTISM
Has Preserved Everything Intact In
Quaint Little Adobe House Across
the Rio Grande From Eel
Paso, Texas
From the San sAntonio Express.

From the San Antonio Express.
Ell Paso Tex.-In little fat-roofed,
low mud building, in a quiet little side
street in Ciuda Jaurez, just across the
river from Ell Paso, a president of Mexico
once tossed up the mattress of narrow.
but fancy little brass bed as he revolved
in his mind the plans that he was then
formulating to drive back an emperor's
army The little adobe house and the
little brass bed are still there.
Turning west from the main street
Gale Comerico, a few feet west of the
custom house, where later Mexican
president in great splendor received and
entertained a President of the United
States, is Gale Ugarte and down Gale
Ugarte, along Its narrow sidewalks,
through its quiet atmosphere, it is but
a short distance to the little building
where Benito Jaurez, president of Mex
leo, slept or floudered about in his bed
as he tried to court repose from the days
cares of state. At % Ugarte 1t was that
the patriot president slept at night. Out
side an ill-clad Mexican sentry stood on
BudIb. OlltINlSt, lileI6 WdS HDlilHS "
denote that the constitutional president
of the republic was counting slumber
within.
More Attractive Inside
While the house is low it covers con-
siderable space and is really more at
tractive inside than it's dull gray exterior
would lead the visitor to believe. Tho
rooms are large and well carpeted. and
there is ample furniture throughout
One of the very large rooms is used
now as a parlor and in this room are
two beds-one a very large and ornate
brass article and the other small, though
somewhat ornate as well. These We're
the beds that stood in the same room
half a century ago when MaXimillian
set upon the throne of Mexico and Ben
ito Jaurez, president of the republic, was
a refugee in Paso del Norte, gathering
his starving troops about him to make
last final effort to drive the invaders
back to the ocean. This is the room
where the famous patriot soldier spent
his evenings
Beside the bed there stands the an
cient mahogany dresser that held the
rufhed busom shirts of the fugitive pres
ldent; the fancy, funny French clock, all
gold and gilt, inside a big glass case,
that llEhtQ OlI the HOuTS OIL the night,
the little mahogany table, where he
sometimes wrote his letters after dusk,
and other mementoes of the great gen
eral and statesman. And the woman
whose pleasure it was to contribute to
his happiness by serving him is also
there. She is Mrs. Jacobo Ugarte, widow
aged and wrinllled now but pretty and
16 when the Mexican president was a
guest of her home. With her sister, an
nth ho1l Of To- -l.,a
the. old general and oftentimes the young
girls sat at his knees and talked with
him when he came in tired from the
days routine at the little office in the
rear of the residence on Main street
The girls were the senoritas Miranda
daughters of Senior Don Guadalupe MI
randa, Mexican Yice-consul to FL Paso,
and man of affairs in northern Mexico.
The old general made his home with the
family while ne was in the little border
city, ate at their table in the little adobe
building still standing in the quiet little
Jaurex street. and at night slept in their
best beds I'VE offered the general the
big bed" says Mrs. Ugarte-for she later
married the postmaster of Jaurez, Jacobo
Ugarte, for whom the street was named
''but he said No, this is good enough for
me. I like this one and he took the
small bed
bcu win &aGOpy
The bed looks very much like bed
stead of modern manufacture. 1t is OBJ
viciously built for one person, and is
Joined at the corners similar to the beds
of today but 1t had a good deal of fancy
work about the foot that is seldom seen
at present, even upon those manufac-
tured In European countries, as this
evidently was. Rods, bent in such a man
ner as to give the canopy intended to be
thrown over the top rather a stately ap-
pearance, extended upward from the four
posts and met in the centre like tent
poles. Mrs. Ugarte does not know why
the old general preferred the small bed
to the big one, but she says he invariably
slept on the small bed. He did not sleep
very much she declares however. and
many times late in the night beside a
candle he pored over papers or maps
upon the table
Many Americans, who later became
among the foremost citizens of Mexico
were in this army and remained in the
country after being mustered out AL
ward w. Sapp was one of these Mr.
Sapp returned to Jaurez. where he mar
ried one of the Senoritas Mirandas who
had been the child companions of the
aged president Mrs. Sapp has died since
then and her sister, Mrs. Ugarte. is the
ony member of the Miranda family now
living. She has inherited the house nj
p Ugarte street and its contents. and al
though she has been offered a goodly
price for the furniture, especially the
bedstead upon which the president silent
she has steadfastly refused to sell and
prefers to keep the historic old house
and its contents intact.