Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-11
De LARA TELLS OF
D|AZ' SPY SYSTEM
Saws He Was Paid SO a Day to
Watch Other Mexican
Refugees Here
IN DANGER OF BEING HANGED
Declares He Has Been in Jail Five
Times Since Coming to
United States
Associated Press1

WASHINGTON, June 10.--A tale of
forced flight from Mexico and of alleged
persecution by American and Mexican
officers in this country was related to
the rules committee Of the house today
by G. De Lara, political refugee.
After recounting his experience in Los
Angeles, where he said he was arrested
five times on "trumped up charges at
the instance of the Mexican govern
ment and served more than 100 days IN
iail, De Lara exclaimed:
Il have been in Jail five times since
1 came to the United States and have
been subjected to third degree at the
hands of officers; l have been thrown
into 2 dungeon and kept for days with
nothing to eat but a rotten potato and
neither my attorneys nor friends al
lowed to see me! [ am liable to be ar
rested again any time, and unless you
gentlemen help me they may get me
and hang me-"
RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY
The committee was considering a
resolution offered by Representative
Wilson (Democrat) of Pennsylvania,
who asks congress to name an investi-
eating committee to inquire into the
treatment of Mexican political refugees
and Of the alleged acceptance of money
from the Diaz government by American
custom and peace officers along the
border to act as secret service agents
for Mexico.
De Lara denounced President Diaz as
dirty despot" who had destroyed
free speech, free press and the right OF
ballot in that country
more than 10000 people have met
violent death for political reasons since
Diaz took the reins of government IN
Mexico" said De Lara. HE never was
elected president. He never was chosen
president by the votes of the people,
but has maintained himself by force;
The Mexican government has caused
thousands of people to be killed be-
cause they resisted the existing order or
things in that country and sought to
restore to the poor people the rights
taken from them by force"
WIFE WITH HIM
De Lara was accompanied to the cap
itol by his wife, an American woman,
and two or three Mexicans
De Lara related incidents tending to
support the charge that the govern
ment of Mexico was using a system OF
espionage in the United Staes over po-
litical refugees. De Lara told how he
himself. In order to learn what his gov
ernment was doing in that direction,
had accepted employment as a spy IN
Los Angeles to trace the movements
of other refugees. He said he resigned
after four days.
"How much pay did you receive for
your work as spy|' asked represent
ative Fassett of New York.
"I was paid SO a day, and gave the
money to poor Mexican women in Los
Angeles the day I received IT," an
swered the witness.
"How did you earn this money!" in
uuired Mr.. Fassett.
"I did nothing but stay in the office
and think of my degradation in being
in the employ of the dirty despot," De
Lara replied. II earned a million dol
lars so far as my conscience was con-
cerned."
ORDERS TO SHOOT HIM
De Lara said there were orders in
Mexico to shoot him because of his
political activities. He said he had
been thrown into Jail in Mexico, but
had been released as a result of mis-
understandings He said he had es-
caped to this country through the as
sistance of friends. In Los Angeles,
he said, he had been charged with
robbery three times, the warrant for
which was made out in blank as to
date, time place and amount of the
alleged robbery. Once the charge was
for stealing WOOu IL CdlldllSdB MSA'l
seven years previously, he said.
The last time he was arrested was
while speaking on the street in Los
Angeles to a number of his country
men, he asserted. He declared that
his attorneys obtained his release on a
writ of habeas corpus and that the
charges against him were dismissed on
orders of the secretary of commerce
and labor
Gutierrez De Lara was first arrested
in Los Angeles as one of five Mexican
revolutionists who had headquarters
in this city in 1907 Manuel Sarabia,
Libardo Rivera, r. Flores Magon and
A. L. Villareal were held for trial and
taken to Arizona, but De Lara was
released here.
Last October De Lara and five other
Mexicans were arrested at the Plaza
while making addresses to a crowd OF
countrymen. They We're held on
charges of disturbing the peace, al
though the police charged that they
were anarchists. The case against De
Lara was dismissed in the police court
but he was Immediately rearrested al
the srequest of the immigration bu-
reaIhnd charged with being an un-
desirable citizen. He was held for de-
portation, but wide publicity was given
the case and the department of COM
merce and labor finally ordered his re-
lease.