The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-05
|D|Az'S WIFE LED
 HIM ID RESIGN Servant Tells Story of His
 toric Scene IOVERCAME PROTEST Sonora Diaz Guided Faltering Hand of the President to Resign and Then Forced Him to Flee
 the Country
OyERCAME PROTEST
BY HARRY II. DUNN

Mexico City, June 4.-(Special. )-Maria Ocampo, an Oaxaca Indian woman, s years old, who was in the service of Mme. Porfiro Daz for nine years, de- clares that senora Diaz guided the fal- tering hand of the president to his reslg- nation and then took the message from the reluctant hand of the old man and sent it herself to the chamber of deputies for action on the evening of May 25. The servant declares that Mme. Diaz forced her husband to fec the city at o'clock in the morning through fear that he would be assassinated.
 President Diaz protested at his wife 3 actions and used every argument possi- ble, but finally was overcome by his wife's pleas and he and the family fled. The Ocampo woman said:
 ''To his family Diaz always said that he would never resign and that he would not be driven to it, but would stay and
 fight it out and If need be. die fighting, but my mistress argued night and day
 with him and told him that his life was
 worth more to her than to the ungrate- l ful Mexicans, or to country inhabited l by such people
 His resignation had been made out l for more than a month by Diaz's attend ant. On the afternoon of May 25, about ] o'clock, Mime. Diaz brought the paper to Diaz. who was seated in front of a mahogany library table in the library of his home on Old Cadena street, this city, with his head buried in his hands and the tears coursing down his cheeks
 T had been helping Luisa Noriega, an- other maid, dress Madame, and stood just behind the heavy curtains leading to the main living room next to the library, when the heavy clock In the house struck as Madame put her arms around Diaz's head and began reading the resignation to him. No, mo- he said, T will not sign that Then Madame ar gued in a low voice, caressing him sooth- ingly and finally took his hand, in which she placed a pen and started to guide it over the paper at the bottom of the resig nation. Diaz jerked his hand away and sprnging to his feet, his eyes blazing. cried: I will not sign this. I will stay here in my country and care for it. Madame soothed him and then rang the bell I answered before any other of the servants got there. I then brought fresh piece of paper and then his wife led the old man. trembling with mixed anger, grief and regret, back to his chair, took his right hand with the pen and guided 1t as he rewrote the en- tire resignation and signed 1t. No at- tention was paid to me and I stood 1 watching and listening. When it was signed Madame reached for it with one hand and with the other rang a bell for I a messenger. She knew that at that moment the chamber f deputies was in session, that there was terrible tur. moll demanding her husbands resigna- ton. Diaz thrust the paper in his pock- ct and refused to hand 1t over to his wife and brushed her to one side. The original resignation, drawn up by the 1 lawyer, lay on the floor and 1t was after
 wards burned Up and never used.
 1 There were tears on the beautiful face | of Madame as she begged Diaz to give | her the resignation. or at least send it at once so as to avert massacres and riots. She argued for more than 20 min
 utes and then Diaz tore the crumpled pa-
 per from his pocket, thrust it into her
 hand, saying:
 :" There, do what you please with iti' and threw himself on a couch, sobbing
 as if his heart would break.
 l Madame rang the bell and called the
 military messenger and with him sent the
 resignation to the chamber of deputies -