El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-18
Most Amazing Campaign
Brings About Some As
founding Situations.
SIEGE OF JUAREZ
ONE LONG LAUGH
If Viewed in Retrospect, the
Situation Is Laughable to
a Degree.
CRv \. NJ. Walkerl


Like the little match girl Of his
tory. no one will take the little war
seriously They meaning the world
at large. the punsters in particular, in
sist upon poking sly fun at the best
efforts Of the border in the war max
ing line, the cartoonists draw pictures
Of the Rio Grande running up hill. label
one big-hatted individual Orozco and
the other Rabago and call that wit. 1t
is no joking matter, this little pocket
edition Of a war that has been in pro-
gress around Juarez for the past two
weeks.
The accommodating armies even go
so far as TO pull off battle at a con-
venient point on the opposite shore OF
the silvery (sic) Rio Grande, without
the river. please. mister editor so that
the tenderfeet from the effete east will
not get sand in their shoes and stickers
in the south side Of their Sunday suits
What is the use7 They did not appre-
ciate it, the fasteners didn't Their
representative papers make fun OF
these humble efforts TO entertain them
and the photographers write q lot Of
nonsense about this little moving pic
ture war
Half Has Not Been Told.
As humorous as they have tried to be
with their professional funny stuff, the
half has never been told in print OF
the ridiculous Incidents connected with
what these same newspapers are pleas
ed to term an "opera-bouffe affair" Il
has been a smile a. mile for the advance
Of Navarro's army through chihuahua
in spite of the sad fact that men.
human beings. have lost their lives in
fchT 80
understood It was a grim sort Of hu-
NOR that Gen Navarro displayed at Ger
TO Prieto when he was told that one
OF the insurrectoS that his men had
bayOneted had survived It was joking
in the face of death to tell OF the fed
eraI officer who hid behind a log at
Nal PasO and directed the fight until
the log. was shot full of holes Even
more grim was the joke which the fed
whom they forced TO dig his own grave
before he was blindfolded and shot
Some Things Punsters Overlook.
But there are incidents, hundreds OF
them. that have occurred during the
campaign in northern Chihuahua which,
surpass the best efforts OF the funny
men or the writer's OF South American
comic operas The message that was
alleged to have been sent to the Next
q
the forces that were first in Chihua-
hua explaining why his troops had beSn
defeated 1t read:
The cowardly insurrectos fired upon
the brave federal forces before they
were ready" This little quip repeated
in Spanish along the insurrecto firing
line at Nal PaSo, at Cierro Prieto and
at Bauehe caused many a smile 10
spread over the faces Of the opposi-
ton They were not playing fair and
they realized it and were ashamed
Ell P1sO's Comedy Chances.
Ell Paso had an early sample Of the
funny side Of the war Christmas day
the historic battle Of "burros NADIA
mas" was fought on the sand dunes
south Of Juarez between these same
brave federal forces and the burros
and woodchoppers. The audience oc-
cupie6 reserved seats on top OF the
Ell Paso skyscrapers and everyone had
4 good laugh when the Juarez garrison
marched out and marched back again.
The siege Of Juarez viewed in re-
Prospect is one long laugh. The tense
ness of the excitement from the time
hat Orozco arrived at Samalayuca until
Navarro marched in from the same
station The guards in the streets, the
dynamite mines in the streets the Am
srican consuls orders for Americans and
loncombatantS TO keep out of the town.
the appearance OF flag Of every ma
tionality from Chinese to Hindoo on
the Juarez houses and the fleeing Of
he refugees including the official fam
Ily Of the border >city. It was all
tragic then. but viewing it in the light
Of present day affairs. il is to laugh.
The hOldup of the National line pas
senger trains by OrozcO and the cap
lure OF a car OF potatoes for which a
receipt in full was given, the messages
sent out by the Mexican state depart
nent. about the federal victories. the
appearance Of our friends Mutt and JEFF
N Mexican war drama OF five acts.
which appeared in The Herald. the bait
lie of smelter hill in which no one was
wen hit-an these and more would
hake material to burn for a volume OF
luhnor as funny as Mark Twain ever
Jared be-
veriIy-war has its jokes no less
han peace