The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-04-22
A Real American in Mexico

morning there were two or three dead
MeKicans lying In the road. one night
they began shooting at me. and un-
limbered and BEGAN popping back AZ
then. never knew whether they
were insurgents or federal troops
Anyhow. they got me in the leg. The
bullet hit my thigh. when ! was IN
the saddle. In my trousers pocket
vas q big Mexican silver dollar. The
bullet hit that dollar. and / guess
win carry the mark Of that coin 20
my grave. Il hurt then. but did not
bother me much until later. when
blood poisoning set In. and I had a
hard time Of t.
He got back to town by riding hard,
and there his troubles began. for with
him were two Americans and three
American women There had been
some talk Of an attack, and feeling
AGAINST the -Gringos- ran high, so
that he would gladly have left we're
il not for the women.
The talk got so strong that we bar
ricaded an adobe hut with boiler plate
and were ready to pull of a regular
Alamo stunt A fellow named Foster,
from Boston, and I stood guard at
night One night l saw some troops
down the mountain side and crawled
down to hear what they were talking
or doing ! got the idea that they
we're going to attack US, and crawled
back to warn the others. Then I
crawled hack down the mountain
again to keep in touch with them
and give warning Of attack. There
was a mill between our fort and where
the men. about twenty of them, had
dismOunted- When 1 got back. all
except two had gone, horses and all.
thought they had spread out to at
tack US, and started back. l went
through the mill In the darkness two
men jumped on me, one hitting me
on the head with rock. could have
killed both Of them. but 1 was afraid
to shoot for fear that would bring
the others and would block my re-
treat to the fort So beat 1t up the
mountain as fast as I could. They
did not attack US that night, and q
few days later the war scene shifted
and we were able to get out
Watts admits that Diaz is a good
President from the standpoint of
Americans interested in Mexican rub
Der and mines. And for some others:
But, for the peOn, the lower class.
and the big class, of Mexico. there
could not be a worse President. Ma
dero Is a good man, and would try to
make a good President and inaugur-
ate reforms where Diaz has inaugural
ed expressions, but it would not make
very much difference in the end. With
out Diaz to exercise his iron-bound
rule, the country would be in one con-
tinual revolt.
The poems are worked so hard, and
paid so little, that they can't get their
noses on the grindstOne. They can't
stop work and hunt for a better Job.
and few Of them would have the am
bition to do So There are no schools.
and the people don't know there is
anything better for them.
He Is personally acquainted with
one OF Madero's brothers. having liv-
ed near him at San Antonio. Tex,
and he stopped to see him on the way
out, but Nadero had left for across
the border, the United States au-
thOrites having had a warrant for
him on a charge Of breaking the neu-
traIity laws.
He is skepticaI Of the honesty Of
our intentions in Mexico, and SCOTS at
the explanation Of ''maneuvers" on the
part Of the United States troops along
the border. Watts says:
When the troops start out for ma
neuvers they have only blank cartridg-
es. I know, for l have been in the
army. On my way back saw the
Twenty-third Infantry and the Sec
ond Artillery. and they had steel-jack-
eted bullets.
Being a single man, and with no
one to be hurt but himself II he gets
bumped off," Watts wants TO go
back. Then. too. he has been a tar
get all his life"