New-York tribune., 1911-04-22
BLATT AND CONVERSE FREE.
Continued from first page.


shall have the order. You may regard
the thing as accomplished for l SHAH
write the note at once. He reached for
raper and pen.
"'But Mr.. President | said to him,
there is another boy up there who ~ IN
the same boat with my son. He Is none
the less guilty nor none the less innocent.
! feel that If my son is TO be freed, ne
should be let go. too
Releases Blatt, Too.
"The President smiled and asked me II
I would take care Of the other boy. too
and see that he was taken out or the
country. I promised. What Is MS
name? he asked. told him. How DO
Won SMELL it?' he asked again. ] speiieu
Blatt's name. and he wrote it down. To-
eether with my sons name.
".No., said the President, 1t wouid not
he fair to release one without the o'her'
"He told me again to come to-morro"
for the order committing the poSs "
nv custody. DO not worry any more
about It,. said he. You had better re-
turn as soon as you can, because your
wife must be distressed. She VIII want
70 hear the news. l am glad II l am
able 10 make her and you feel petter'
Look after those boys, and don't let
them get into mischief again.
THE President asked me II the boys
had been treated we'll in the Juarez
iail. | answered that they had, and
that we had no complaint to make. He
nodded and told me that he had given
orders that their confinement should be
made as easy as possible. The whole
thing did not take fifteen minutes"
Mr.. Converse said he had never
doubted that his son and Blatt would
be released. and that when the Mexican
government understood the facts regard
Ing the precise point Of capture, they
would be released.
Not Excusins The Boys.
Il am not trying 10 excuse the boys
for what they have DONE" said he. "They
Lad no business TO take up arms against
Mexico or mix with the rebels in any
way. I have no feeling Of resentment in
the matter and no complaints to make"
Mr. Converse was much affected as he
spoke of the hearty manner in which the
people Of FL Paso had espouscd the cause
of the prisoners and Of the energetic at
titude assumed by the American state
Department.
From the best people of FL Paso,' he
said, we had proffers of money. in
fiuence and all sorts Of assistance. Some
Of these persons offered TO organize A
force TO cross the border and take the
boys out Of Jail. I would not allow ii,
and told them that such a step would
inevitably cost lives. and that | would
not be party to any act which might
make trouble between the two govern
ments. ! am glad il. by coming here. I
have done anything to remove a possible
source Of friction between the two gov
ernments. which did the fair thing
Will Be Freed Soon.
Mr.. Converse will leave here to-mor-
row night with the Presidents order.
and reach Ell Paso on Tuesday night or
Wednesday morning. The order will not
he in the nature Of a pardon, but viii
direct the federal authorities at Juare5
10 give Converse and Bla:t into the GUS
tody of the elder Converse. t..
Edwin M Blatt Is the son of Peter Blatt,
q retired wagon manufacturer Of Pittsburg
lie was a student at st. Nincent's College
IN Pennsylvania, when, in 1919, his health
failed. and he went TO FL Faso. Lawrence
+. Converse is the son Of a lawyer of Glen
dora. Cal, aud was formerly a member Of
the Texas militia.
The two were riding together along the
Mexican line. when. on February 20. they
were captured by three Mexicsns of Colo
mel Rabaeo's command and charged with
assisting the rebels. According to their
statement and those of their friends. the
capture took place at the house Of Mel
quisiados Perea, a native of Socorro, Texas.
an American citizen and a voter, whose
plantation is about five miles south OF
Tornillo Station. on the Santa PC. Texas &
Southern Railroad. his home being almost
Oh the edge OF the Rio Grande, nearly OPP
posite Guadalupe.
The yourg men had stopped at the Perea
ranch and while waiting for luncheon 10
he prepared sat down By themselves some
little distance from the ranch house. Sud
denly the three Meyicans stole out of the
woods. and before the Americans could
move had caught aud bound them After
going through the prisoners clothes. their
captors mounted their horses and, driving
tho Americans ahead of them on foot,
forced them TO wade the Rio Grande 70 the
Mexican side. where they were turned over
10 soldiers hiding in the woods. This story
was substantiated by Perea and his family
Friends visited the prisoners. and after
being convinced that il was a clear case OF
kidnapping, appealed to Washington. As A
result the American government made rep
reservations 10 Mexico and ordered an in
vestigatlon. The Mexican officials AT first
declared that the Americans had been ar
rested on Mexican soil. but ordered an
investigation Of the facts.