The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-25


 % tonic Friday morning. < &%~<~%%~~-<~->><< Mexico City May 24.-For six hours tonight this city was in the hands oi a mob until a rain storm, more ef- fective than police and soldiers. caused the dispersal of mos tof them. At mid night. however, a remnant keeping ster to the beating of tin pails and paying no attention to the downpour, con tinued the demonstration. carefully watched by police and soldiers, who fol lowed them everywhere.
 Twice soldiers fired on the mob, the first time at the Zocalo, the big square in front of the national palace, and again to disperse a mob which had stoned the building occupied by El I'm parcial, and had set it on fire.
 Nothing like icy Is to be ob- tained tonight with reference to the number of dead. Estimates are that from seven to IS, including three po- licemen, said to have been beaten to death by the mob.
 Fl Imparcial, which continued to prepare for publication despite the at tacks made on the building, goes SC far as to place the estimate at 30 dead mostly at the Zocalo
 The police at midnight estimated the dead in the Zocalo at five or six and the wounded between 10 and 55. An unconfirmed rumor has it that a detachment of Figueroa $ revolutions ary force from Cuernavaca is at Lech- ri ua ot1t Hos ba cif It is known that the revolutionists de- tained a passenger train which went to Cuernavaca yesterday and they may have used this.
 Demonstrations were reported today at Zacatecass Guadalajara and Tehuante- pee. The governor of the state of Jal- isco was driven from Guadalajara ana at zacatecas four persons are said tc have been killed.
 Business Suspended
 In this city business was suspended at o'clock. Most buildings were pro. vided with shutters and the windows of those not thus protected were prac- tically all broken by stones. There was little use of firearms save by the troops. ....
 By II o'clock tonight the street cars several of which had been stoned ceased operating Not single taxicat or coach, of which there ordinarily are swarms, was to be seen.
 The elements favored the demonstra- ton as for. the first time in weeks rain did not fall in the early evening. The clouds withheld their burden until 10 o'clock. With the downpour the crowds, which in the aggregate num- bered thousands, began to disappear rapidly and at midnight only band of 1000 or so continued marching. General Diaz, who has reserved the captains quarters on a Hamburg American liner. due to sail for Vera Cruz on the last day of the month, con- tinues very i'll despite recent optimis- tic official reports. Mrs. Diaz informed numerous visitors today that her dis tinguished husband had shown fever during the last five days and had taken nothing but liquid nourishment, chiefly hot milk. He still talks with diffi- culty and Is receiving absolutely no visitors. While his condition, owing to his S3 years, is a matter of the great est solicitation, his wife said there was hope that he would be able to go aboard the steamer on the appointed day.
 A heavy guard was maintained in front of the presidential residence un- til the mob which had been shouting "Viva Madero' and calling upon the president to resign. fled from the rain. Most of the soldiers were then with drawn to reinforce the patriots moving about the city. Twenty infantrymen in close alignment blocked both en- frances to the street leading past the presidents house.
 Enraged by the announcement that President Diaz and Vice President Corral would not resign before tomor- row, spectators in the gallery of the chamber of deputies this afternoon precipitated the riot that has resulted ln nun Gers being shot down by the policf and troops.
 No Opposition at First
 Until O clock tonight the mob encoun- tered practically no opposition by the authorities and apparently little restric- ton was necessary. Shouting vivas for Nadero, they paraded the streets of the capital, but always in an orderly fashion except for the noise and occasional incl dents of vandalism which were imme- diately condemned by the thousands of
 
 "Order! Order!'
 At S:30 o'clock it appeared that the crowd was dispersing. The main body had been broken into smaller groups but at that time some of these had grown more demonstrative in the big plaza ir front of the palace and the police deter mined that the time had come for dras- tic measures to be taken. The shouting gesticuating mass of humanity was warned to move on, but confidence born of better treatment earlier in the even. ing caused them to receive with dersior the order of the police. Again they were told to disperse and again no attention was paid to the order. Quickly their shouts of ridicule were turned into cries of anguish. for the guns of the police and the soldiers were throwing into their midst a hall of bullets. The living stum- bled in mad rush over the bodies oi the dead and wounded.
 The narrow streets leading from the Zo- calo were damned with fleeing men and women. For few minutes the guns of ~~~~~~~A~~~~~>~~ L --