Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-13
DEFENSES FOR CHIHUAHUA
Mexicans Busy FOrtifying Capital
City of RevOlted State,
AMERICAN SAYS DIAz Will WIN
Mining Man Gives Reasons for His
Belief that the InsurrectiOn
VIII Have Bloody
Finish.
tFrom a staff Correspondent

n
III, PASO. Tex, April S-(speclal Core
spondence)--A mining man who arrived
here today from Chihuahua declared that
federal troops and laborers Of all kinds
have been busily engaged digging trenches
and throwing up bEeastworks all around
the city and about the penitentiary In the
city for the last ten days. strong baFbed
wire fence has heen built west of the town
from the river south to the mountains,
distance of about two miles, Portfolios have
been cut In the old penitentiary near the
new federal palace between Gales Juarez
and IAbertad.
Asked what was the attitude of the
Americans in Chihuahua regarding inter-
vention on the part Of the United States
he said:
"They deprecate such a possibility. II
conditions get much worse in the beseged
city there will be no other alternative for
Americans and American interests are sure
TO suffer As Il IL now we have the good
will Of the revolutionary element and q
majority Of the supporters OF the federal
government In my opinion the quickest
and best way to bring about peace is for
the United States to recognize the insuT-
reetos as benigerents. Such an act would
bring an end to the war within six weeks
not over two months
Believes Dias VIII Triumph.
This opinion must not be taken as one
| Eenerally held by Americans in other parts
| OF Mexico. we'll informed mining man
who has lived in Mexico fifteen years and
| who knows Mexican character unusually
well, is of the belief that in the end Presi
! dent Diaz will triumph. as he always has
He is not in sympathy with many Of the
things which dag has countenanced. on
the other hand, he does not believe thai
harmony and the things that the men ar'
fiEtinE for can come through revolution
He says there are about 100000 people In
Mexico and that of these only about $780,
900 are educated and at constant variane'
! with one another. He believes that i
peace is not negotiated soon by the In
| surreotos that Diaz will make military
service obligatory and recruit large mum
bers of ruralss from the prisons and con
Wet camps Then, under the command o
one Of his cruelest generals will begin
warfare Of determination. He admits tina
Diaz has been harsh and relentless, bu
that while he was responsible for man
Of the massacrss committed by his sol
diers that he did not order them, no
knew anything about them
Law TO shoot Prisoners.
Lex Fugo," q law in Mexico peFmttin
officers or soldiers 70 shoot escaping pris
oneFs has been extensively criticised an
the insurrsctos charge that Il has bee
p used on many occasions 10 butcher thei
2 men taken as prisoners. II Is because Z
5 this law also that many Americans, al
rested for some minor offense, come I
r their death According to reports the IA
vOFlte method Of the Mexieans is to tell
e prisoner that they are sorry for him an
. that II he leaves al certain time that
. can set away and they will not mOlet
: him, When the prisoner starts TO leave
party OF MeKieans take pot shots az hin
until they bring him down. Another msthc
is to run away from a prisoner and the
= shoot, because, as they allege, he was IT!
= ing TO make his escape.