Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-12
GIRL TELLS OF FIGHT
Story of a Woman Who Was in
the Casas Grandes Battle.
FIRED FROM THE TRENCHES
Says She Was Not Afraid-All Like
Dream-Taken Prisoner and
Sent to Ell Paso.
FIRED FROM THE TRENCHES

Dream-Taken Prisoner and
Sent to Ell Paso.
Ell PASO. April 12.-Patrocina vasquez,
the only woman who has yet fought in
the trenches with the insurrectos, does |
not appear to think her feat was unusual. |
This girl Of sixteen does not even care
TO talk about it. If may be modesty, it |
may be fear of the federals. Born OF
! a race of mountain peopla' who have
/ fought for generations first to keep off
the Indians. then against the federal gov
eminent when it imposed taxes that were
| considered burdensome; daughter of a |
| mother who fought the redskins, grand
daughter of a woman who lost-an arm
| battling with the red men, she appears
to think fighting with her father in the
| trenches the proper thing.
Followed Father to War;
| Miss Vasquez is shy and faint tinge
, of pink makes itself visible beneath the
nut-brown skin when she is asked to
recount her experiences in the fight. She
says she went into the fight at Casas
| Grandes because her father went. She
was very sick when first she saw blood,
| just as another woman would be, and
she says war is not anything like it Is
in the picture books.
der. Poor men had to die fighting for
what they thought was right-but the
| federals didn't kill in anger; they killed
because they didn't know. They think
! the soldiers, so there will be more corn
and more money left for the living"
She says she wants to get work in Ell
Paso. She was told by the big general
| uyifh he a S2VS@TPn. M
uel Garcia Cuellar-to leave Mexico and
come to Ell Paso and work and she |
would not be punished.
shudders at Recollection.
| She has come and maybe she has quit
war, for she shudders when she speaks
of the bloody skirmish in which she
fought with two pistols until the dying |
men had fallen all about her. and she
dropped her weapons Of death to minister |
to the wounded. Yet she talks with fire |
and fervor when she refers to the wrongs |
her father has had to suffer, and she
comes from race of sturdy mountain |
fight always for their rights and hand
down their grievances from father to son: |
people ignorant in learning. but honor |
| able; brothers when one Is In need; |
brothers in defense; brothers In rfghting |
a wrong against a common enemythe |
| Mexican.
! Was Not Afraid.
II was not afraid she said, when
| asked how she felt when she entered the
fight. 1.-The men got behind things and
| in the bitches, but I got cramped when
got into the bitches and could not
stay. I knew the soldiers wouldn't kill
woman anyhow; the federals are all
good men; they are just mistaken; they
a nNt Inn nd U,ho
them did 1t, but would not help those
who were still shooting.
Like a Dream.
II was not a bit afraid, but got
| very sick. I wanted to lie down; 1t
| was awful the very first time man
was shot close to me. I remembered
| that had not had my breakfast; that
| was what made me sick, think.
forgot where father was after we had
been fighting long time. was help
ing some poor men who had fallen |
right where the bullets were falling! |
| 1 wanted to get them out of the way. |
It seemed like I could hear my father |
| calling me from away of; my ears
were ringing a bit, and 1t was just like
| a dream.
| II have seen pictures Of fighting. |
where men had their heads tied UP and |
| their legs shot off and cannon balls |
| were bursting in the air, but ours all |
seemed different; it was SO cruel. Bull |
| let's that came from We did not know |
| where would strike some poor man in |
| the head or stomach. and he would |
fall. He couldn't see who shot him.
House Destroyed by Cannon.
| I'VE could hear the cannon away Off
and a big solid piece of iron would
strike one Of the houses where our men
| were concealed and tear 1t to pieces.
We didn't see any of the soldiers much
| until the very last. I had been shoot
| ing long time, but my pistols didn't
do much good, Is I couldn't see any
body to shoot at until long time after
the fighting had started, just when our
| men began to fall back.
After we had fought awhile I for
got all about fighting and went to work
| to help the wounded men, for they did |
| so much need to have help / gave
| them water and tore off some Of my
skirts. but If had torn up my clothes
| to bandage all their wounds I would |
| not have had any clothing left.
Taken Prisoner.
Then the federals were all around |
us, and 1 looked and my father was
not anywhere. Soon the soldiers took
US to the jail They gave me plenty
to eat and put me in a cell to myself
and when they were ready to take the
other prisoners to Chihuahua the gen.
eral asked me il I would come to Ell
PasO If he would let me go. He said
I must not fight again."
!
After a long illness Rev. Edward |
| Connolly Of Boston and New York died
In st. Vincent's Hospital Norfolk. Va. |