New-York tribune., 1911-03-16
.BLATT AND CONVERSE
KIDNAPPED IN TEXAS
Three MexicanS Seized Them
and Took Them Across
the Boundary.
THEN THROWN INTO PRISON
The Two Young Americans
Harshly Treated by Their
Captors, Who Took Them
by Surprise.
! Bv Telegraph TO The Tribune. !

lBv Telegraph TO The Tribune
Pittsburg. March 15.-Congressman
elect stephen &. Porter, who is trying to
have the government force Mexico to
release Edwin NJ Blatt, the son of one
of his constituents. from prison at
JuareZ. has forwarded To Washington the
evidence taken at hearing held on
March ]. at FL Paso. Tex. before George
y. Oliver, United States commissioner.
This testimony shows that Blatt and his
companion. Lawrence +. Converse. son
of c. y. Converse OF Gendora. near Los
Angeles. were kidnapped by three Mex
ican civilians on American soil, at the
home Of an American citizen of Mexican
| blood. removed by force across the Rio
Grandc only one hundred and fifty
yards from the point of capture. turned
over to a squad of Mexican soldiers hid
ing in the woods on the Mexican side,
and by them taken to Guadalupe and
thence to Juarez. where they were
thrown into prison.
on the way from Guadalupe to JuareZ
the soldiers, with their prisoners. actu
ally recrossed the boundary line into
| Texas. and were warned by the prison
crs of their location. Blatt and Con-
verse knew when they were again on
Texas soil by observing that they were
north of one of the stone monuments
which rise at intervals to mark the in
ternational boundary a. points where
the Rio Grande. coming down more di-
rectly from the north, fails to do that
duty. The only answer made by the sol
diers when their attention was called To
this was to shrug their shoulders.
The capture took place at the house Of
Melquisiados Perea. who was born in
Socorro, Tex. is an American citizen and
voter. and whose plantation is about
five miles south of Tornillo Station. on
the Senate Fe Texas & southern -iail-
| road, his home being almost on the edge
of the Rio Grande. nearly opposite
Guadalupe. The men who made the
capture were Ramon Nunez. Leonardo
Jiminez and Diogracio .\rchuleto. resi-
dents of Guadalupe.
Their Property Taken from Them.
1T was about noon on Monday. Feb
ruary 20. when Blatt and Converse
reached the Perea ranch. They asked
for something to eat. and were told they
could have it. While waiting for the
food tn he prepared they turned their
horses into the corral and sat down on
pile of railroad ties before a small fire to
hi
we're sitting there that the three Mex
leans stole mp and captured them. Blatt
undertook to escape hv running for tho
woods. but was overhauled by one Of the
captors. who was mounted
The two bows were tied with ropes and
searched. their possessions. including
watch. = compass. hatchet. knives and
small change. being taken from them.
They were not allowed 70 ride their
horses hut forced to walk ahead of their
mounted kidnappors and wade the Rio
Grande. which AT that time and place
was very low. Reaching tho Mexican
side. they were turned over 20 the SOL
diers hiding in the woods.
The testimony Of Luciano Itiorga, Es-
piridion Griialha Perea and his wife.
Florcntina Palamores Pcrea. Enrique
\ guirre Acosta and Andreas Madrid, all
bearing on some special feature of the
arrest or the treatment accorded the boys
after they were in Mexico was Substan-
tiatcd by stories told by the boys them
selves i'm the JuareZ prison, when they
l,,. NIr 4 / 4
: smith. &. T. Kelley and Alfred Sharpe,
postmaster Mayor and collector of GUS
toms at FL Paso. and before the boys had
been told that evidence bearing out the
stories they We're then telling had been
obtained elsewhere.
Afidavits from these men accompany
the papers sent to Washington. There
il also the statement of l.. q. Howell,
supcrintendent of collection of customs.
who locates the point of capture as be-
ing on American soil. Rough maps
drawn by the boys Of the place of their
capturc. the landmarks they noted. ana
which were readily found aiterWard. ana
the ashes of the fire at which they were
warming themselves form chain OF
evidence to prove they were kidnapped
on American soil.
Washington. March l5.-Blatt and Con-
worse were captured on undisputed American
Land according 10 the state department.
The scene of capture. officials assert, Is not
i, tho chamizal zone, which forms part OF
the city of T.! Paso. and the ownership OF
mitch j. tic subject Of arbitration be-
,,,oeu the United States and Mexico The
rlace Of arr, 4 IS sufficiently removed from
the boundary line To establish 1t III the
jurisdiction of the United States.
The Mexican government, IL Is said, ne
f,,a answering the requests OF the state
pepartment 10 release the men, VIII oo-
tain turtaer information as To the exact
noint of capture from the boundary COM
missiOners