El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-04

wash opposite the smelter and within
sight of the American side. The sun
was still shining on old Mount Frank
lin and that old pile never looked bet
ter to me than 1t did then. 1t seemed
a real friend. an old acquaintance and
the incongruity of 1t all came over me-
There was, an American citizen, With
in less than 100 yards of American
soil. with American street cars running
along the smelter line and American
sightseers on the river banks. Yet 1
was a prisoner of war in Mexico, for
eign country, and, for all the liberty ]
enjoyed 1 might just as we'll have been
1000 miles in the interior with no
chance of escaping. The command
marched along the river bank until the
acequia madre intake was reached
when the officers gave the command
to halt and the soldiers were allowed
to go to the river and drink. I had
long shot at a soldiers canteen, and
that dirty river water tasted like am
brosia after that afternoons hike over
the hills and through the arroyas- 1t
was Just six o'clock when We arrived
at the river There was a large crowd
Of spectators on the opposite side and
a few American soldiers. They gaped
at me as if I was part of the show.
and not one of them so much as asked
who I was A big man in d Siouch hat
came down to the river with a Red
Cross flag in his hand and stuck it on
the river bank. He saluted the first
captain of the command and made an
elaborate speech in Spanish which
could not be understood on the Mex
lean side. What was understood was
the harangue of a well dressed woman,
who walked up and down the river
/ bank shouting her hatred for the Mex
/ lean federal government in a voice that
sounded like tearing a piece Of cheese
+. cloth.
/ Marching With a Captain.
! The command was given the men to
/ form in line and the march for Juarez
was again started. This time was hon
/ ored by the company of Eel captain
primero," who walked with me from
the river to Juarez. 1 pointed out the
different buildings in FL Paso, showed
him The Herald Illuminated sign and
told him it was my officina." This
/ seemed TO tickle him for he laughed
as if he thought it was a good joke
that L should be over there so far from
/ Headquarters. I failed to see the joke.
A young first lieutenant who had been
one of the many boys taken from Cha
pultepec military school to fight in the
north, also came up and tried to talk
to me in his broken English. The class
! in Spanish English met right there on
he was 22 and had only been out of the
academy a year. He showed me his RI
/ file, which he said he had captured at
! Cerro Prieto and with which he had
already killed six insurrectos. He was
a slender, pleasant appearing young
| chap, and If he will come to the Amer
lean side I will Duy him dinner for
! the first real friendship 1 had encoun-
1 tered since I left Joe Eaton at the
ga non1fnc room ar the Sm0iter
It had grown dark by this time and
it was as gloomy as a tomb walking
through the cottonwoods opposite the
rock dam. This was the line of march:
Six mounted police. corporal fatty
and his prisoner accompanied by the
first captain, first lieutenants and
/ trumpeters, privates, corporals and 9TH
er noncoms,. dogs and vermin ad lib. /
had had visions of the Juarez jail, of the
good story that my Imprisonment
would make, and of the interview that
I would be able 10 secure with Con-