El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-16

monument, some local Cicero was max
ing a speech. 1t was full Of gesticula-
lions, enthusiasm and insurrection.
could not understand the orator, but
made out by his pointing at the black
ened ruins of the library building across
the square-burned it was during the
fight-that he was talking about that
Let US hope was was urging that ii be
rebuilt. His audience betrayed no mighty
excitement, but sat about in their sad
dies or stood about on foot munching
ounce preserves and mumuring now
and then their sticky approval of some
more than usually pleasing sentiment.
at MaderO's House.
Madero's house is on the eastern edge
Of Juarez. A sentry saluted at the gate
and we passed into the grounds
An irrigating ditch, quite a canal, in
truth, flowed full of muddy Rio Grande
water all along the southern side. Giant
cottonwoeds, planted when the ditch was
dug. double-ranked the banks Some of
them must have been $50 years old.
Madero's bodyguard, 70 picked men,
were In a stringout sort of encampment
under the row Of ditch cottonwoods.
Fires were gone, blankets flung
here and there, saddles and piled car
bfnes everywhere. The men were lyl
ing about telling stories, between
break down were either side to run
out of cigarets.
To the left Of the drive was a grassy
strip-as long and as narrow as rope
walk. and greatly in need OF q lawn
mower. There were trees and shrub
berry, and in the center a dry and
sprayless fountain The Mexicans are
largely addicted to building foun
tains and leaving the water out.
The Madero house is a long, one
storied structure, made of dobeys.
There are at least 30 rooms. Down
one side, the southern. is long gall
lery in the nature of sun parlor. the
glass being common window panes,
stained yellow. red green and blue.
THE effect is garish and trifle crude.
The rooms are furnished with Spar
tan simplicity-no rugs, no tapestries.
no bricabrac. nothing that s1nelled Of
luxury. The chairs are wooden and
never enough to go round. Some Of
us-but never the guests-were al
ways standing up. Also. Mexicans
have a way of squatting comfortably
on their heels for hours. which rem
ders chairs an idle superfluitys =
Rebel Chiefs Father.
We found Madero's father, Fran
cisco. ST.. at the corner Of the house
in converse with Capt Maxine Cas-
tillo. who commands the presidential
bodyguard- The latter is q noble old
figure He is rich but likes to fight
He was combing his Don Quixote
beard when I was presented. He
greeted me with the disengaged hand,
beamed and kept on combing.
Madero. ST., carried US away to meet
his son, the president Madero. sr., is
distinguished. fu1l-bearded. 66 years
old and looks his age. He was one
OF 19 children He himself has had
Is. OF the latter IL are living The
Maderos are worth millions but the
war has vastly served to-Boweryese
slim their bank role
Before reaching Madero, jr, presi-
dent electera. we ran into sonora Ma
dere. his mother. and sonora Madero,
his wife. The elder woman bore her.
self high and nob1y: the younger was
sweet ard gentle. Both were in black
ard the mother very. pale. Madero's
wife looks a deal like his sister, An
gela-
with MaderO.
Madero, president. was in confab
with his military adviser, Gen. B. J.
viljcen formerly of the Boer army,
still later in the St Louis show
business. vilioen has an alfalfa ranch
near Las .OIuCOS, M. Uul gave up
moving machine for Mauser at the
earliest blast Of the insurrecto bugle.
Madero and Viljoen were laying
plans to send the major part of the
$500 insurrectos in Juarez south, by
Mexican Central train. towards Chi
huahua Couriers have come in with
the news that Gems. Rabago and
Luque Of the federals are IN the vicin-
ity of Laguna, 10 miles south of
Juarez. with from 1900 to 1000 men.
and six field and rapid fire guns. and
headed north Madero. by Viljoen's
advice will try to. meet them at Villa
Ahunada, 100 miles south of Juarez.
and will give them a battle. The in
surrecto hope, uplifted by the victory
of Juarez, is high Many wise ones.
looking on. shake a dubious head,
however. and foretelP for them a
grievous drubbing. The hest view is
that the Madero people Will win the
fight whether at Ahumada or Juarez
should the federals get as far as the
latter This is based on the well un-
derstood fact that the federal troops
are sown with sympathy for the in
surreeto- cause, and go hooking, not so