The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-05-01
HORRIBLE STORIES
CRUELTY TORTURED And SLAIN
By MEXICAN BANDITS
A WOMAN WAS TORTURED

People at the Mercy of Bandits, Say
Passengers Arriving by Steamer at
Gaiveston-.america Citizen Be
headed for Failure to Give Over
Money Demanded by Desperadoes.
Forty-seven passengers, all but one
citizens OF the United States, who ar
rived at Galveston Tuesday morning
from Vera Cruz on the steamer Tex
as, tell Of alleged torture and assas-
sinations Of Americans in the Repuo-
lie. All the refugees left their lands.
homes, furniture and everything they
possessed, except enough money for
passage and the clothes on their
backs. Among the entire number
there are only four or FIVE who have
trunks.
NJ H. lSl lS1lo VI tuO IL o1 oSl W saA1
American citizen named Wait.
Mr.. Wait was a neighbor to me, '
said Mr. Ish He had sold several
head of cattle and hidden the money.
4 band Of desperadoes came to his
hacienda and demanded money. Fail
ing to get it they deliberately be-
headed him with their machetes,
hero.d his cattle together and drove
them off. There are many instances
just like this.
Eve lived in a little settlement
where a colony of eleven American
families had founded the town of
Sanburn. All of these eleven fani-
| lies left because We were afraid to
remain longer, knowing We would be
killed or tortured. am Ga years old.
/ went to Mexico one year ago, put
all | had, $3.50 in land and i'm
Iproyements there and to-day have
only this (showing his two hands,
and the clothes on my back.
Before leaving we nled our claims
for damages with the American con-
sui in Mexico City"
John T. McGee. a wealthy planter,
who went to Mexico two years ago,
returned to America minus more
than $4,000 and left behind land,
cattle and live stock.
Mr.. McGee tells of cruelties prac-
ticed on an American woman now in
The bandits visited the home OF
Mr.. Shay, one Of my neighbors, about
week before left the settlement y
said Mr.. McGee, E'and demanded
money and guns He gave them s12
and one gun, saying that was all he
had on the place.
The bandits then left, but re
turned to Shay's place and demanded
more money and arms. Not being Civ
en- the money and guns they took
Mrs. Shay tied her and began beating
her feet.
Mr.. Shay and his son, to stop the
torture, gave four guns and $500 in
money to the desperadoes, who after
final beating Of the woman, left
the place. Mrs. Shay was badly in
jured and she had to be carried to
the hospital at Mexico City, where it
was found that nearly every bone in
! her feet had been broken She is in a
serious condition.
What has been true of the Shay
family has been likewise true OF
scores of other Americans and by
staying there we took or lives in our
hands. The bandits are everywhere.
The Mexican government is not able
tc quiet these bandits and many
Americans believe that the Madero
forces so dislike the Americans that
would rather permit the brigandage
than try and stop it. Whenever ru-
rales are near the bandits disperse,
but there is rarely shot fred
Practically every man on board the
Texas had like tale to tell Of exper-
ience there Two men who rode horse
back into Vera Cruz, after abandon
ing everything they possessed except
their horses and their guns. tell of
meeting four armed bandits in a mar
row pass en- route. "The only rea-
son we are here" said one Of the men
lis because we were lucky enough to
beat them to it.
Everywhere you go, kept right in
the largest cities, you will find de-
serted farms. houses burned, live
stock stolen and in many instances.
the decayiEg and headless bodies of
their owners are left lying about. The
bandits are in such large numbers
and so scattered over the interior
that to resist them is useless. The
Americans have just to give up ev-
erything to them when they come to
settlements, nc matter how we'll arm
ed they may be-