The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-05-03
MURDER Of AMERICAN PLANTERS IN NEXco
American Refugees Flee to onIteo
States and File Claims Against
the Mexican Government.

rnon American women and the pIllag-
ing by hrigands of the property OF
American planters formed the ouroeh
of the story told in Galveston TUESDAY
when the steamship Texas, plying be-
tween Vera Cruz and Galveston, land
ed at pier Sc with a crowd OF Amerl'
can refugees from the neghborlng re-
public, Claims against the Mexican
government aggregating approximate
" $4,000, the refugees say, nave
been filed by them with American
Consul Lewis w. Haskell OF SaIlna
Cruz. Members of the party, who
few weeks ago estimated their posses
sions as ranging in value from $4,000
I'D to $4,000, reached Galveston III
the majority of cases on money
which had been cabled to them by
relatives, who sent the funds in the
care of the American consul at Vera
Cruz.
On the Texas also were number
of American engineers and ConduC-
tors, who had left the service Of varl-
GUS lines Of the Mexican National rail
ways and who not only confirmed the
| stories or the refugees from the Amer
| lean plantations, but told Of the de-
molition Of tracks by bandits, the cut
ting of wires, the beating Of station
agents and assaults upon their wives.
The spokesman of the planters was
Madison II. Ish, formerly quartermas-
ter in the United States regular army,
who received a captains commission
while in service in 1893 in the depart
ment Of the Platte.
1--WE were forced to leave Mexico, y
said Captain Ish, because Of the total
lack of protection for life and prop
erty Of Americans in the canton or
Acayucan, Vera Cruz; because Of the
murder of Americans in the imme-
date vicinity Of our colony By bands
of marauding and rowing MeXicans,
who claim that they are working for
the cause and because Of the robbing
of trains on our line of railroad (the
Vera Cruz and Isthmus) and the kill
Ing of passengers regardless OF ma
tionality. Absolutely no accurate con
ception of conditions in Mexico has
been allowed to filter out.
Take the one case Of an American
citizen, William Waite, for example
Waite was a neighbOr Of mine. HI
| had taken his cattle to friendly deal
, er and sold them, in anticipation o
trouble He deposited the money II
the City of Mexico A party Of heaVil
armed bandits rode up to his hacienda
and demanded 500 pesos for tn
/ cause of which they call Zapata tn
: leader. Waite gave them what SINAI
5 funds he had on hand and told then
l his money was In the City Of Mexico
: They refused to listen to his explans
: tons, trussed him with ropes, boun
q him to a door post on the gallery G
g his hacienda, and after slashing hlr
with their matcheteS, cut his hand
off.
About two weeks before we lei
t the bandits visited the hacienda Of a
g American named Drake. They mad
It the usual demand Of money and arm
q for the cause Drake gave them
Il weapon Of small caliber and twelv
e pesos, saying it was all he had. Th
L bandits departed grumbling. A Mex
# can workman of brakes told the
/ that much money and four guns wei
7 hidden at the house. They returne
S and when Drake still denied posse
If sion Of his remaining money, hopir
to save enough to reach the State
they took Mrs Drake, bound he
threw her about and submitted h
e. to all sorts of indignties, finally bea
p ing the soles of her bare feet uni
Of they no longer looked like feet.
i stop this brutality, Drake and his 81
y brought out four guns and 800 pes
q. they had hidden away, were slash
ly with machetes and left unCOnsCio
Il as the bandits rode away"