The herald., 1912-07-25
SCARED The GARRISON
MOVING PICTURE CAMERA IN
MEXICO STARTED PANIC.
Soldiers Thought Il q Machine Gun
and Were overIoyed When tho
American Photographer Made
Clear Their Mistake,

An American camera man recently
ventured into Mexico to take some
pictures of Mexican scenery, together
with parade of Mexican regiment.
Mistaking him for an insurrecto about
TO start another revolution by turning
machine gun on them, several hum
dred Mexican soldiers, comprising the
garrison at Tia Juana, broke ranks
while on dress parade ard ran in
every direction for shelter, says Mo-
Biography.
Officers joined the privates in get
ting behind buildings and trenches,
and the regimental bugler had hardly
sounded the call to arms to repeI the
attack Of the supposed invaders when
the moving picture man, now thor
oughly frightened himself, tucked his
machine under one arm and started
to run for the boundary line. He had
gained the outskirts of the town when
Mexican officer ventured to snatch
look from his hiding place and, See
Ing the ground clear, ordered a charge
with fixed bayonets. It took consider
able prodding, however, to get the
privates back into the ranks and the
military formation.
The frightened operator was over
hauled by mounted men, dragged back
into town and taken before the COM
handing officer. The enraged SOL
diers wanted to make a target out of
MIN then and there, but the officers
prevailed upon them to let the regular
military law take its course. The NOV
Ing picture machine was carefully ia.
ken apart and searched for explosives.
The camera man pleaded with the Of
ncers to let him go. He explained to
the Mexicans that he was not a MI.
buster nor soldier of fortune; that
he was only working for a living. He
went through a pantomime with the
aid OF sheet on the wall to show the
soldiers how pictures are taken for
the nickelodeons in the United States.
Then a great light burst upon the
intelligence Of the commander In |
chief. He rapidly interpreted his dis
covery to his fellow officers and his |
privates. The moving picture man
stood distrustfully by, not quite sure
that he had yet made himself plain.
The soldiers were SO overjoyed at |
the fact that they were to have been
sent down into posterity by the NOV
Ing picture route that the man was
ordered to take their picture without
fear of interruption. A brief examina-
ton, however, convinced the moving
picture man that he could never &C
complish the fact; but he feared to
arouse the ire of the Mexicans, so he
went through the motions OF taking
real picture, while the soldiers
back and forth within his
ran &c, drilled, fixed their bayonets,
charged upon imaginary foes, pitched
heir tents and went through every de-
tail of war life in Mexico.
His arms were aching from turning
he crank of his broken machine. and
ne would have ordinarily used up sew
sral miles Of film, when the regiment
,ame to attention and the commander
stepped to the front and proudly dotted
,is cap.
That was the end. The picture man
vas loaded down with cigarettes and
cigars and presented with a silk scarf
,y one Of the officers. He refused an
invitation to dine and hurried with
IN escort Of honor to the boundary
Inc, the men insisting on carrying his
machine for him.