The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-11
.ey GEORGE cLINToNl'i,..


three companies Of infantry stationed
at a post in ting northwest. One after.
noon $500 Sioux and Grow Indians
attacked the post, completely sur.
rounding 1t aud making assault after
assault for half a day. It was only
by the hardest kind Of fighting that
the Indians finally were repulsed.
Therez7werestn the garrison defend.
ed by the troops the wives of several
officers and enlisted men. When It
was thought probable that the Indians
would succeed in capturing the post
because of their overwhelming. mum.
bers, the women of the garrison by
common consent went into the maya,
zine, which was filled with powder.
An agreement was made that if the
Indians succeeded in capturing the
post the magazine was to be fired and
the women killed to prevent their
falling into the hands Of the savages.
Old army officers in Washington say
that there We're two or, three other
Instances like this in the history $of
frontier warfare. ~ -. = u,
Taft's Mexican War Map.
President Taft has map of Mexico
dotted over with red, yellow and
green headed =tacks. This is the pres
dents war map and 1t stands in his
office close to- his desk. Every time
telegram of moment comes from
Mexico the president changes the pc.
sition of the ztacks. Some of the
tacks have little pennants attached
. to them which show the camps of the
federal and insurgent troops in. Mex
ice, tits by means of this map and
the constant changing of the marks of
Identification that the president keeps
In touch with the Mexican situation up
to the last instant. i
Since conditions have become so
critical IN Mexico, the acting secretary
Of state, Huntington Wilson, who is re-
sponsible for the map, has placed one
man at the map who gives his entire
time to keeping 1t corrected up to the
minute. Many times day the tele-
graph keys at the state department,
Just across the street, click of a doz-
en- code words, which an operator
slowly funsnar1s to form a message,
the daily report, perhaps, of the con.
sui at Durango, Mexico, announcing
the advance Of the federal forces
towards Velardena, where one hum
dred Americans were penned up
awaiting relief. In little while the
man in charge of the map crosses
over from the state department to
the White House, enters the cabinet
room, and advances one Of the green.
headed tacks on the map. ~
Kept Well Informed. 1t:
At the war department, the depart
ment of Justice, and the war college,
other code messages are clicking of
the keys. A secret agent reports to
the department Of justice border
raid or threatened gathering oftroops
south Of Juarez. To the war depart.
ment Colonel steever reports the
sending Of American cavalry to some
troublous border point Likewise, the
war college Is told OF each bridge
burned and each railway track de-
stroyed. From chihuahua In the north
to Chiapas insthe south the consular
offices Of Washington are scattered,
there being also many officials and Of
hcers on duty on the border Every
move Of federa1s and rebels is re-
ported. The Americans are counted:
even the money which each could SO.
cure to fee the country Is learned.
All Of this information is transferred
to the map insthe cabinet room. Each
colored tack tells a story-the loca-
ton Of federal and rebel forces, con-
ditions of unrest or anarchy, or the
opinions of the consuls as to the
safety Of American lives or interests.
In this way President Taft is kept
in touch day by day with the rapidly
changing conditions in Mexico. on
some days, at the state department
alone, nearly 80 reports are received
from consular officers and from the
embassy in Mexico City. There is q
duplicate Of the. presidents map in
the Office Of the acting secretary Of
state. and another one is kept at the
war college. ne.
kilograms are constantly coming Ia
TO the White House and to the state
department, asking protection for
some American citizen Or for Amer
lean property III Mexico Relatives az
persons who have not heard from
them for several days necessarily ap.
peal to Washington for news. In an
a. ID. - ~