Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-10

tives such stores of money and clothes
and food and wine and tobacco as had
accumulated since the last visit.
Let us not, here in the United
States at the present day, when Beck
er is not yet silent in his cell, shudder
a compact. In principle it is no diff
ferent when the parties are Mexican
bandits and officers of the regular
Mexican army than when they are
Manhattan policemen and gamblers.
1 Zegaza was not at all surprised to
/ have Huerta accept his proposition
and 10 receive in return for the prom
! ised information an assurance that a
share of whatever loot fell to the ban
dts should be left for the soldiers at
an appointed place. In fact, had Huer-
ia not accepted 1t. it is not likely that
he would have returned alive to Ma
f., tanzas.
Ten days later Huerta sent word to
Zeeaza that he would be away from
the station on the following Thursday.
! Promptly on Thursday the bandits
rode into the town. confident there
would be no opposition except from
the sporadic popguns of the overnight
ened storekeepers. AS they turned in
to the main street discharging their
revolvers to Brighten everyone away,
a squad of Huerta's soldiers closed in
on their rear. and another squad ap-
peared in their front.
Huerta had dOuble-crossed the ban
dit
A number Of Zegaza's men we're
killed in the street The remainder
with the bandit chief himself, surren-
dered A week later Zegaza was shot
in the Quartet of the prison attached
to the station. The report of the af-
fair that went 10 the City Of Mexico
said that he had attempted TO es,
cape" II was the venerable Mexican
excuse, a cloak 10 cover any crime,
whether in the interests of justice or
of injustice.
Diaz, however. did not wait long to
hear all the details.
Such a man as Huerta had shown
himself TO be in the affair with Ze-
gaia was the very sort Of man 10 ap
peal TO Diaz supremacy. That was the
very sort of lieutenant he most de,
sired, and the one most difficult to
get: one who would be loyal to his
trust even though he succeeded with
treachery dld disloyalty.
"One whose honor rooted in dis,
honor stood; whose faith, unfaithful
kept is falsely true
II was some time after this that
Huerta was called to the City of Mex
ico and offered his choice Of positions
under the war department. Some
aver this opportunity was the reward
he CLEANED from his disposal of Ze
gaia: others declare that Huerta was
chosen naturally. because of his ma
tive equipment. for his next post
This was that of the chief of the
geographical survey Of the republic
At any rate. it is certain that Huerta
has often declared to his friends thai
this peaceful work was more to his
liking than any other in which he
ever engaged.
For nearly ten years Huerta, who
began the work as a lieutenant-colo
mel, and emerged from It as a briga
dier-general went up and down, bach
, and forth across the republic, max
ing complete surveys, which should
} exist, for all time, as the basis Of tn
governments photographic charts
} The larger part of the time he spen
in mis- very pleasant home in the Cit.
of Mexico or on his estates in Chihua
hua, associating with the most cultures
people in the country, favorite a
the palace and quite content to l.
political affairs take care OF themselves
II is not noted by any Of his friend
that he ever expressed any more thar
an orthodox soldiers ambition TO
! himself. and at all times he was NOS