Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1913-12-18
FROM THE SEAT OF
The MEXICAN WAR
R. E. Guernsey Writes His Mother Mrs. E.
Bates, Of this City About dis Exper-
fences on the Firing Line.

FL Paso, Texas, Dec. 8, 1913
Dear MothCr:
Your ietter of several days ago has
gone unanswered OIL account of the
.dexicans having been lighting near
mere and I've been up night and Gay,
watching them through spy glasses
and taking pictures OF them, with
rented kodak l had, ana have alsC
been helping the newspapers here,
Ihe Times, out by getting them in
formation, as / went with the report
ers on each trip. War, in all OF its
elements is sure bad, and there's a
great many sights that one really
doesn't care to see, but the nearness
III II ali, and having never witnessed
anything OF this kInG, / had to get the
experience once ana I've got both
eyes full and feel ike l really unGer
stand war now. The executions OF
all the traitors were public and took
place in Juarez, Mexico, which is Just
across the river from us so nearly
every one took the car over there 10
see the workings of the Ley-De-r uga,
(MeXican traitor law and the "AdlOs
amigo por campo santo" (Which. "
gooaDye friend TOR the holy campl. /
also collected all the brass buCLons
from the dead federals' coats and unl-
forms and stocked up on brass gun
shells, both empty and loaaed, ana
also tried 10 get one of the big SOM
Dreros, but some Mexican rebel saw
me with 1t and Immediately took
possession, as there was no resistance
on my part. | would have liked the
hat though, it's as big as a man and
they are worth about ten dollars. 1t
would have been Il peach to go fish
ing in. Dust my poor iuck.)
Have been over to see several bull
fights, but don't think much OF them,
as they tight four to death each Sun
day and sometimes some OF the
matadors make poor thrusts and maze
a tizzle out OF the JOB, also they nave
two old 'blind-folaed horses In the
ring, which the piccadors ride when
they prod and goad the animals, ana
the Mexicans are highly pleased when
a horse gets gored 10 death, so that
1t is generally done, and the horse
doesn't get much better than the bull
only he is hero, while La Toro, tine
BUM was fought and vanquished, both
being dead, | can't see where it pay
either one to be hero, but feel sorry
for the poor horse. The bull is then
fed to the rebel soldiers, who eat with
great relish and discuss his past
qualities and what he lacked
to win. Am going to get kodak
picture OF big fight that is coming
on with the Matadors Ell Toro, anu
then quit going to see them.
+ Will send you some good pictures
of the rebels as soon as they are
finished and of several battle scenes
that i took myself. l got two or
three of the reDel leader Pancho Villa,
who is the best liked man in Mexico,
and the brayest. Everyone here likes
him and all are his sympathizers,
while they all invariably hate the fed
eral government of Huerta. Villa abb
solutely protects all, the Americans
and other foreigners and is great
general, and a very common man and
easy to talk to. I've seen him dozens
of times. He is always the same
whether he orders a traitor shot or
pardons some soldier. .ge
Juarez is all built up Of little old
clay DOLBY houses and every other
place is gambling place or saloon.
All the MeXicans have their own cock
and cockpits and take much delight
in having their chicken fights. They
have a big market place, where you
can buy anything on earth that there
is to sell; it has about 200 different
stands where they sell their goods
from stalls, and every one from here,