El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-26
Rebels In Durango Furnish Thrills For
American independence Celebration
Robbery Following
he o. City o Durango
By
Looted Cty Tes OF Carnva o Robbery and Arson FOOwng
By NORMAN N. WALKER, :

them over y years OF age, who COM
posed the dynamite corps, went about
the streets, throwing dynamite bombs
as they would firecrackers. Several
were killed. A little boy who was a
neighbor of ours Joined this corps dur
ing the fighting The peon men wore
silk hats and long coats, which they
had taken from the homes of the for
eigners, and peOn women paraded the
streets with Paris gowns and french
hats, but without shoes on their feet.
The loOters came to my house and de-
manded admiItance, but l told them
that I was a doctor and that 1 was
treating their general, and they let me
off. But my house was an exception
Ell PasOan's Store Looted.
The Durango Mercantile company
owned by Steve Aguierre of FL PaSo,
was looted and they took Thomas Wat
son, the manager, out and stood him
up against a wall and were about to
shoot him. They also looted his home,
which was over the store.
7 did not escape the looters at my
ranch. They drove off all the blooded
stock. cut up the harness and burned
the Mexican wooden plows-
There was no money TO be had IN
Durango, and a commission was formed
to issue loan money, as II was Called
to meet the Immediate needs of the
occasion. This commission would is
sue the money on drafts, Jewelry,
watches or anything else OF value was
deposited The loan money was then
issued by the commission TO the value
Of the goods or drafts deposited. This
money was accepted by everyone in
Durango and had the sanction OF the
American and German consuls and was
accepted at par, as there was not a
dollar of any other kind in the town
There was a fine for refusing the
money and the rebel government
baced up the commission in its work
Consul Ham Does Good Work.
I worked constantly dressing the
wounds of the rebels during the bat
u -
town I was given two captains and
six soldiers by Tomas Urbina, and 1
went everywhere night and day, doing
as much to aid the suffering as posi-
Bile. When we left Durango there were
about so foreigners left, but under
stand they have left since we did.
have been in Mexico a long time and
1 want to say that American consul
T. C Ham is the best man they could
have down there He rode out in the
midst of the firing to arrange a truce
so that foreigners could be protected,
was fired at by the, federals and rebels
alike at $50 yards and took all kinds
of chances to do his duty. He has the
respect of both the foreign and native
people of Durango All OF the windows
of the consulate were broken by bombs
and once when bomb was placed at
his door, he went down and ordered
the men to take it away, which they
did. For Gen. Mariana Arrieta, his
brother Domingo. Peyrera and the 9TH
L
everything that they possibly could to
protect foreign property, but the lust
for loot was too strong in the minds
of the poor poems, and they could not
be controlled.
I'VE left Durango on August 25 for
Tampico and the states There were
- others in our party. Gen. Domingo
Arrieta gave US a permit to go on to
ZacatecaS, but We were ordered back
after we had got well started on the
road. They obtained $1,000 from the
others of the party, but | did not have
to give up anything, as l was the last
to return. We caught train 10 miles
from Zacatecas. which had been sent
out TO pick up the families OF some of
the railroad employees and officials. We
arrived in the railroad yards in Zaca-
tecaS under federal escort, but the
soldiers in the town thought we were
Maderistas and opened fire on our
party when an explosive signal In the
railroad yard went off If these SOL
diers could have shot straight some of
US would have been killed We pro-
ceeded to Aguas Calientes. but our
train was repeatedly delayed Three
times the rebels tried to blow up our
train. We passed 1900 federal soldiers
going toward Aguas Calientes They
were mere boys from II TO 10 years
old
DR.. Jackson is a prominent Mason,
being a member of the Mexican Ma
sonic bodies and a member of the De-
troit lodge. Padre Baslllo Camalito
accompanied his family here as ref
uRea from NTeNiCO-