The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25

copyrighted, 1918, by Frank C. Car

X XExICO CITY want to give you
MI some sidelights on the Mexican
xNX situation. The whole country is
changing. Everything is in state of
revolution and this revolution means
more than the fighting which is now
going on in so many different quarters
The country is having an intellectual
revolution as well as a physical one.
The common people are waking up. The
poems have begun to think for them
selves and even the rich are changing
their ideas as to the division of prop
erty Labor at last is claiming ITS
rights Within the past few months
we have had big strike on the rail-
ways and a large part of the debates
in the Chamber of Deputies is as to the
raising of wages and the cutting down
of hours of work in the factories
The Brigands and Banditti
At the same time the whole republic
Is in a state of fear as to where trouble
will break out next. Many localities
have no order whatever and the bri-
gands and banditti commit their out
RACES with little fear of the result
They dynamite tunnels. burn bridges
and tear up the tracks of the railroads.
At this writing nearly every railroad
system is more or less out of commits
sion.
Stray bands of rebels will hold up a
passenger train and go through the
pockets of the travellers If there are
soldiers on the train they may fire
upon them without regard to the pas
sengers, and at such times they have
no regard for the train employees.
A few months ago some of these reb-
els seized a fireman who was trying
to protect his engine. They threw him
alive into the fire box of the locomo-
tive and he was burned to death. An
other engineer saved his life by takin 6
Off his coat and assuming the uniform
of conductor.
These railway troubles have now ex-
tended to most of the roads in the re-
public. The upper part of the Mexican
Central, which runs between Ell Paso
and Mexico City, has been out of COM
mission for more than two years. The
conditions were so bad there that the
Madero government contemplated max
sNS military cars with double walls of
e!AAes steel and sand in the middle.
Fh~sn ware to be used for soldiers and
rer~ 70 be travelling fortiflca tons. They
wore painted in checkerboard fashion,
the black and white checkers disguis-
ing the loopholes.
Tire losses have been so great on
parts of that road that certain Amer
ican lines have not let their cars go
into Mexico for fear of losing both cars
ana freight.
Fac railway situation in the western
part of the country has been eXcep-
tionally bad. The Southern Pacific lines
have been damaged to the extent of
millions of dollars. and many of the
western roads are now in the hands of
the rebels.
A. to the National line from Laredo
to the Mexican capital this has been
open right along until the last revolu-
tion. The only trouble has been the
burning of a few bridges and a small
station now and then. But since Ma
dero was killed there has been more
or less trouble along that system and
1t is only now that the cars are again
running regularly.
Hanged From Telegraph Poles
OF late the conditions have been very
bad in southern Mexico and not far from
Mexico City. The Zapatistas have COM
mitted scores of outrages, burning up
haciendas and the cane on great sugar
plantations. They have attacked the
trains, and both freight and passengers
are unsafe.
The federal troops now and then guard
the trains. They pursue the rebels and
festively hang the prisoners from tele-
graph poles. The passengers coming in
on recent train reported a fringe of
hanging bodies from such poles on the
edge of the federal district. and said that
a dozen rebels could be seen hanging to
some trees by the side of the road.
You would naturally think that this
would stop travel. 1t does not At the
hotel registers here you may see the
names of Americans who are coming in
and going out to and from all parts of
the republic. The trains are open to the
Jsthmus of Tehauntepec, Vera Cruz.
Guadalajara, and to Tampico, Laredo and
elsewhere, and business although it stops
nd iG nio
where. This may be seen by the last
report as to exports. This shows that
more goods were shipped out of Mexico
in 1912 than ever before. The exports
in 1912 were in round numbers $29S, 900. 600,
whereas in 1911 they were s293, 100000, and
in 1910 30,O00000 less, and $50 100000 less
In 1905 These figures are Mexican silver
The Americans say they know they are
in danger every time they take the train
but that 1t is about l to l that they will
get through all right, and If held up will
probably not lose more than the money
they have in their purses. I know Of
some who have even escaped that by
throwing a part of the rolls which they
carried into the spittoons or by hiding it
under the mattress of their Pullman car
berths. / have already told you how
carried my big bills in my stocking, but
so far l have escaped railroad hold-ups
and accidents.
A Land of Suspicion
One of the worst features of the present
situation Is the suspicion that prevails
everywhere. None of the leaders seem
to have much faith in his fellows and
the partsans of Huerta and Diaz are
afrsid of each other. It Is the same with
the rebel bands throughout the country
Every man seems afraid OF his partner
and the air is full of treachery and ru-
mors Of plots. It is doubtful whether
the truth has been told as to the trage-
dies of the recent past. You can get a
half dozen different stories as TO how
Madero was killed and three-volume ro-
mances out of the reported plans of Huer-
ia and Diaz
The supporters of Diaz claim that any
tions have been warranted by his CAP
ture by treachery at Vera Cruz. The
story goes that the Madersta officers
who took him at that time had solemnly
promised to leave Madero and go over to
him. They pretended to do so and came
up with their soldiers, carrying white
handkerchiefs on their bayonets as flags
of truce. 1t is said that they betrayed
Diaz, almost with kiss. They embraced
him and then suddenly turned and cap
tured him at the mouths of their guns
I am told here in Mexico City that this
treachery was a money transaction, and
that Madero paid the man who took Daz
a fixed sum. There Is one man here who
says he saw the check for sl00, 900, which
Madero signed, and that this check was
cashed on one of the banks of the cap
ital I do not believe that at all. When
men pay money for such things they do
not do 1t in checks
According n har tnrv fha