Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-11-08
Better Class of Mexicans Organize Militia; All
Will Unite Against Any Foreign Invader

captain came rushing up and pointed
his gun at Hobart with the evident
intention OF shooting him Before
he could fire, however. a number of
Us jumped to the rescue and knocked
/ his gun into the air.
I'VE thought we had him convinced
that IL wasn't necessary TO do any
shooting. but kept a close watch on
him ard a few minutes later he was
seen to be maneuvering for a place
to get another bead on my friend.
This time we knocked him down and
took his weapons away from him. Lat
ter he explained that he thought Ho-
bart was a federal general spying on
the rebel forces. II Hobart had been
shot he would have fallen into the
grave with the Mexican dead.
These were samples of a number
OF experiences ] had with the con-
tending sides. witnessed several
sharp battles and still more minor
skirmishes. ! saw the rebels loot the
city of Chihuahua and some OF the
incidents Witnessed at that time serve
to illustrate the character Of the ma
tives. When the rebels start carry
ing away contents of the stores and
dwellings they appear to have no idea
at all as TO relative values. They seize
upon the first objects that attract their
notice. / saw two men carrying on a
settee al one place, something that
neither had the slightest use for. They
had no place TO put ii and there was
no market for IL.
Another one of these militant poems
came out of q store with an SIS pair .
OF miners boots. He removed mis- /
sandals and drew on the boots, but
they seemed to give him discomfort
and so he took them off again and
with his knife cut away the soles.
Then he pulled the uppers on, replaced
the sandals to serve as soles and
away. Another rebel took
he same kind of boots and, being dis
satisfied because his feet slipped about
N them. cut holes through the top
and bottom and tied each foot 10 the
sole by means of a cord around one OF
he middle toes such as he used 10
'asten on his sandals. He wanted 10
eel that string around his toe.
Is 4 RICH COUNTRY.
'As nearly everybody knows. Mexico
$ one OF the richest countries in nat
,ral resources on the globe. Its mines
re of unsurpassed yielding capacity
md il has valuable timber and cattle
anges. while II is capable of produc- {
ne fruit. nuts. etc, that find ready
ale in the United States. Agricul-
urally, the resources are not as great ,
5 some suppose, there being so much
and that IS practically a desert Oc-
asioDally they have a complete fail
re OF grain crops and then they abol- 6
'h the duty on American corn for !
ne time being. Both irrigation and
~ farming were pTacticed there long
efoTe they were ever thought of in
lie United States. :
"One of the richest oil fields in the
orld is at Tampico in the state OF
and il was this fact that
FINISHED a basis for the rumor that
lie disturbances in the country had
cen caused by the fight between the p
tandard Oil company of America and s
Ie Lord Cowdry interests of England. 81
hich control the oil business under I,
ie name of the AguiIa company ir
of course Mexico is an old country, q
speaking. Its resources G
I'VE been developed as far as the pl
exicans themselves can hope to uti- m
.e them. even under the most favor
lie governmental conditions In fact. OF
reigners are about the only ones al
ere who show any degree of enter a,
Use. Americans pay 40 per cent of I'll
e taxes which are collected, with n