The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-03
FROM MEXICO CITY.
HAWK WRITES
INTERESTING LETTER RECEIVED
FROM MAN WHO WAS IN THE
MIDST OF THE CLASH.

purchased the McClay ranch south
west of this city, yesterday received a
letter from his brother, Walter D.
Hawk, who was in the City Of Mexico
when hostilities broke out there some
days ago. While the letter was writ
ten Feb. II when Mr.. Hawk was on
board a steamer returning to Chicago
by way Of Vera cruz and Havana, the
writer tells some very interesting
things about the first four days of the
fighting. He says:
The revolution broke out in Mexico
City while ! was there and / remained
through four days of it. / then got
down to Vera Cruz under the shelter
of United States battleships-three Of
them.
1 left my hotel Sabbath morning,
Feb. 8. intending to take a walk up
past the national palace before break
fast, so | could get up an appetite.
Absent mindedly I turned into a cafe
before going to the palace and within
10 mute after l entered the place
the fight at the palace broke out with
a a Of rifles and rapid fire guns.
1t was the very spot where l had in
tended going and just about the time
| would have been there. Within 10
minutes about $50 were killed and 500
wounded. The machine guns moved
down soldiers n citizens just as a
mower would cut grass. 1t was s: go
a. m.
Then the fight moved down where
] was and | got shut in the restaurant
with only glass and iron shutters be-
tween. I remained there about 20
minutes when, during a lull in. the
firing, l made a dash for my hotel, Is
rods distant. Before l reached the en-
the firing commenced again on
the same street.
Four Days in Hotel.
Il reached the hotel n remained
within for four days. The building
was formerly the palace of Emperor
1turbide with walls of stone and ce-
ment about two feet thick. ! felt
pretty safe for a while, but when the
shells commenced exploding above the
building and shrapnel began to fall on
the hotel and in the patio, l thought it
was time for getting away.
"A German gentleman and I hired
a a to take us to the station a mile
a" ay. We agreed to pay the drive
getting our baggage ready some other
fellow offered the cabman IS and
when we came out our cab was gone.
With great difficulty we found an
other cabby who only asked SO. l told
him we would give him S. and if he
caught the outgoing train to Vera
Cruz, 81. He made his skinny Mexi-
can horses gallop nearly the whole
way, but we got there and got out,
and so were happy.
THE conditions in Mexico City were
RAPIDLY growing terribly dangerous.
There was little food, little money, all
banks and stores were closed, no po-
lice on the streets and an army of
Indians II miles distant ready to loot
the city. with n and machine
pounding away all day long,
from sunrise until dark and the fight
in. being only a few blocks away, two
or three blocks sometimes, conditions
were not conducive to peace of mind
or nerves. I counted and found that
| one time the cannon shots ve'agei
one per secondhand they kept it up
most of the time during the day and
occasionally at night. The morning
of Feb. 10 the bullets from exploding
shells fell in showers in the dining
room where l was eating and a bullet
a room about u feet from
min
The Iturbide hotel, where I was
stopping was almost on a line between
the Cimadadella (arsenaD and the ma
tional palace, the two principal points
held by the opposing armies. I knew
that sooner or later we might be in a
most dangerous position, so | felt bet
ter after getting away and reaching
Vera Cruz. l have my return ticket