El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-16
Sa1azar Fears Being Shot
Thinks Rebels May Work It.
Mass Said Sunday at
Prison Camp.
BY c. d. HAGERTY,
Associated Press Staff Man.

Z UNDREDS of visitors went to
Fort Bliss Sunday to view the
prison camp where Gen. Hugh
l. Scott is caring for more than 5000
Mexican men, women and children who
fled after the federals were defeated
at Ojinaga q month ago.
Meanwhile Gen. Jose Ynez Salazar,
prisoner extraOrulnary, was uneasy and
sulked within his tent. Gen. Scott has
his confined in a special barbed wire
stockade away from the other prison
ers, and recently informed him that if
an attempt was made to rescue him,
he would be the first person shot
Sunday Salazar gent word 20 Gen.
Scott that he feared the rebels at
Juarez would take advantage of the
order and make false demonstration
from the railroad tracks nearby, prob
ably firing a few shots in the air, and
before the rUse was discovered, the
guard would have carried out the IN
structions with reference to himself
st have no more desire to escape
than 10 year old boy, was the mes
sage Salazar sent. Gen. Scott said that
he might enter the post guard house If
ne wished. Here he would be IN cell,
but perfectly safe. Salazar may try the
experiment for week.
All Are Card IndeIed.
Capt G. II. Estes, adjutant of the
goth infantry. which is in charge Of the
prison camp, has a card index system
to keep track of the prisoners and
their own leaders know more about
them now thau they ever did in the
Held These cards bear the name,
home town, rank, and age Of each pris-
oner and the number Of women and
children accredited to him ElilianO
FasQueZ, for instance, is Is years old
and with him are one woman and two
In the camp there are So wounded
federal officers and 1877 wounded men,
and 21S federal officers and $3.50 men
who are physically fit There are 1853
women and sos children. OF the chill
dren, 400 are of the school age and {
as soon as possible Gen. Scott viii in I
augurate a school at which some of the /
educated officers who are confined (
there viii be the instructors. There are [
four cases of small pOX, and this has
delayed the school plan. Three babies !
were born last week. three the week /
before, and more are expected.
Wen "HOused" and Fed.
The prisoners live in tents, brown
like the whole verdUreIesS landscape. 8
It costs Is cents gold per day to feed
each prisoner, or about $500 for the
camp, while the cost of subsisting an
American soldier is % l. cents. The
prison ratiOns consist of Mexican
beans. chill peppers, corn meal, pOta-
toes, onions, bread, fresh meat and cot
fee. A guard Sunday detected one Of
the prisoners giving away some Of his
coffee to more needy fellow country l
man on the outside
Most Of them are far better off than
they were when in the field. They 1
are housed and fed regularly and, by /
dint Of much urging, the Americans
have trained them to police their camp
and take proper sanitary precautions. 2
The prison is of about 30 acres. sur
rounded by a barbed wire fence. The
SenLrIeS do not enter the camp except {
for special purposes, but patrol it on
the outside Visitors are kept at a
distance from the fence, and the pris-
Oners themselves are kept away from
it. so that space of Is feet or more
interyenes between prisoners and spec
All Appeal for Aims.
In the crowds Sunday were many |
MeXicans from FL Paso, who took out
gifts of tobacco, cigaTets, bananas, ap- z
pies, oranges and other delicacies. The
prisoners, men, women and children, {
Jammed against the restraining wire
with ouLSUretchcd hands, crying in
pleading voices, "Meestcr,' or 'AIeeS-
ter Lady If they had picked up that
much English, to attract attention. All
gifts were passed inside through the
soldiers. One man who passed a half
dollar directly to a woman who had
passed the restraining wire was hus-
tied out of the camp. One disappointed
Mexican threw a stone at a sergeant
A mounted guard drew his pistol while
an lnfantryman went inside and ar
rested the offender. Such incidents,
1t was said, are not uncommon.
The offender will be tried at a court (
of his own officers, and viii be i'm
prisOned in a stOckade and otherwise
punished by his own comrades. The & 1
Americans insist on self support and
self government among the prisoners /
to the fullest extent possible. They
must maintain order, keep their tented /
streets clean, and make full reports !
TO Lieut.. Col Perkins, who is in com 7 ,
mand of the regiment.
Mass is Celebrated
Sunday visiting priests celebrated / ;
mass and there was a concert in the
afternoon by the band of 40 pieces
which was sent by provisional presi-
dent Huerta to inspire his soldiers at
Chihuahua and OJinaga. The prisoners
are well clothed. HUerta recently pro
vided all with shoes, hose, underwear
hats and oVerals or dresses. Officers
also receive S. a month and the pri-
Yates 81 Tney are permitted to make
purchases at the regimental store at
the same prices paid by the Ameri-
can soldiers.
Cooking and laundry work are the
principal occupations. carried on most
" by the women. Sunday uOrtillas
were being made by the hundreds. and
washing OF clothing was going on
everywhere Dogs ran about and all
over the camp men were PLAYING q
species Of handball batting with their s
hands, one side against another (
A special permit not easily obtained I
IS required for a visitor to go within ] I
the camp. This is due largely 10 fbe =
cases of smallpox which have devel I I
Oped. Americans who have enioved the { 7
privileges, and the guards. say that the
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