Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-05-21

Of order in Mexico?"
No, IL a compromise government is
assured Of American military support
in the event OF further revolution"
Pessimism is General.
But none of those with whom I
talked was sanguine. All considered
compromise possible rather than prob
able. ! shared their pessimism as I
went past the battered American club
to the beleaguered and worried little
Brazilian minister. What hope is there
for people whose government builds
an opera house more beautiful than
any such building In the British en-
pire or the United States. while the
majority Of the people have neither
letters In their heads nor shoes on
their feet?
Henry Rice, who used to live in Chi
cago, took me to the general of police.
We drove past cabmen who looked
and dressed like blanket Indians and
PAST officers as smartly uniformed as
the French artillery staff. The gen.
eral gave us permission to leave the
city. We hurried pass the boulevard
ed Y. M. c. A. building TO the French
special train, on which we had been
invited to go to Puerto Mexico, lest
the general Of police change his mind.
Describes His Experiences.
! do not like to give too much space
to our own experiences, but l must re-
late them in so far as they illustrate
conditions and the attitude OF the
Huertistas toward Americans. Twice
we were arrested and once held in.
communicate short time and
searched as spies for discriminating
documents. Thursday morning Rich
ard Harding Davis, Frederick Palmer
and left Vera Cruz by train for the
gap in the railway where the Mexicans
cut the track April 22. It is not sur
prising that we we're stopped. II is
surprising that two of US got to Mex
leo City and back again with so little
delay.
Palmer has the appearance Of an
American man OF letters. Davis says
the farther we advanced into the inter
ior the more looked like a shayen
Uncle Sam. Davis himself looked to
me like mixture of John Drew and
Theodore Roosevelt shaken well be-
fore using. He and /, anyway, seemed
selected for defeat. Adam Weimar. a
German-American employed by the
Banco National, who started with us
from Vera Cruz, did what he could to
help us. Davis had letters from the
Brazilian consul to his minister in
Mexico City. / had personal letter
from the French consul introducing
Davis and me to General Mas, while
in addition / had a certificate which
showed that represented a great Eng.
lish newspaper. Our credentials, like
Mercutio's, were not much, but
enough, but Palmer had only visiting
card.
Men Placed Under Arrest.
From the gap we rode by rail to
Paso del Macho. where we stopped
for luncheon.
1t was very hot and the platform
was packed with waiting Mexican ref
ugees from Vera Cruz. Suddenly
saw Davis going through the crowd
with a shabby little officer at his ell
bow As started to his rescue an
other officer, still shabbier. tapped me
on the arm and invited me to follow
him. did. AS the guard closed
around US we turned to welcome
Palmer's solemn accession to our
ranks.
of to the Jail we marched. little
sandaled soldiers shuffiing along on
either side. They drove a crowd of
men and women out Of the Jail court
into the jail and asked US for our pa
pers. They read the papers and then
offered a chair first to Palmer. not to
sit on, but to facilitate the removal Of
his boots to see II his socks contained
dispatches. They searched US, but
politely refused to give up my letter
to General Mas, which saved US. !
unlimbered my Spanish. They put US
in a nice cell and sent for another
officer.
Sentinel Loads His Gun.
Meanwhile lieutenant, who looked
like doorkeeper in movie" show.
put sentinel over each of US and os-
tentatiously loaded his gun, Davis
said something by way Of coincidence.
"Silencio!" said his sentinel
So we sat, cross, hot and mum
above all, mum. Presently came a
lieutenant who could speak French.
unlimbered that language, too, and out
we were sent without guard. Cen
eral Mas was very civil. He did not
ask Davis or me about our nationality,
but Palmer's visiting card would not
do. He had to go back to Vera Cruz.
We had no more adventures. A
drunken brakeman said he was death
on Americans. but If we were English
we could give him few centavos for
beer. At Orizaba we spent a comfort
able night In hotel kept by French
man. Friday we left for Mexico City.
1t was not until we were leaving the
railroad station for our hotel in the
capital that anything befell US. Then
a young man with the manners of a
hotel runner stopped US. We discov
cred that he was detective.
Accompanied by this man and a
half dozen of his colleagues, we
went to the office of the inspector OF
police. With us went e. T. Oakley,
resident correspondent Of the London
Times, to see us through. There we
found Walter Whiffen, who had been
confined for twenty-four hours without
bed, linen or sanitary facilities. SUIT
ton also was there. Oakley vouched
for US and presently we were taken
to the Brazilian legation and after an
hours parley were released upon our
agreement to leave the city within
twenty-four hours and to send no news
by mail or cable during our stay there.
"Meant Sarcastic"
A lady in town lying under the