The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-05-09
SOME SlDELIGHTS ON The MEXICAN VAR
Rv A VETERAN.

been captured four times before Uncle
Sam seized 1t on April 81. Once it fell
to Gen Winfield Scott, once to the
allied forces Of France, England and
Spain, and twice to the buccaneers of
the Spanish Main:
know several men today who were
present at the siege Of 1847. 1t is
probable none of these veterans of the
first Mexican struggle will see service
this time, although 1 have just seen
a letter from Brig. Gen. Horatio G.
Gibson, u. s. A, retired, eighty-seven
years old, in which the venerable
fighter offers his sword to the stars
and stripes and refers to Major Gen
Leonard Wood as sponsor for his
physical and mental ability. General
Gibson served through the Mexican,
Civil and several Indian wars.
1t was March z, 1847, when the fleet
bearing General Scott and his little
army appeared on Mexico's principal
seaport The troops landed without
much trouble after the city had been
! bombarded, but it took a sanguinary
siege Of thirteen days to capture the
defenses. Trenches were dug and reg
Ular operations conducted.
So our troops this time can COM
mence their march toward the capital
with much less Of a handicap than
General Scott's.
While the troubles Of the United
| States which eliminated in the Civil
war were brewing Mexico grew AFRO
| CANT to this country and to Europeans.
The GROWING insult was President
| Rfiramon's seizure of S630,O0O in specie
! from the British consulate. Great
Britain, France, Spain and Prussia de-
cided to move. Meantime the great
Benito Juarez, the General Washing
ton Of Mexico, was conducting a re-
volt in the North. He overthrow Mira
| mon, but the foreign troops kept on
/ their way. On December IA, 1861,
Vera Cruz was seized by a Spanish
force under General Prim. The result
was the elevation of Macmillan to the
throne and, after the European troops
had been withdrawn, the unfortunate
Austrian's execution.
The pirates, with force equal TO a
respectable army, captured Vera Cruz
in 1888. They burned, slew and
robbed for many days before they
were driven to their ships. In 1712
the notorious buccaneer kings, Lau-
rent and Van Horn, seized the port
and held it ten days. They killed hun
dreds of Mexicans, carried away WON
en- captive and did an immense
amount of damage
To this day the nurse girl OF Vera
Cruz, seeking to still the fretful child,
says: BE quiet or will give you to
Van Horn"
Reparation for One Insult.
was much amused by the i'll
informed if well-meaning persons who
cried out that Dictator Huerta had
given sufficient reparation for the In
suit to the flag at Tampico by his
meager and half-hearted apology.
From the files Of the navy depart
ment 1 have dug up q report from
Commander J. Blakely Creighton, U.
s. N, commanding the Oneida, who
witnessed Japan's atonement for an
offense against our bIueiackets 1t
reads:
''Hiogo, Japan. March IA. 1868
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary OF the
United States Navy, Washington,
/ u. H.
municate the particulars OF the execu-
ton OF the japanese official Tati Ian.
zutaro. retainer of the Matsdaira BIZ
zen, No Kami, who ordered his troops
to fire on the foreigners at this place
on the fourth ultimo.
This execution was witnessed by
me at the request Of our minister, Gen
R. B. Van Valkenburgh, and was IS
follows:
I left the legation at about 600
p. m. in company with the officers at
tached to the foreign legations and
proceeded to Hiogo, where we were
met by a guard. who escorted US tc
the temple where the execution was
to take place.
There was a large number OF
people on each side of the street lead
ing to the temple, and quite a mum
Der Of soldiers drawn up inside and
about the temple We were shown
into a room adjoining the japanese
officials, where we were asked If we
wished to question the person about
to be executed. to which we answered
in the negative. They also took the
names of every official present
After waiting about half an hour
we were conducted by the japanese
officials into what appeared to be the
principal room of the temple, which
was lighted with candles, and II
front Of the altar was raised a plat
form Of about foot in height, which
extended across the room and which
was placed on the right Of the altar
within few feet Of where the execu
ton was to take place, with the japan
csc officials on the left
I'm front of the altar was a green
cloth and In front OF that a red one
We were informed that the execution
would take place on the red cloth
Seating ourselves upon the mats OF