The Washington herald., 1914-04-20
HUERTA CAUSES
BUSY SABBATH
State, War and Navy Depart
ments Scene of Fever
ish Activity.
NEWS WIRED PRESIDENT
Officers of Army Warned to Remain
, Near Posts-Aviators Are
Ordered Out.

The State, War and Navy Department
which usually on Sunday shows about
as many evidences of life as a cemetery,
was astir before S o'clock in the morn
ing. Not since the days of the Spanish
war has there been such feverish excite
ment and hustle among the clerks and
officers in the great gray building.
All night long the lights had been
burning in the operating room of the
State Department where a telegrapher
had kept vigil waiting for messages from
Mexico City. In the next room an eX-
pert translator was ready to decipher
any communication that might reach the
department, a sentence at a time and
transmit them by telephone to Secretary
Bryan. who had retired at his home with
telephone at his bedside.
Only one message reached the depart
ment in the course OF the night from
Charge d'Affairs O'Shaughnessy at Mexi-
CO City. 1t was the one referred to
In late bulletins. to The Herald yester-
day. In this communication o'Shaugh-
messy gave the details of the delivery
to Huerta OF President Wilson'S ultima
tum and notified the State Department
that Huerta had shown signs of yield
ing. but would impose new conditions.
O'Shaughnessy said that Huerta raised
the question as to how the United States
could expect him to render a salute when
President Wilson had refused to recognize
his government
Bryan Wires President.
Long before President Wilson had ar
rived at White Sulphur Springs, w. Va.
direct wire had been set up between
the White House Executive Offices and
the hotel at the West Virginia resort.
The O'Shaughnessy dispatch was i'm
mediately sent by Mr.. Bryan to President
Wilson.
Before the President had replied to this
dispatch another had reached the State
Department early yesterday morning
from O'Shaughnessy, this was the one
which contained the definite Information
that Huerta had yielded on his demand
that the United States fire a salute
simultaneously with the one rendered
by the Mexican guns. Instead Of this
demand, however, he insisted that the
United States should give him assurances
in writing preferably from the President
himself that a return salute would be
fired in Acknowledgement of the twenty
one guns given by the Mexicans
Immediately upon the receipt of this
communication Secretary Bryan reached
President over long-distance telephone
at White Sulphur Springs and had an ex-
tended conversation. The President re-
fused fatty to give any assurances in
regard TO the firing Of a return salute
beyond the statement contained in Ad-
miral Mayo's original demand upon the
Mexican general at Tampico. In that
demand Admiral Mayo had said that the
salute to the American flag would be
returned by the guns on an American
warship
Further Insult by Hucrta.
It was about 10 o'clock in the morning
when Secretary Bryan hurried to the
State Department and began the prepara-
ton of a reply to O'Shaughnessy. This
reply was of the same vigorous and force
ful character that marked yesterdays
ultimatum to Huerta. The Mexican die
tator was given to understand that this
government would make no concession in
the way of formal advance agreement
with Huerta in regard to the firing of a
return salute. He was told again that
the United States was standing firmly