The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-01
Shepherds Story Of
The Day Of Excitement
Americans in Nee City We're Shocked into Actv-
ityWfYN News Came from Vera
~ Cruz.

ruz.
4 have rushed through the once here
and arc going on the roof. There Is
lighting AL around here Everybody 4
i gone out but me and II 1t gets any
hotter I'm going too"
A few minutes later the cable wa.
dead.
At the railroad ONCE much the
same thing happened. Joe Daniels at
the Vera Cruz end OF the wire stayed
at his post as long as possible, tell.
ing the Americans marooned In Mex
leo City what was happening. He
wound up by saying: Il cant stay in
ONO. He didn't have time to add
the letter q to his last word.
What will I do with my family?''
every man asked the other. They
were aghast. The embassy was bonn
barded. O'Shaughnessy was astonish-
ed. He had received no word OF the
landing OF tho marines. The course
OF the embassy was lined with car
riages and auto coaches and the en-
bassy fille6 with drawn faces OF men.
/ Il can't tell you thing" said
OShaughnessy. o The men therefore
freed O'Shaughnessy of blame. Ad-
miral Fletcher and the officials at
Washington were roundly cursed for
not having given the Americans
warning. 1t wasn't terror that s.ized
the Americans, but alarm was wide
7! spread.
; What will the Mexicans do when
they hear of it?' was the general
question. The answer soon came. BY
2 o'clock extra editions were on the
streets. One paper tried to make it
easy for Americans by saying that
Americans IN the capital deplored the
Vera Cruz affair. Another said: yam
KEGS taks Mexican blood. Even the
little children Of this capital will rise
against them" BY three O'Clock there
were marching, singing crowds in tho
streets, yelling death to the Yam
KEGS. ss.siSs gs
ss IL reined MI day an extraordinary
tnldg I'll Mexico city y-sand Americans
took shelter In "coches" the typical
Mexican carriage hid under the
rubber tarpaulins. A day OF sunshine
might have meant bloodshed.
The train which left for Vera Cruz
at $40 Tuesday evening was jammed
to the guards with Americans. Even
sick persons had been placed aboard.
This train never reached Vera Cruz.
r. oct u,;fyir fo,,.< a ,,, ufIoz ~ that
city and wss turned back. returning
to Mexico City with its load Of Ameri-
cans thirty six hours later.
The mobs on Tuesday afternoon at
tackled the Hotel Porter, an American
place. the American club and the
Am srican consulate, smashing win
dows with stones and yelling for Yam
hotels were forced out, without get
ting their belongings. The American
club was abandoned. Americans took
sh alter in private houses. As night
fell, the crowds became more violent.
Policemen were sent to the en-
bassy to guard it, but in the center
OF the town they made NO effort to
SIOp tIe IiOLIIIt,. IL was ucluDcr VI
Huerta's house Of deputies who led a
crowd at four O'Clock in the morning
to the American club to batter at the
doors for admission. Later, he led
this same crowd to Fiske's American
jewelry stores and amid firing their
own revolvers they looted the place
OF $4,000 worth Of jewelry while the
law makers looked on.
Scores Of American m IN gathered
in the basement of the embassy that
night and prepared 275 rifles and ma
chine guns which Huerta had permit
ted OShaughnessy to receive a week
before A jeering. hooting crowd Of
Mexicans gathered in front OF the
embassy.
-The Japanese will help u.s." was
one OF their cries The Americans
loaded their rifles. but the police dis
persed the mob, which moved on.
O'Shaughnessy in the meantime
was trying to cable Washington but
he could receive no answer This
was explained when an Official Of the
cable company confided to me that
the Mexican army had seized the ilanO
wires of the cable which runs to Vera
Cruz.
"Do the Americans at the Vera
Cruz end Of the cable know that tn /
M sx.can army has seized this end of
the cable?" ! asked !
NO he answered. "sFhey would |
MT let me tell Vera Cruz about It," /
II was not until forty hours later
VIII IN the party of which | was one.
reached Vera Cruz that Admiral
Fletcher knew that the Mexican army I
had been controlling the other end of
the cable land wire On "Wednesday /
the war department. seized
the two railroads leading to Vera
Cruz. cancelltng all trains This move