The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-07

Americans and the probable treatment
the Mexicans would receive. too much
Mexican mescal. with which many of
them had been purposely made intoxi-
Gated by Mas and his people, and the
bargains which HAAS made with re-
leased convicts to take them out OF
prison and give them their chance OF
arrest IL they would join the resistance
against the Americanos. But whatever
the cause these people did their part
with all the unshrinking courage of
fatalism.
i received striking illustration OF
this fatalistic courage later In the
evening while marching to the bar
racks to the cartel of the town, or
principal barracks at the south end of
the town. The Michigan battalion,
some $50 bluejackets, and a company
of marines under Capt. r. b. Creecy,
a former Washingtonian, were lined
up on the custom-house landing just
after dark and started for the bar
racks. the marines leading in skirmish
formation. We were forced to 60
eight blocks through that part Of the
town where only the streets had been
cleared and where no attempt had
been made to clear snipers from the
houses except by rife fire. We passed
along the main north and south street
of the city, the Independence. Blue
Jackets from the Arkansas on picket
duty were crouched in doorways oc-
casionally, returning shots from snip
ers. Lieut. Thomas artillery com
pany brought up the rear. Lieut..
Thomas and Ensign Fox had the First
Company with one field gun. Ensign
Glennon, the Western High School
boy. son Of Capt. Glennon. of the wyo-
ming, led the second division, which
carried the Colt automatic guns. In
the middle of one block after the First
Division of Thomas company had
passed into the next block. two snipers
from the second-story window OF a
house that Glennons company was
passing. fired for forty-five seconds
into the company. in the face of a con-
centrated return fire from twenty
eight rifles in the hands of Glennon's
men at a distance of not more than
fifty feet. 1t is taken for granted that
the two Mexicans paid for their fun
with their lives. but their courage cost
our battalion the life of one OF the best
men in 1t, Chief Gunner's Mate Bos-
well, who was shot in the stomach and
died later
The battalion was under a desuItory
fire throughout the march to the bar
racks and sharp shooters in Creecy's
marine company. brought down four
"Spigs. in as many shots. The marines
fired one shot at time at Specific
object. The bluejackets under great
nervous strain from this new kind OF
fighting were apt to pull the trigger more
because some member of their company
had taken a shot. than because they had
very definite idea of what they were
firing on. This Is not said by way of
depreciation. II merely is intended to
point out either the need for a larger
marine force or for more extensive train
ing Of bluejackets in this line of work
which they really should never be called
upon to perform.
We put up at the barracks for the
night with no food but emergency
rations. We were half expecting a re-
turn of Gen. Mas. with 5000 federals
which he claimed he had at his dispos sal
some fourteen miles out OF Vera Cruz.
Even had the general brought back
5000 Mexicans that night, he would have
found adequate provisions for his reccp-
ton. We had the barracks fortified with
3-inch field pieces and Colt automatic
guns and all sorts of little surprise
parties between the barracks and the
first line of hills The general didn't
come back-in point of fact he was
travelling a great deal faster in the op-
posite direction than he ever could hope
OF coming towards. Vera Cruz-but he
kept most of the officers and some GO
men awake all night in anticipation for
an early morning attack. Throughout
the night the sniping at the southern
end of the city continued but with no
further American casualties. Several
MeYicans. however. were dropped from
high places into the streets.
The next day the southern end OF the
city was cleaned out as effectively as
the northern part was the day before.
Lieut.. Thomas. with the rest of his force
from the Michigan put into effect. in a
systematic way the tactics of the ma
rines. Under Ensign Glennon and Fox.
squads made house-to-house Canvasses.
with the dual purpose of searching for
snipers and reassuring noncombatants
as to the purpose of the Americans. The
results were speedily accomplished.