St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-02-18
THE MEXICAN SITUATION.
Miss Ruby Stone Gives Her impress
siOns After Visiting That
Country.

Country.
Miss Ruby Mianda Stone, daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. Edward J. Stone,
of West Somerville, Mass, director of
physical culture at the Ell Paso
(Texas) school for girls the past
two years, while visiting her par
ents recently gave an interview to a
local paper on the Mexican situation.
AS Miss Stone was a native of ST.
Johnsbury the article will have spec
ial interest.
Miss Stone made an auto trip
through a section of the Mexican
territory occupied by rebel soldiers
Immediately after the battle of Juarez
where on November 1 . she involun-
tarily witnessed the execution of
Colonel Enrique PortilIa and subse-
quently had an opportunity to shake
hands with General Villa, who is
travelling in a $4,000 car bought for
him at El Paso, just across the Rio
Grande. She also saw the rebel army
leave JuareZ for the front, fifteen
miles south.
Relative to Mexico, prevailing
conditions and Mexican opinion of
the United States, she says, in part
''To talk about the trouble in
Mexico is a difficult thing to do, be-
cause the problems and conditions
are so different IN different parts of
that large country: To the average
Northerner Mexico is a small tract
of land south of the United States
somewhere, and a country filled with
uncivilized natives and few foreign
ers. But Mexico is in reality rich,
beautiful land, having many beauti-
fr11 nd f1nn1U ar
ucated people of it's own aside from
the many foreigners. The conditions
that prevail in many parts of Mexico
may be far different than in the
Northern part near the city of Ell
Paso, but here the question is be-
coming more serious every day. The
feeling among the people of the
Southwest is very strong for interven-
ton on the part of the United States,
and much criticism is hurled at Presi-
dent Wilson and the United States
government because of the way the
situation is being handled. 1t does
seem as if the United States govern
ment cannot realize the truth of af-
fairs and yet allow it to continue.
l do not know enough about
political affairs to judge so can only
tell of what l have seen and what
people there say.
Some people think all of the
fighting has been done miles away
from the United States, and her cit
les, but the battle of Juarez was
fought within a half mile of FL Paso
and in plain sight of her citizens. FL
Paso is a city of $4,000 people, mod
ern in every respect, with beautiful
streets and buildings, yet within one
half mile the MeXicans shot and kill
ed one another, in real warfare, en-
dangering the citizens of the United
States, and the United States could
do nothing.
Gas to the character of these men,
they are not the rough, burly type
you would expect to see. They are
thin and mostly under the average
height, giving an impression of be-
ing small. They have a savage, I'M
kempt look, for they are on duty
and slack. Villa himself is a short,
stocky man with rather a pleasing
face. He has a good military knowl-
edge, and it is said that he places
his troops on the field in the best of
formations. He did not look like a
brigand as he rode around JuareZ in
his $4,000 automobile which he pur-
chased in Ell Paso five hours after
the battle, and in which he went to
his next battle of La Mesa, fourteen
miles from FL Paso, three days after
the battle of JuareZ.
During the battle of Juarez many
bullets came across into Ell Paso, and
buried themselves in the homes and
buildings around, and perhaps if the
battle had taken place in the day
time, more people would have been
injured. 1t is hard to say what the
outcome will be because to most peo-
pie of the Southwest it is evident
that the fighting will continue until
the United States steps IN. In north
ern Mexico, Huerta is very unpopular, |
and the feeling that the death of |
Madero has never been avenged is |
strong, but it is impossible to say |
which side is in the right.
"The amount of damage on the |
American side of the border can |
never be estimated, either the damage
to life or property"