The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-03
Setting Of Interview on
) Mexican Situation
Is Picturesque.
PRESIDENT GOES
TO MEET HIS ENVOY
Mysterious Reticence Surround.
ing Visit to United States Con-
tinues, and No Information
on Subjects Discussed Given
Out-Mcxican Reported
to Be With Party.
[special to The Times.pisnatch.l !

Especial to The Times -Dispatch.1
Pass Christian, Miss, January q
Out on the blue waters of the Gulf
of Mexico. and in the captains cabin
Of the cruiser Chester. the long
heralded conference between President
Wilson and John Lind took place to-
night.
The President boarded the Chester
lying three miles Off Ship Island. and
twenty miles from this village. at 6
o'clock, and was in conference with
Mr.. Lind until late hour.
The setting of the interview between
these two men, who havc-t the future
American policy in their hands, was
picturesque. and the circumstances sur
rounding IT in every degree dramatic.
After a day OF anxious waiting, in
which the atmosphere OF mystery and
secrecy was hourly increasing. Prcsi-
dent Wilson rode to the Pass Christian
oyster wharf. and was placed aboard
the landing launch of the revenue cut
ter Winona. which arrived in the har-
Dor just ten minutes before.
Not the slightest hint had been
thrown out before that the PRESIDENT
was to go aboard the Chester to meet
Governor Lind.
Reason In Mystery.
The arrival of the Winona at Pass
Christian was. interpreted by every one
to mean that Envoy Lind had arrived,
and that he would be hurried Ito the
Presidents cottage. Instead of that,
the President went to Mr.. Lind. and
his reason for doing SO still remains
mystery.
The cutter Winona proudly turned
her Prov to sea, with the Presidents
flag at her masthead, while the entire
village OF Pass Christian was athrob
with the greatest excitement OF its
history. The Winona took more than
three hours to traverse the twenty
miles between Pass Christian Harbor
and the Chester.
Tho President was accompanied by
DIR. Cary T. Grayson and two secret
service ,faen. Mr. Lind met him ms he
came up the ship steps, and the two
men wasted no time in getting down
to the business which had brought
them together.
Tho Chester did not give the Presi-
dent the presidential salute of twenty
one guns as he came aboard for the
reason that 1t was after sunset The
Presidents nag. however, hoated from
the masthead of the scout cruiser for
che first, time in it's brief career
If the Presidents aim in making his
conference with MIR. Lind aboard the
Chester was to obtain privacy. he GER
tatnly had his wish granted, for, with
the exception OF one tug containing n
group OF newspaper men, none of the
hotilla of yachts and ships in Gulfport
Harbor went out to greet the cruiser.
First Meeting Since July.
II was their first meeting since last
July when the President conferred with
r tt,1 nf
tory to the latter's departure for
Mexico City, with instructions that
created diplomatic episode in Ameri-
can history.
FOR two days mysterious retIcence
has beep apparent at the presidential
cottage. concerning the present con-
ference When dispatches from Vera
Cruz announced that Mr.. Lind would
come to Pass Christian, there was q
noticeable manifestation of displeasure
among the members of the Presidents
party that his destination should have
been made public. President Wilson
had hoped to slip quietly away aboard
the revenue cutter Winona "for a
yachting trip and meet Mr. Lind at
sea.
The same effort at secrecy. with re-
spect to the Chester's whereabouts.
were frustrated by wireless news of
her location near Ship Island last night.
For nearly twenty-four hours Mr. Lind
was offshorc on the Chester before
the President, and instead of
permitting the personal envoy to come
ashore, President Wilson took trip in
a twentyfoot launch. mounted a COM
panionway to the revenue cutter
Winona, and was transhipped again In
midocean to the Chester.
The conference lasted until after s
o'clock, when the President left the
Chester and returned to Gulfport.
where automobiles were ready to take
him to Pass Christian, Just as much
secrecy as characterized the Presidents
first NEE ting with Mr.. Lind was evil
dent on this OCCASION
They had been In conference about
an hour tonight when the red and
blue lights In the fore-rigging OF the
Chester began to fash a mysterious
naval morse to the revenue cutter.
The conference lasted another hour,
and the President was then trans
ferred to the Winona, which brought
him back at top speed to Gulfport.
All reports that Mr.. Lind Would not
be allowed to land on American soil
on his hurried summons to Pass Chris
tian were set at rest when his sons,
Norman and John Lind, Jr., al rived at
in st. Paul MINI. Their arrival is
taken to mean that Mr.. Lind Will be
on shore tomorrow, and may possibly
go on brief visit to his home before
to Mexico.
President Wilson arrived at the
Gulfport dock after midnight, and
motored TO his cottage here, where he
arrived at O'Clock ~
!, The, President sont = word that he
would have, nothing to say tonight,
but agreed to meet the correspondents
early, tomorrow.
1t was learned that the Chester
would start for Vera Cruz Tomorrow
afternoon as soon IA Norman Ind; and