Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-05-26

Mr.. and Mrs. Chas. E. zahn Arrived in the
City on Wednesday Interesting
Experiences.

eras and anyone found with these
articles was relieved and the confis-
Gated property turned over to the
government. At the railway station
the list Of those registered having
been submitted and approved by the
secretary of war. was given in to the
care of one of the members of the
British legation, stationed at the
railway gate, beside whom were two
generals of the army as well as half
dozen soldiers with drawn bayonets,
who repealed any effort on the part of
those not registered to get through.
1t is hard TO describe the feeling of
anxiety that many had to undergo
and especially Americans. We could
not help but feel that while we had
the freedom of the city we were pris-
oners in fact, and believing that the
Americans were advancing on Mexico
City we had visions of being lined UP
and shot. This no doubt would have
been our fate if an advance had been
ordered. The train finally pulled out,
but before 1t did, few cars directly
following the engine were loaded with
dynamite, a proceeding which made
those of US left behind feel that even
this British train would not be given
safe conduct. Some of our friends
got off the train and chose to remain
in The city rather than to go out not
knowing what the government had In
store for them.
A week later the government had
made arrangements for an American
train to take any Americans who
chose to get out. This, they ex-
planned, had been done since Admiral
Fletcher had allowed train load of
Mexicans to leave Veracruz. About
100 Americans had registered to leave,
but just previous to the time sched-
uled for the leaving of our train, an
order came that instead of going di-
rectly to Veracruz, the train was to
be sent nearly to the Isthmus of Teh-
uantepec and from there to CoatZo-
coalcos. This to US seemed suspicious
and we were also informed by officials
in the railway service that some very
peculiar things had been ordered by
the government and they had with
drawn their names from the list of
those wishing to 60 on this train. i
had not been anxious to go because |
had learned somewhat Of the Mexican
people, and having read their history,
knowing the things of which they
were capable, was absolutely opposed
to going: but Mrs. Zahn having ex-
pressed desire to go, not wishing to
disappoint her, | said nothing of my
desires and consented to go. When
she found that there were suspicious
circumstances connected with the
going of our train, she, too, suggested
that we had better wait. We felt
that if we were to be slaughtered we
chose to die in the City rather than
to be taken some where along the line
Of the railway and blown up or shot,
whatever method might be taken.
To give you an idea of how great the
scare became / need only TO mention
that out of 100 registered 3l4 actually
went out on that train. When we
heard that the train arrived safely
at it's destination we felt a bit more
safe and fully made up our minds that
if another train left we would also get
out. We waited a week before an
other train had been arranged for, not
being able to do any business and with
nothing To do, we read extras of the
progress of the war. We were any
thing but comfortable during the
seven days that passed before the
going out of the second American
train. Again there were rumors of
The terrible things that were to befall
Americans. The papers were filled
with the vilest things that humans
could imagine, and things such as an
American paper would not publish
They were advised to kill Americans
at sight, claiming that any means en-
ployed would be considered fair.
House tops were to serve as hiding
places and vantage points, from which
to pick off Americans as they passed
along the streets. Our homes were
to be the objects of assault by mobs.
In fact anything was to be done that
might add to our misery and anxiety.
The twenty-ninth regiment, which is
the pet regiment of Banquet, the
minister of war, had been selected by
the president TO masquerade as poems,
and these were designated to massacre
Americans, but due to a ''break"
which had occurred between Huerta
and Banquet this was not carried
out.
Mobs were melted by Cabinet min
listers and American business houses
were stoned and windows smashed,
signs torn down and stocks destroyed.
American concerns were TO be dyna-
mited and had the pleasure of know
ing that our place had not been for
gotten, but so bitter is the feeling of
the lower classes against the govern
ment that the mobs refused to incite
sufficiently to carry out the dast2rGly
work that had been mapped out by
those in authority.
Several Americans were killed on
the streets by the mobs and three
that had been imprisoned in Belem
were reported shot. That more lives
were not lost was due entirely to the
fact that most Americans chose 20 re-
main under cover until the rioting
had ceased.
Foreign residents, who had taken
a.. a.