The Washington herald., 1914-05-24
Tells HoW Missionaries
Got Out of Mexico City
Dr. Butter Paints Vipd Picture of Conditions in Mexi-
can Capital, Telling Hon Statue of Washington
Was Dragged Through Streets, and
How the Missionaries Escaped
~ JOHN w. BUTLER, d. d.

By JOHN w. BUTLER, ID. d.
(spsd,l correspondent Of the New Yort Chrissisn
Advoate.)
Aboard Steamer Monterey In Quaran-
tine Below New Orleans. May 7.-Forty
years ago I was sailing across the Gulf
Of Mexico. en- route. for the first time. to
my field of labor-a young and inexperi-
enced missionary Now, In company with
sol refugees from Mexico. including
twenty-one Of our own missionaries, we
are the unwilling guests Of Uncle Sam;
unwilling not because We fail to appre-
ciate all the government is doing for our
safety, but because circumstances be-
yond our control compel US to leave the
work with which our very existence is
closely woven.
For weeks we had known the situation
to be serious and hence had kept In close
touch with the United States embassy,
consulate and other sources which were
regarded as reliable We were repeatedly
assured that an absolute rupture OF re-
lations between the United State and
Mexico was remote, but that should II
unfortunately occur We would certainly
he given three or four days warning.
All information received was Immediate
" communicated to our missionaries,
who were, each and all. advised to be
ready at a moments notice, to make
their way either to the City Of Mexico
or to the port Of Vera Cruz.
Imagine our CONSERVATION on leayping.
about noon of April q. that American
marines had actually landed in Vera
Cruz, and that fighting had begun In that
port 1t Is said that neither the en-
bassy nor the consulate had any infor-
nation whatever of such intention on
the part of our government, and when
Charge O'Shaughnessy had his passports
,y,<
he and Consul General Shanklfn had Moth
ing to do but to leave at once, and
American interests were handed over to
the British legation. The same day We
received instructions by cable from the
mission office in New York to remove
mission headquarters to Vera Cruz, but,
alas, It was too>late, for the Mexican
government he'd already Communicated
the railways and stopped public traffic.
Two of our missionary family, who were
the first to start, came to within a few
miles of Vera Cruz and were obliged to
retrace their steps to the City of Mexico.
"American Hogs from Chicago"
The first reports reaching the capital
from Vera Cruz were not only greatly
exaggerated but grossly distorted Ex-
tras were circulated on the streets al
most hourly, with blood-curdling stories
and pouring out walls of wrath" against
the Americans, For instance, one of
these extras stated that the American
hogs from Chicago" had landed in Vera
Cruz and ''butchered the children Of the
naval school of that port" By the chill
dren they meant the cadets. 1t was also
asserted that the cruel animals Of the
North. had shot down innocent women
and children in the street These are
only samples of the incendiary news
given out, with great headlines and some
times printed in red. 1t took but few
hours to stir up the half million people
of Mexico City as perhaps they had
never been stirred before.
Men and women rushed to arms and
swelled the federal army faster than they
could be drilled. Everywhere one went
could be seen groups receiving military
instructions. Females organized clubs
to defend the national honor" Process
sions marched through the streets. crying,
Death TO the Yankees ana long life to
Mexico" As one such crowd passed the
Jockey Club. Senor Gamboa, erstwhfle
secretary of foreign relations, appeared
in the balcony and addressed them.
Among other things, he said DO not
make fools Of yourselves. If you really
mean what you say. enlist and go to
Vera Cruz. That is the place where the
Yankees do not die a natural death"
The crowd laughed and marched on. not
only to shout, but to smash windows and
otherwise damage the business places of
Americans
A Haven of Refuge.
In the face of such proceedings We
were fortunate enough to secure the use
Of a large property in the northwest
portion of the city. This building was
held by the Woman's Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church South,
though their school had been closed since
the troubles of last August and the build
ing was now empty. Into this We gath
cred the missionaries of the city and all
others as fast as they arrived from out
side stations. We also had eighteen
Mexican girls from the Sarah L. Keen
School. whom we had not been able to
send to their homes. Quarters were am
pie and the large yard proved to be
luxury to our Methodist refugees. On
April q all moved out of mission head
quarters except Mrs. Butler. myself and
the janitors family. In the afternoon
Brother Carhart Joined US. About 4:45
O'Clock the next morning we were awak-
ened by breaking Of glass. Looking out
through the curtain We saw a group of
ten men, with crowbars and other tools,
breaking the plate glass of the curio
store across the street. After about
Of an hour We watched
them pass slowly along the block and
damage every American house on both
sides of the street except ours. They did
stop in front Of our door, looked UP,
but passed on. In the meantime We had
prepared a way of escape for Mrs. But
ler and the rest Of US to an adjoining
property. had it been necessary.
Later in the day we Joined our mis-