The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-29
TWO Hundred and Fifty Of Them at
Vera Cruz, Waiting to Get
Some Real War
News.
WATER WORKS FURRY
How Newspaper Men Who Did Not
Go to the Front, Got the
Information -
First.

IL
respondent Of the United Press.l
VERA CRUZ. May 20. (By mail to
New York)-The first opportunity for
all the war correspondents to get to-
gether on the job at one and the
same time came today. Before now
we've worked In relays. When war"
broke out some correspondents We're
| in Mexico City and had to come
down to Vera Cruz disguised as Eng
tlishmen. They got here too late for
the battle. At that same time large
number OF correspondents were on
| the high seas, on battleships and
chartered boats and they, too, missed
| the battle. There were only a few
correspondents in Vera Cruz at the
time Of the actual fighting. But,
within the past few days, we've all
met here-some $50 of us-and to-
day was the first chance that the
work together, en- masse.
! It was a terrible sight; we almost
upset the army routine we had Cen
eral Funston and his entire staff try
| ing to keep out of our way SO that
\
we could take care of a fight that
was impending. 1t was like this:
Way out in the sandhills, eight
miles from the city. Mexican cap
tain had taken it into his head, If he
could get hold of the water works Of
Vera Cruz. which were within a mile
/ OF his line, he could control Vera
Cruz and kill the American invaders
| by thirst. To carry out this plan, he
| sent a lieutenant and three men, I'M
der flag of truce, to Major Russell,
who had charge OF the $50 marines at
the waterworks, with the demand
that the major Immediately surrender
the waterworks, intimating that
something would be doing. But 1t
was among the correspondents and
not among the officers and the sol
diers. In the first place none of the
1 ESQ OF us Lad army passes, but only
tickets which the army had given us.
We had to have army passes. We
rushed up to headquarters in street
cars, coaches, on foot; we beseiged
the building in which Funston has his
headquarters. They wouldn't let US
| in. General Funston was busy, they
said, getting achievements out to
tie water works.
Reinforcements!" said an indfg-
| nant war correspondent. That's all
right. but what about u.s."
There won't be any battle for You
| fellows to see II we don't get some
| body out to the waterworks to fight,
said a lieutenant. 1--WE have to get re-
Inducements out there first, and
that's what the general Is busy
about"
Finally, it was arranged that a
young lieutenant named William Bell
should sign our passes, permitting
/ us to go to the scene. But We
couldn't go into the building; we
must line up on the sidewalk before
a door-like window which opened into
room where Lieutenant Bell sat.
We were dead willing. It was our
fault anyhow, because we hadn't ar
ranged for our passes earlier. We
stood in line like people at a theatre
box office. AS soon as a man got his
pass, he started for "the front"
i"Starting for the front consisted in
finding something to ride In or on.
lone young correspondent dashed into
the middle OF the street, dragged
Mexican peon from burro, bought
the burro, saddle and bride outright
for so pesos and started off along the
asphalt pavement. in entirely the