Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-05-07
FORCED TO BUY PROTECTION
Refugees Arriving az Vera Cruz Tell
OF Paying Money 70 t7uerta's
Soldiers.

Vera Cruz-Sixty-three members OF
the Medina colony in the state of
Oaxaca are among the refugees who
have arrived here. They were held
two days in Cordoba and report they
were we'll treated, except that they
we're obliged to sleep on the floors of
the barracks. They were relieved of
gunS, but not of the scanty belongings
which they were able to bring with
them.
j. w. Elliott, locomotive engineer,
was in TERRA Blanca when news OF
the occupation of Vera Cruz reached
hfrn. With his wife and children he
started for Cordoba under guard of
MexlcmI soldiers At Cordoba the
guards Said they were hungry and de-
manded so pesos on the threat to sur
render Elliott and his family to a
bowling mob which surrounded the
station and filled the streets.
The money was paid and Elliott and
his family were marched more than a
mile through the streets to the bar
racks. bounded all the way by the
mobs. They were kept In the barracks
six days, during the first two of which
crowds surrounded the place demand
ing their lives. On two occasions
members of the mob forced their way
into the barracks and except for the
efforts of the colonel and two other
officers Elliott and his family would
undoubtedly have been killed. Toward
the end of their stay the demonstra-
lions ceased to large extent. Q
Manager Boyd of the Motzorongo
Hacienda, when he arrived at Cordo-
ba, was forced by the federal guards
to pay 1850 pesos for protection
through the streets to the Jail.
Circulars containing the words"kill
the Gringoes" and urging the people
! to rise and massacre the prisoners
| were posted about Cordoba.
| One of the refugees who have ar
rived here from the interior is F. W.
Lehmer, a ranch manager from Tux
! tepec, whose home is in Omaha and
who was on his way to Vera Cruz for
visit, not knowing of the develop
ments here He was picked up at
TERRA Blanca by federal soldiers.
Il was placed with ten others in
train which was standing overnight,
surrounded by a mob which continu-
ally threatened to attack u.s. he said.
"The guards ate up everything avail
| able on the train, compelling us to go
hungry. At every station up to Cor
doba, on the following day, similar
crowds looted the train and threatened
us.
while being taken through the
streets of Cordoba squad of young
volunteers who had just been pre-
sented with flag swept down upon
lis and tried to run us down. This hap
pened at the corner where the mu-
nicipal palace is located or otherwise
we would not have escaped as we'll as
we did AS 1t was, | was hit on the
head with Flagstaff and man walk
ing beside me was struck on the head
with rock. His scalp was badly cut.
1T was due to the fine conduct OF
the Mexican colonel that we ever
reached the palace. He rushed from
the door with squad Of police and
soldiers and plunged into the crowd
scattering them and surrounding us.
Later we were put in the penitep-
tiary, and for six days we slept on the
stone tagging. There were two WON
en- In the party, one with little baby.
We we're allowed to send out and buy
blankets. and managed to get enough
to eat, such as It was
Monday we we're placed on a
train and brought down to Soledad.
We spent that night on the tracks,
There was che passenger coach left
for us and in this the women and
children slept. the rest Of us sleeping
| on the ground"