The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-05-01
Capture Of Mexican City After
Two Days Fight Presents
Vivid Picture.
VAL0R OF OUR BLUEJACKE7S
Warships she;ied Buildings In Which
Mexican "snipers" Had Taken Ref
uge-Natives Surprised at Cour-
tesy Of American Troops.

thirty wounded before the city of
Vera Cruz came into the undisputed
possession CT the American invading
forces after a two-day fight. Although
the MeXicans suffered more severely.
the number Of their casualties has not
been ascertained. The best estimates
obtained by Capt. William r. Rush
CT the battleship Florida indicated
that in the engagements OF Tuesday
Wednesday their dead numbered
about ona hundred and fifty. No per-
son knows how many Meyicans fell
wounded, as many of them were taken
away and hidden by friends.
In the streets about the plaza
wednesday afternoon lay fifteen or
twenty bodies, a majority Of them at
tired in citizens clothing. Some Of
the men evidently had been dead since
the engagement Tuesday and the
tropical heat made their immediate
disposal imperative. One Of the first
orders given after the town had been
captured was to bury the Mexican
dead in a trench at the sea end Of
n Of the streets leading from the
plaza.
Scores Are Taken Prisoners.
When the city was taken the order
was given to advance carefully and
search every building for men bearing
arms. Scores of prisoners we're taken,
the majority of them protesting vol
nbly-many Observation-Disclosures they
were not guilty Of any unfriendliness
toward the Americans. Accustomed
as the NeIicans are to seeing their
W cortondins forces shoot imme-
diately all prisoners taken. the cap
tured men could not but believe that
they would receive no less drastic
treatment at the hands Of the Ameri-
cans. The guns found in houses were
thrown by the marines and blue
Jackets from the upper balconies to
the pavement below.
The most spirited action was the
taking Of the naval academy. Aside
from that feht. no definite. organized
opposition was encountered by the
Americans. A hot fire was poured
from the naval college. but a few
well directed shots from the cruisers
Chester. San Francisco ard Prairie
tore gaping holes in the stone walls
and silenced the rifle fire OF the Mexi-
can inside. The ~bluejackets then
were enabled to proceed with the ash
they had in hand.
Escape From Fight Cut Of.
Despite the Smelling it had received
Tuesday, a squad Of soldiers continued
to give considerable trouble to the
Americans from the battered Benito
Juarez tower. After they had been
siienced and removed from the tower
1t was discovered that the soldiers
had continued fighting for lack OF
ability to do anything else. The shells
from the warships Tuesday had torn
away the stairway in the tower and
the men had been compelled to remain
In It.
Appeal From Aged Mexican.
Coincident with the orders for the
general advance OF the Americans an
aged, white-haired Mexican, carrying
the white flag CT truce, came down a
EiA CCt II OH Tile lEillGf Vi lic city. i
He carried a letter to the chief OF po-
lice. the only authority he hoped to
reach, and desired Consul Granada to
read =. It was an urgent appeal to
the chief Of police to call off the
snipers and prevent the bombardment
he believed would follow II they con-
tinued their execution.
Even before the messenger had
climbed the stairs into the consul's
office Capt. Rush was informed of the
contents OF the note he bore and i'm
mediateiy sounded cease firing" and
But it was too late. The
had been begun all along the
line and it was not considered wise
to attempt further measures to stop
It. The commanders ordered their
men forward at double quick, which
they carried out with a vigor that
gave them the city.
Evidences Of War.
Blood-bespattered sidewalks, broken
windows and bullet-scarred walls gave
plaza a grewsome aspect. Within
the Diligencia hotel there were forty
most Of them women, who
had been there since the men
ment OF hostilities. When the square
taken they were Immediately no.
tilted that they might go on the Span
lsh cruiser Carlos V. outside the
breakwater IN order to give the Prairie
room to iro her guns. The Spanish
refused. saying that he
not maneuver his boat IN SO
small q space at night. He also de-
clared that he needed to take on a
CT fresh water. Admiral
insisted yesterday that his
order be carried out, and the Carlos
'. moved outside just before the at
rack on the center Of the city began.
At 1908 Wednesday morning the
were In undisputed pos
Of all the city except the
quarter. in which the bar
'acks are situated. and a few outlying