Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-04-22

Dramatic Prelude Lacking
Events leading up to landing and
battle were singularly lacking in dra-
matte features.
Soon after 9 o'clock yesterday morn
ing Consul Canada called General
Mas, Huerta's commander here, on
the telephone and said to him:
General, I am instructed to tell you
that the forces of the United States
are about to take the town and sum-
mon you to surrender. I call upon you
In the name of humanity not to offer
resistance or attempt to move any
railroad trains and to assist us keep
Ing order"
General Mas replied: 1T is impos-
sibe fo~ me to comply with your de-
mand for surrender as l am acting
under orders to the contrary. ] de-
sire to talk with you"
Canada told Mas he had no in
structions to parley and rang off. In
turn he talked ovt the telephone
with the chief of police and the tefe
politico. to whom he repeated the re-
quest that they assist in keeping or
der. He obtained no definite reply
from either of them, both saying they
would have to consult Mas.
Canada's last official communication
was made to Senor Azacaraga, the GUS
two hours In which to secure papers
and valuables of this office. Stay
where you are" advised Canada. you
and the effects in your office will be
perfectly safe
These exchanges betwee~ Canada
and the Mexican officials occurred
without tn generals public knowl-
edge. Scarcely 100 persons among the
Americans and other foreigners ashore
L hot ln,, I.,~e- l. H.
To-day. The news quickly spread
Pmong the MeXicans but few believed
1t.
In the Vera Cruz business center
incoming" begins at II and lasts until
z. Shops close up tightly. Nothing
but restaurants and cantinas a.e open.
The streets are almost deserted, while
people breakfast and afterward in
dulge in siesta until the intense
heat of midday has abated.
This is what was happening in the
city to-day when the Americans came.
1t looked as though the Stars and
Stripes would replace the eagle and
serpent banner of Mexico over "the
thrice heroic city of the true cross" as
Vera Cruz proudly calls itself, without
the skip of pulse beat in the phleg-
matte life tide of the city by the sea-
But the occupation turned out to be
considerable snow after all, though
tame enough to the Americans who
went through the hell of Mexico City's
'decena tragica,' or tragic ten days
February year ago. But it was quite
lively enough to satisfy the neophytes.
Marines Come Ashore
by 1910 the Prairie, lying between
the ancient fortress of San Juan De
Clloa and the shore in the inner har-
bor In front of the Consulate, a bit
to the right of it, could be, seen drop
ping boat after boat Through field
glasses, standing on the end of the
dock fronting the custom house,
which marks the southern limit of the
harbor, could be discerned launches,
half dozen of them, throwing long
strings of cutters and whaleboats, wal
lowing shoreward from the Florida,
two miles off shore.
Like yellow leaves dropping from
frost-touched trees, the Prairie's
khaki-clad marines tumbled smartly
down the gangways to their places in
the boats. Family could be heard
bugle calls, telling the lucky chaps told
off to be of the landing parties that
the opportunity for which they have
been aching and sickening for more
than a year to be up and at the job
had arrived.
General Gustave Mas, commander
of the garrison of Vera Cruz, left the
yict in carriage at noon yesterday,
half an hour after the first boat load