The Washington herald., 1915-03-26
Woman's Vivid Story
of Horrors of Mexico

: 10 the roof with tne Chilufeh anu ~"
them to lie there fiat. Then he tried TO
ward off the marauding soldiers. but
they beat him senseless and then bound
him. While he lay there they took all
his horses pillaged the house and then.
as consciousness returned to him ana
he bravely tried to rise again IN defense
Of his home they fired many shots at
him and rode away yelling wildly.
The Zapatistas saw him drop and sup
posed they had finished him. But when
his wife and little ones dared to come
down from the roof they found that all
the bullets had entered his legs. be-
lieve he recovered"
As the first Of March approached. Mrs.
Burton said, she was growing desperate,
She knew of no way to leave the city.
which was surrounded by the hordes OF
Villa and Zapata: she had no food for
her children and not a single drop Of
water. and to get water she must leave
her babies and risk insult and worse to
go through the streets to try to find some
generous owner of an artesian well who
could spare her some.
And So she said in simple fashion.
when on March at last learned Of a
tllnCt 10 ltdNt d"I pldCc u lfd
through sheer happiness for a long time
and then | knelt down and said prayers
Of thanks to God.
THE chance came when n good friend
Of mlne Sonora Beltram, told me that
she was engaging private car to take
her husband down to Vera Cruz for
treatment and that we might make the
trip with them.
Her husband. Col Bcltram. one day
1at in, I'.,I,Y f,i4I rn n
fortunates who We're being beaten in
the streets by Zapata's soldiers. The
ZdpatlstaS turned upon Col. Bcltram,
rippcd open his right and left sides.
stabbed him in the chest. and marked
MIN by slashins his checks with their
= knives.
AT noon ON March . gathered
my children around me and my
hrother-in-law met me with his four
children and we hurried to the private
train. As the trip from Mexico city
down to Vera Cruz usually takes only
from ten to twelve hours | brought
only enough milk and other food to
last us for a day and ! was lucky to
he able to sCrapc even that much to-
Eethcr. Besides our party and Col.
, and Sonora BcltTam the only other
person on the train was trained
nurse looking after the colonel
when the train finally got off in
the early afternoon ] soon found I
had to draw the shades again. Along
the tracks lay at intervals the dead
, bodies OF soldiers staring up at the
broilinE sun. Everywhere foCks of
vulturcs were fighting and tearing and
-UEh,
Instead Of ten or even twelve
hour run it took us six days and
nights TO get to Vera CRUZ. Twelve
hours after We left Mexico City we
came TO stop at ApiZacn--usUaIly q
thrcc-hour run from the CIty-and
had to stay there until the next morn
ing until tracks that had been blown
nj hy the rebels had been repaired.
During that long wait our car was
fred upon repeatedly by Zapatistas
and NIllastas hiding behind rocks and
back of bushes.
L shall always in my mind divide
that terrible journey into TWO parts
the ride from Mexico City down as far
as ApiZaCo. or through a country laid
waste by the Nillistas and Zapatistas
where there was almost no food or
water to be obtained and during which
many times We CrOuched low as bull
let's ratified onto the roof of the car;
and the second part of the journey
or from ApiZaCo to Vera Cruz. Il coun-
try controlled by CaIranza, where the
bullets stopped coming and we
steamed faster through well-kept
country in which there was lots of
food and water for my babies and me
As soon as l got into Vera Cruz I
understood better why my friends in
MEXICO City, MeXicans as well as for
eigners. had cried so often. We must
go to Vera Cruz for protection For
in Vera Cruz there was comparative
order. The children were being sent
to the schools by the First Chiefs di-
rcction. And by his orders also relief
stations for the destitute refugees had
been established and were presided
over 10y the women of fashion OF the
city,
At Vera cruz Mrs. Burton and her
children sailed on the Moro Castle
and arrived here last Friday. Her
bruther-in-law and his children elect
ed to remain in Vera Cruz.
Il am "A Catholic and my children
have been baptized in tho Catholic
faith" Mrs. Burton said when going
into tho politics of the revolution. and
would resent an attack against my
church as an institution as quickly as
any one. Any American Catholic who
had witnessed the encouragement Of
fCrcd by the Catholic party of Mexico
to wild, ignorant outlaws would he
quite as much opposed to the Catholic
party as j am.
Mexico is Catholic, all Catholic. And
the most bitter foes of the catholic
party and clerGies in it are not fight
ing Catholicism. When that unhappy
country is again free OF its present
troubles the priests and nuns will be
brought back by the people. Eut the
same people will say, You must stay
out of politiCS'"