The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-25
WOMAN REFUGEE TELLS
OF MEXICO CITY'S PLIGHT

OF water, and TO get water she must
leave her babies and risk insult and
worse to 20 through the streets To- try TO
find some generous owner Of an artesian
well VINO could spare her some
Embraced Chance 10 Flee.
and So she said in simple fashion.
when IN March . at last learned of
! a chance to leave the awful place |
cried through sheer happiness for a long
time and then | knelt down and SAID
prayers of thanks to God.
The chance came when "a good friend
of mine. Sonora Beltram. told me that
she was engaging a private car to take
her husband down to Vera Cruz for
treatment and that we might make the
trip with them.
Her husband. Col. Beltram. one day
late in February tried to save some un-
%fortunates who were being beaten in
the streets by Zapata's soldiers. The
Zapatistas turned upon Col. Beltram,
ripped open his right and left sides,
stabbed him in the chest and marked
him by slashing his checks with their
knives.
AT noon on March . / gathered my
children around me ard my brother-in-
law met me with his four children and
VIC hurried to the private train. As the
trip from Mexico city down to Vera
'GuZ usually taxes Only IIOn ten "
twelve hours I brought only enough milk
and other food to last us for a day
and | was lucky to he able TO scrape
even that much together. Resides our
party and Col. and Sonora Heltram the
only other person ON the train was a
trained nurse looking after the Colonel.
Soldiers Bodies Lined racks.
When the train finally got off in the
carly afternoon ! soon found ! had to
draw the shades again. Along the tracks
lay at intervals the dead bodies OF soldiers
staring up at the broiling sun. Every
where fiocks Of vultures were fighting
and tearing and " yh!
Instead Of a ten or even twelve hour
run II took us six days and nights to
get to Vera Cruz. Twelve hours after
we left Mexico city We came to "A stop
at Alphabetically a three hour run
from the city-and had to stay there
until the next morning unit, tracks that
had been blown up by the rebels had
been repaired. During that long wait
our car was fired upon repeatedly by
Zapatistas and Villistas hiding behind
rocks and baN'k of bushes.
Il shall always IN my mind divide
that t-rrihl. journey into two parts
the ride from Mexico city down as far
as ApiZaco. or through "A country laid
waste by the Nillistas and ~Iapatis,as
where there WAS almost no food ar water
TO he obtained and during which many
times W. crouchcd low as bullets ratified
onto the roof Of the car; and the second
part OF the journey, or from .Apisaco &c
Vera Cruz. a country controlled 10y Car
rama. where the bullets stopped cornine
and we teamed faster through a wei
kept country IN which there was lote oi
food and water for my babies and me
Vera Cruz L. Orderly.
soon as | got into Vera r
understood better why my friends II
Mexico city. MeXicans az we'll as for
elguers. had cried so often. We mus
go to Vera cruz for protection For II
Vera Cruz there was comparative order
The children were being sent to tn,
schools by the First Chier direction
And by his orders also relief stations
for the destitute refugees had been es
tablished and were presided over by th'
women OF fashion of the city"
At Vera cruz Mrs. Burton and he
children sailed ON the MORO Castle am
arrived here last F'ritay. Her brother
iu-law and his children elected tn re
main in Vera cruz.
II am "A Catholic and my children hav
been baptized in the Catholic faith.
Mrs. Burton said when going into m
politics of the revolution, and I woul'
resent an attack against my church a
an institution rs quickly a. any ons
Any American Catholic who had wit
messed the encouragement offered by m
Catholic party ~ Mexico TO wild. ignor
am outlaws would he quite as niue
opposed to the Catholic party hS I am
Mexico is Catholic. all Catholic. An,
the most bitter foes Of the Catholic part.
and cl.rics in II are not fighting ca
tholicisin. When that unhappy countr
is again free OF its present troubles tn
: priests and nuns will he brought hac
by the people. Hut the same people vii
, say, You must stay out Of politics."