The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-02-13

Gutierrez specially Of running houses, bridges
and railroads earned for him the title Of The
Destroyer" He never displayed any such mill
tary ability as Villa; but destruction is popular
with the Mexican %soldiery, it must be remembered.
Gutierrez plundered and robbed with slight
heed to what CarTanza and Villa were doing. he
seized property of Americans and put it to his
own purposes, while Carranza ignored protests,
despite his title of first chief.
Last July he sent a demand to Carr, ordering
him to resume all the Mazipul industries at once.
1t must be membe that the British company
had been closed down for months. There was no
fuel, no cars, no railroad tracks, and there was
no financial basis. Yet the order from the ex-
Waterman read to start up the works, as North
Mexico is now pacifed and there is no excuse for
delay"
1t was a physical impossibility, so Carr went
to Carranza with a final protest. Carranza in
formed Carr he could delay resumption, and
for this Gutierrez seized 100000 worth of ore
owned by the company and sought to sell 1t as
contraband, in which he probably succeeded.
Carranza has degenerated into the head of a
band of looters. The scenes accompanying his
evacuation of Mexico City, it is learned, were
disgraceful. The national treasury was robbed
of all except about 10000 pesos, which must
have been overlooked. Every ounce of gold and
silver in the mint was taken. Also there went
printing presses, plates and the entire stock of
bank note paper in the government printing
Offices. The public offices were stripped OF Mt
tings, inkstands, typewriters, furniture, rugs, car
pets and curtains. Even the huge presidential
chair in the National palace was Grated and
borne off. 1t is estimated that automobiles valued
at three million pesos at least we're taken out
of the city, many Of them Communicated from
private citizens and foreigners.
At the Buena Vista station of the Mexican rail-
way train after train drew out in the direc-
ton of Vera Cruz laden down with every con-
ceivable sort of plunder-motors, furniture, horses,
pianos, paintings and safes. Even Huerta was
out-Huertaed.
The now ridiculous Carranza is set up at Vera
Cruz. His cause is hopelessly lost. Among his
remaining leaders, however, Gen. Alvaro Obregon
looms large. He is undoubtedly a strong man.
He has kept Gen. Lucio Blanco in line for Car
rama and saw that the retreat from Mexico City
was not an entire .rout. However, Obregon is a
plunderer like the rest.
Another man who should not escape mention
is Governor Jose Maria Maytorena of Sonora,
whose men have been besieging the Carranza
general, Hill, in Naco. In Sonora Maytorena is
supreme and he is idolized by the Indians. He
is not friendly toward Americans, and there is a
well-dehned conviction among the American army
officers along the border that Maytorena could
by a word have prevented the snipers' bullets
which killed and wounded 81 persons from com.
ing over the international boundary line at Naco.
So far he has confined himself to the Northwest.
If Maytorena ever decides to follow the path from
the north Of most of Mexico's conquerors from
the time of Juarez it may be with no mean army.