The Benson signal., 1916-07-08
Led Astray by Visions of Loot to
Be Had in Border
Stores.
BOY TELLS A PIT.FUL tale
American Cavalry Sergeant Describes
C rfIict Between Pity and Duty
in Which Duty Won-Raised
to Hate Gringo.

NG.CtnOn, lGA.-OeIS. IL otut ul-
valid Troop A. Fourteenth cavalry.
who guarded Lieut.. Col. Alvarez and
Manua4 Torres. Mexican prisoners in
the RpquillaS raid. told 81 story of a
conflict between pity and duty IN
which duty won. He said:
ut was my business TO watch the
prisona:s on the long ride to Mara
| thOn trom the Rio Grande. For the
minute. it was all the business ! had
and they were surely watched. Our
first camp was at Mckinney Springs.
There we gave the MeXicanS steak
and onions and coffee-just what our
men had.
"rhey couldn't seem to realize 1t.
Alvarez refused to eat at first. hut
he ordered Torres to do SO. The lieu
tenant colonel. it seemed. feared the
food wns poisoned and wanted to have
someone else try it.
Raised to Hate Gringo.
Torres is little more than a hoy.
When we took the road again he told
me his story. His father. he said,
was poor farmer in the sacramento
district. They had little 70 eat and
when. six months ago. Alvarez at the
head of fifty or more bandits told him
there were food and new clothes to
be had i'm abundance in gringo stores
along the border. he followed. He had
been raised. he said. to hate the grim
20 and rather liked the idea.
"He claimed he had not been In
the actual raid on the DecnerS store
hut he admitted getting his clothes
from some of the raiders who had.
"IIe told how the band broke into
pairs after an American pursuit be-
came a certainty. He had hidden in
the desert for three nights until his
tongue WAS swollen and black and he
thought he must die of thirst. 1t was
then that he went to the water hole {;
though the hole was covered hy Amer
lean cavalryluen. and begged drink.
"i1e expected. he said, 20 he shot.
but he wanted to drink first. Then.
as he went on. he begged me to inter-
ce.je for him. lie showed lie Il hit
of handkerchief. that was his moth
er'S. He showed me- Il bit of ribbon
that his SenOrta had given him as
token of love and luck.
Pleads to Be Shot.
land he told me finally if would
get him IL lawyer he would he CRATE
full, and. once free. would come and
work for me or do anything | asked.
as long as he had breath.
~ pitied him. way down deep. nut
| c0ul, not show my pity. looked
at the officer who had led the boy aud
thought evil things. remembered
how the raiding murlererS had killed
IL tiny child. ;iad how they had dared
to come on American soil.
~ told Torres to he still. that
could do nothing. Then he pleaded TO
be shot. II would be much more Ilon-
0rnble. he said than to be hanged. uS
he had heard it was the custom in
gringo land.
again told him to he still.
1--WE drove AT night mostly. to avoid
the heat and all through the night
Torres would ask me in his soft.
pathetic Spanish for Al quick end.
"YOu can't appreciate the effect of
it aII-moOnliEht. and their chains.
and the despair of the boy who had
been led aStray. But they're here
now and turned over to the sheriff.
I'm through. and I've lived up to the
oath | took wien | enlisted. But,
I'm glad I'm through and that oath
remains unhrOken. My hope is won't
have another detail like it,"