The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-04-13
MEETS MEXICAN SENTINEL
Declares Kenosha Boys. Are Having a
Great Picnic Running Trucks Over
Alkali Deserts of Mexico-Trucks
Give Good Account of Themselves.
From Wednesday, Daily

EIOn w 6dhtSudy Dd14O
J. W. DeCou of the Jeffrey organi-
zation, returned home on Tuesday af-
ternoon after spending a few days at
Ell Paso and Columbus, New Mexico,
getting a personal understanding of
just how things are going on the
Mexican border. He was accompanied
on the homeward trip by Martin
Whittier, who has been at Columbus
for a fortnight and who has had
charge of the work of putting the
Jeffrey Quad trucks into service for
Uncle Sam.
"It's a great Columbus and a great
border" was the breezy way in which
Mr.. DeCou described conditions down
IL Mexico. eliot thereof 'ENot any
hotter than it is here,' he continued.
"That is, if you are talking about Ell
Paso and Columbus, but if you refer
to the route of the trucks out over the
sands of the deserts IS a different
story. 7 found the boys all well and
| stayed there long enough to find that
GISy WCIG LII IONC Will Uu6 WOIh
Columbus has grown from some three
hundred souls TO three thousand since
the night that Pamela Villa crossed
the border and it is still growing. 1t
is typical border town in war time.
1t has everything that goes along with
the soldiers, but it is being cleaned up
fast Columbus is dry. This does not
mean that man can not get drink
there, but if he does, he is forced to
join a club and bring what he drinks
in the club house. The clubs are made
to suit the purses of the men who are
looking for them. One Of them charges
dollar month as dues and another
three dollars. Nearly every one down
about Columbus carries a gun and he
carries it in a holster where it is
handy There is the usual amount of
disturbance about the camps Of the
soldiers and civilians connected with
the army, but out of it all pretty good
order is being kept. The army heads
cooperating with the few civilians to
keep the place as clean as possible.
The boys find plenty to eat in Column
but but the grub is not entirely to
their liking when they get out on the
desert. There is four hundred miles
of this desert on which it is impossi-
BILE to get a pint of water and all the
water they have they must carry with
them out of Columbus. This is all
used for drinking and for the trucks
and the men never think Of using it
to wash with from the time they leave
Columbus on the four hundred mile
drive until they come back. They
come in off the long run literally plas-
tered with the dirt and CRIME of the
alkali deserts. Four days growth of
beard and every individual whisker
stuck up with the sand of the desert
until their faces look like a brush
broom. Two hours after they reach
Columbus you would not believe that
they could be the same people. The
Jeffrey boys are now all in uniforms
and all well cared for. [ did not hear
word of dissatisfaction from
any of them. " Did you see any
greasersq" Mr.. DeCou was asked.
"Greasers are everywhere. With
Whittier and a couple of companions
we strolled along over the interna-
tionaI bridge at Ell Paso. We walked
right along to the Mexican line and
just as I got my foot over, Mexican
sentinel sang out You no go. He
pushed his rife into his hip just as
If he meant it too and our party re-
tired over to the part of the bridge
which is under the protection of the
Stars and Stripes. You know that
Mexican looked just as if he was mean
enough to shoot man at that. There
ism 't'much to learn about the chase for
Villa on the border. Everything is
going through the press censors and
people in Kenosha know just about as
much about it as they do at Columbus.
OF course the whole border is infamed
and there is excitement everywhere
where the soldiers are moving.''
Mr.. DeCou declared that the Jeffery
trucks had opened the eyes of the
army leaders to the possibility of the
motor truck as a real aid to the army.
He feels certain that the result of the
test of these trucks in the Mexico cam
paign will be the adoption of them
for use with every unit of the army in
| the future.