Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-09-01

*
owned by an aged ranchman named
Jose Encino. If one should start a
campfire anywhere on the island he
would be running monstrous risk,
for so great is the quantity of am
imunition that has been struggled thus
far on it's way to revolutionary war
and buried. that any such fire might
cause huge explosion.
] It WIS in the moonshine Of clear
November night in 1911 that boat
drifted down the Rio Grande from the
American side, puzzled up among the
cattails of the north shore Of the is
land and was beached beneath a great
cottonwood tree that stood out against
the sky as landmark. Two men
stepped ashore and waited in the
shadows Fifteen minutes later two
riders splashed into the water from
the Mexican side, foundered through
the stream that but came to the STIR
rups, and pointed the noses of their
horses for the same huge tree. Near
ing it they halted.
Reyes said voice from the
darkness.
Gomez" responded a rider.
A small, dark man emerged from
the shadow of the cottonwood and
helped the riders to dismount. One
of these latter proved to be woman
who was treated with great courtesy
by the small man. When the horses
were tied the four seated themselves
beneath the tree in spot where the
underbrush shut out the world. From
the fitful light of an occasional match
that served to light the eternal ciga-
rettes of these Mexicans, an observer,
if it had been possible for one to
have been present, might have studied
four interesting faces.
The bearer of news and evidently
the leader of the party was the small,
dark man already mentioned. AS it
afterward developed he was DIR. Ra-
fael Flores of Ell Paso. Doctor Flores,
as the flicker of match revealed, was
a man Of some sixty years of age, a
thin, why individual with refined and
almost classic features. He was a
practicing physician, a citizen OF
means and repute in the border city.
The man who had come with him in
the boat was named COmacho He
was short, square built, deeply peck
marked. He was notorious along the
border, particularly in Lower Califor-
MIA. He was an anarchist and an ex-
pert with explosives and was suspect
ed of having been connected with
many deeds.
The man who came on horseback
was huge and heavy and wore always
a red flannel shirt. He it was who
had led the assault on Juarez when
the troops of Francisco Villa had cap
tured that city early in the Madero
campaign He it was who inflicted
some of the early atrocities upon pris-
oners, who piled the torch and who
had to be discouraged in his activities
by even his bandit associates. "Red
Shirt Pena he had since been called.
His speciality was smuggling fire arms
over the border. He had sixty loyal
followers in the vicinity Of I'll Car
men.
And the woman! Senorita Josefa
Calderon was the name by which she
was known. She was from the in
terror, was something of mystery
never entirely understood, but the
current belief was that she was a
sister of General Orozco. That I'M
controlled chief of rebels was even
then stationed at Juarez in command
of Madero troops and was vacillating
between allegiance to the new presi-
dent and the leading of revolt
against him. Senorita Calderon,
veiled, dark-eyed, slim as cactus, was
thought to be his messenger
There is news" said Doctor Flores,
as soon as the party had settled it.
self General Reyes is in San An
tonic. He arrived at New Orleans
week ago, came on to San Antonio
where he was given a great demon
stration. He has opened revolutionary
headquarters there and every mail
brings letters and every train brings
messengers assuring him Of support in
overthrowing Madero. He has ar
ranged for money to finance the move
ment. The friends of Emilio Vasquez
Gomez are busily at work along the
border. The American financial in
terests in Mexico are back of us. We
are to open headquarters in Ell Paso
and begin the active organization OF
our forces"
"But the money! said RED Shirt
Pena. "We can do nothing until we
have money with which to buy am
munition."
"The money" assured the doctor,
sis to be Immediately fc- ~
In that connection
for the Sanori+-
go ir'r
pr