The sun., 1916-01-08

sources that Washington trds sup
pressing accurate Information about
conditions IN Merico caused THE Sun
and the Chicago Tribune to send Mark
8. Watson to the southern republic IN
October to report erdctiv Uhat he
safe.
Mr.. Watson says he has found that
not only has Washington fdtled to
tell the uhoie truth, but has given out
nttsinf formation.
As the Mericun Censorship Of
cables 10 strict and mail service In
tcrr1pted. the ,crtter Kept notes aud
on embdvkinp from Vera Cruz began
a series Of articles. the first OF ,chtch
foliotrs:
ny MARK =. WATSON.
on the day on which we later learned
the State Department at Washington had
issued statement Of the revival OF
business" and return to regular oper-
alton Of the railroads in Mexico" We left
Piedras Neeras far the south.
Carranza's special train left Pledras
Negras two days before. late In the fore
noon. instead of at sunrise as planned.
Our party. which included John X. Sill
Imam. the American representative with
Carranza, had planned on leaving by the
regular" train the following morning,
at. "a
hour. nor at noon. nor at sunset ana
disheartened band OF Americans re-
turned to the hotel for another Mgn''
or part OF "A night. first obtaining tne
solemn assurance OF the jefe de estacion
that they would be able to obtain IN the
morning the seats which they had
bought, but playing safe by employ
ing half a dozen mozos to wait at the
station until the train was made UP
and then to climb in and occupy the
seats until their patrons arrived.
Even this did not satisfy one member
OF the party, whom subsequent events
proved to be right. and II was discour-
agingly COON after midnight that the
whole party was routed out and driven
to the station.
500 in Place for $50.
The train was there. but not open.
Around the filthy staticn-wherever
Mexican soldiers have been there liz NTH
| In plenty--were scores OF prospective
passengerv. blanketed and lying wher-
ever there was room to lie. waiting Tor
| the train. One of the Governments iall-
| road employees proved willing To be
| corrupted. the cars were opened, ana
with "A rush something over 500 passen-
gers charged int' accommodations TOT
| $50.
At first we recognized only that there
| were no lights in any cars. save Tor the
| light of 500 cigarette AZ the not sun of
November in the terra caliente rose We
were TO discover that likewise there were
no windows. which. after all. proved to
be ali which saved us from sufocation
| and the absorption Of few milliof
germs from our neighbors.
| Also there was no upholstery, the sol
d.ers having cut away every inch o'
plush to make saddle cloths or dresses
for tn. soldaderas who accompany th'
| "armes" Ii is uncomfortable TO sit or
exposed springs. Some of the seats were
| gone altogether, which made II rnsslhl'
| for more passengers to Jam th"mse'Ne!
| into the space the seats had occupied
| Window shades had disappeared. Ever
the bell cord was gone. and ther" wa
be ordered to stop In case of trouble
toward the rear.
There came "A wall from outside th'
car from a belated American who cou!'
| not force his way onto the car platform
much less into the car. Again the ab
| sence OF windows proved q blessing, 10
We hauled him through and seated hin
on the stack of baggage In the aisle.
| T.
Then the trNnmen started thei
rounds. waking the passengers VINO ha'
continued sleeping, most OF them unde
the cars their heads on the rails. TX
actly why the peon prefers to sleep Will
his head on rail Is one OF millio'
mysteries about the peon. hut II is SAT-
that most Of the deaths on the Mexican
railroad rights OF way are due to thl
prediction. Hence moderately hu
name engineer will send his crew alon
a standing train to drag the sumherer
out OF the way before switching begins
The fiction about the start at A.
was exposed II was before the engi
neer tested III. air, and IL was after
when the train mo:ed slowly away
stopping every few hundred yards 10
no discernible reason except 10 trai
the Americans TO he patient.
couple OF MtNlCdlls HlouHNeu o'1 Dui
| rns rode past US on the nearby high
way We overlook them two or thrc
times, bu, during AN extra long della
they disappeared far ahead and W
never caught up. This is on tn" roa
which at one time could compare favor
ably with any American railway Ais
IT is the road on which. according to III
State Department, regular service ha
been resumed,
A train Of soldiers ran Just ahead G
us, We supposed, as an escort TO war
on bandits. II left us eventually and W
found we had not been thus watChe
, over the motive being simply the trans
: portation of the patriots who mad tire
. OF piedras Negras, for which. to be qui,
: fair they were not to lie blamed. W
STONED on the slightest provocat on, an
before the train was at a standstIll
was surrounded by dirty men and dirtis
: women and drtiest children. who ha
| appeared from IA supposedly blank lane
: scape, each carrying water or coffee {
! bread, cakes. candies, sugar cane, cigal
ros, or anything else to lure the passeI
, gers Appetite failed the Americans. b,
> never the Mexicans, who bought LIBERAL
-, and sometimes paid
! II was considered a clever Jest to bal
Z ter with the sellers beneath the windo
until the train pulled out and then r.
' fuse to pay anything, The profanit
. which then would rise quite eclips,
9 anything which Billingsgatc on Its bus
: est day can show
. Hard by the station at Pledras Negrf
, had been noticed n disabled engine so IA
gone that the Mexican officials had d,