Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-15
cH0RDS AND
Id I S O II ID s
NEWS FROM THE BORDER.

Brownsville, Texas. July 12.-Your
correspondent has just returned from
an arrangements picnic. which was
staged at location deleted by the cen
sor). 1t was largely attended by Irish
Mexicans. 1t was a tame affair this
year, the committee on arrangements
explained because of the absence of
fights, the government having issued an
! edict against sticking the bull. Up
north the celebration marks the ami
versary of the battle of the Boyne.
| Down here they call it the battle of
| the bull There were several ad-
dresses, but a strong wind was blow
ing during the flow of oratory, and
the best we could connect with was the
| breath Of the speaker. This, we might
testify, was very strong. One intelli-
gent native whom we asked to tell us
what the orators were talking about
said they usually talked about as long
as they thought the crowd would stand
| for them, and then a friend would in
vite them off the platform TO have
drink, in this way averting mob
| scene.
| The writer was accompanied to the
celebration by Colonel Milton Foreman
of Chicago and Captain W. A Rosen-
! field of Rock Island, both of whom
| speak Mexican Irish with remarkable
fuency, considering the brief period
they have been mingling with the ma
| tives. We had not seen the Illinois
troopers for two weeks, having taken
a run across the line in an effort to
gain, If possible, definite information
| concerning the fate of Pancho Villa,
who has alternately been reported alive
and dead numberless times since the
American invasion was undertaken.
I What have you to report regarding
the bandit?" asked Captain Rosenfield.
We'll, we have reached the corclu-
| sion that Villa is still in Mexico" Our
| report was accepted and placed on file,
| and we received many encomiums of
praise for our fir1ings. You will re-
call that the best others have been able
| to state was that he was either dead CT
| alive. Your correspondent positively
established his whereabouts. lie is in
Mexico. OF course whether he is lead
or alive is not material.
1t has rained almost every day since
the arrival of the Illinois troops. This
| is new sensation for Brownsville and
environs.
we inquired.
None, from a scientific standpoint"
said the Rock Island captain, whose
rosy complexion has been so altered
that stranger would take him for a
Filipino chauffeur. However. | have
been doing some thinking on my own
part, and l am able to attribute the
change in weather conditions to only
one source, and that is the presence of
the Illinois colOred soldiers. The day
after they detrained it clouded up here,
and you have been made familiar with
what has followed.
I'D
except among ourselves. Oh, yes, l
found scrap of paper in my quarters
the other day. 1t was remains of an
appeal written from Chicago to Colonel
Foreman asking him to be the prohi-
bitiOn candidate for alderman in his
ward. The colonel, you know, will
stand for almost anything, but he has
not yet been able to get himself into
mood where he can go forth in a cam
paign with pump handle for a weapon
with which to whip votes into line
Yes, my idea was that we were TO
do sONe scrapping when we got here,
but 1t seems my scrapping has been
done back home. | have a telegram /
telling of an unsuccessful attempt OF
one of the railroads to carry load of
the finished product from our iron
works over the Rock Island Twenty !
fourth street yiaduct. ! had always |
supposed that such cargoes went uu- /
der the bridge. And l still maintain |
that l am right. The telegram bears /
me out. The iron refused to move far
Their when the car reached the bridge. |
We got the scrap, despite that we
lost it"
We called attention of the captain to !
statement we read in a local news
paper wherein one of the officers of the /
troop said that he would be willing
to follow Colonel Foreman to hell and /
back, # necessary.
Well" said the captain I'VE have
been in hell for some weeks already. |
That officer who gave the interview /
evidently doesn't recognize hell when /
he sees it. Our chief joy now is in |
contemplation of the pleasure of the /
trip back. However, we haven't been (
issued our return tickets yet, but if |
worse comes TO the worst | know where
there is waiting to be kidnapped one of /.
those noisy road pests that made a I
certain city in Michigan famous Real /
~ there has been little eventfuI news
Transporting. Despite reports to the
contrary, there is still shooting across /
the border. Only Tuesday night there
was call for squad to run down A /
party or Mexicans who were said to
have been committing violations Our
latter did not deny the charge, but if /
developed that their offense was shOot- /
ing the duck across the border. They
had the evidence with them to estab-
llsh their case. The duck, holding
about two gallons, was confiscated, and
Is now performing night duty at one
of the troopers encampments."
Why didn't they throw the duck in
the river when they saw the American
soldiers approaching and thereby de-
stroy evidence of their guilt"
Doubtless they had such an idea
But, you see. this duck couldn't swim
1t was loaded"
Were the Mexicans punished"
yes, their duck was taken from
them"
Did they protest."
They squawked some, but that was
all"