El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-10-11
ALLEGED LEPERS
LAND IN JUAREZ
Deputies Avoid Officials
Searching Train and De
liver Men by Autos.

liver Men by Autos.
I Guarded by deputy sherlffs, in three
| automobiles, two families Of ten Mex
/ leans, three of whom are alleged 70
be suffering from Ieprosy, were
/ brought to Fl Paso early Thursday
morning and deported to Juarez over
{ the Santa Fe street bridge. Two won
en- and 4 man are alleged 10 be az
fIicted with the dreaded disease. Il
{ they are bona fide 4Iexicans, they will
stay in that country, if American born
/ a serious question may arise.
! The three victims are being cared
for b. the Juarez medical authorities
and have been isolated. The other
members of the two families have
rented a home in Juarez, where they
viii reside, pending the disposition OF
/ their relatives BY the Mexican author
tiles.
The ten 8lexicans were brought to
I FL Paso for deportation 10 Mexico
against the protest Of the United
States immigration and public health
service authorities and the city and
county health officials
Reported Were Americans.
Several weeks ago DR.. J. W. Tappau,
8 E-AAEA AEAEA "a AAEaAAA4A AAA lt.EA ne = q e.
ceived word from the Grant county.
y. NJ, authorities that they had dis
covered several cases Of leprosy
among two Mexican alien families An
I immigration service officer was sent
to Silver City to make an investiga-
persons were American citizens and
not aliens. and that a number Of them
had been born in Grant county.
The New Mexico authorities We're
be depOrted and would have 20 De
cared for in New Mexico. A telegram
was received by United States officials
Wednesday that the ten MeXlcans
were being brought to Fl PasO on a
southern Pacific train and asked that
the immigration authorities meet
them 1t the Texas line 10 depOrt them
TO Juarez- 4 telegram was sent in
reply BY the government officials
stating that they would not permit
the entrance into Texas Of the Next
cans.
Deny Nexieans Were Aboard.
Deputy sheriffs and health officials
Of Ell Paso county met Southern Pa
cific train No. 10 al the state line as Il
was crossing the bridge over the river
Wednesday night about 10 o'clock The
train was Tagged" and the officers
and the ten MeNicans. but We're unable
20 locate them According 70 DR..
Tappan, the train crew denied that
the Mexicans had been aboard Or.
Tappan said he later learned that the
deputies. with the ten MeXicanS, LETT
the train several stations west of Il
PasO in New Mexico. where they Sc
cured automobiles and brought the
Mexicans TO the international bridge
and told them 10 cross to Juarez-
Deputies Beat It."
The Waterman at the Santa Fe.
bridge permitted the Mexicans TO
cross ana the New Mexico deputies are
then reported TO have hurriedly left
for New Mexico in their machines.
IN the group of officers who stopped
the Southern Pacific train were Dr. J.
". Tappan. federal health officer; DR..
for FL Pasos Dr.. VIII Rogers, county
health officer, deputy Sherlffs IVY
Finley AID J. 3. fitzpatrick and con-
stable Lon Garner
The train was halted on the bridge
by deputy Fitzpatrick, who waved a
lantern with 4 red cloth over il.
Told to Cross Over.
George J. Harris, assistant immi- !
grafton inspector at the Santa Fe In
rernaioual bridge. said Thursday Z
morning that the ten Mexicans had
been driven 10 the Santa Fe bridge in
by the New Mexico dep
uties and told 10 cross Two of the
with the disease according TO Har-
riss report
The cases Of leprosy are reported TO I
have been discovered by the silver
City authorities during the eXamina-
tiOn Of one Of the men for selectiTe
draft. An investigation disclosed that Z
two women Of one family. all Of
whom resided in the same house also
had the disease
DR.. TappaR Tells Of PreIiminnries.
DR.. Tappan. in speaking OF the de-
portatiOn OF the Mexicans, said:
"A few weeks ago the Grant county.
y NJ. authorities notified the United
States immigration authorities here
that they had discovered a number OF
MeNicans who were afflicted with
leprOsy. They claimed they were
aliens and should be deported
"A representative of the United
States immigration office was sent tC
Silver City and after an investigation
reported that he had learned that the
AIexicans were not aliens, that in fact
many Of them were born in Grant
county. The immigration authorities
then informed the Grant county au-
thorities that they could not handle
the case.
barred at River.
"On Wednesday morning the immi-
grafton officers received a wire from
the Grant county authorities saying
they had ten Mexicans afflicted with
leprOsy on the Southern Pacific train
en- route to FL PasO for deportation 90
Mexico. They asked that we meet the
train and de9ort the Mexicans. A re-
ply was sent that the lepers would
not be permitted TO enter the state OIL
Texas
Says It's n Shame.
i think it is a shame for the state
Of New Mexico TO dump these people
on to the JuareZ authorities. II they
are American citizens. then what will
JuareZ do with them2 If they were
going to deport them. why did the
Grant county authorities not send
them into Mexico from their own
border. instead OF bringing them 20
Texas2"
May Be MexIcans.
When Mexican consul general C. VI. Z
Seguin was seen Thursday morning By
a Herald reporter, he said;
we are making a careful iuvesti- +
CATION Of the case and If il is true
that the persons diseased are
American citizens. and not aliens, then
We viii at once wire a protest 20
washington II they are Mexican cit
liens, our government viii care for
them But If they are Americans /
cannot understand why the New Mex
leo deputies brought them to FL PasO
and deported them from this city to
Juarez-
4 have been informed that they are
Mexican residents and have resided in
New Mexico only year. II this is
true, then We viii take care of them.
for under the immigration laws the
United States had the right TO deport