Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-05-29
CONDITIONS AZ AZ BORDER
AS -HEARD-DURING-SE VEN-MONTHS-
MlLlTARY-VISIT.
By FALSTAFF O. SATTER

| a tight place.
The Mexican concluded by saying
he was virtually a tramp until con-
ditions were settled in Mexico, but
that he would be worth considerable
if complete settlement were reach
ed, as he is the owner of large
tract of land that was valuable.
Early in August, last year, talked
with half-breed. who at that time
was in business at Brownsville, who
told me story that will probably
sound as unreasonable to you as it
did to me at that time, but have
heard some that sounded more un-
reasonable since that time, and found
they. were true, so there is no rea-
son why any of us should doubt this
one. Of course, it will be impossi-
BILE for me to use his exact words, as
at the time he was telling me this
was not taking notes along that
J line, as l had not formed a plan
| whereby was going to tell the read
| ers of this paper some of the things
found out. However, this story i'm
pressed me so strongly that believe
can give it almost word for word.
1t went something like this:
Several years ago, wnen I was
/ doing big cattle business in Mexico,
in the vicinity of Monterey, we were
struck by more than ordinary dry
| year. In fact, it became so dry that
large numbers of cattle began to die
off. l rode up into Texas about 80
miles, made arrangements for large
tract Of land for grazing purposes,
and went back to my home feeling
that l would have a good chance Of
saving most of my herd by taking
about 500 of them up to the Texas
ranch. l sent five men besides a
| foreman, and they cared for the cat
tie until late in the fall, after we
had been having some fine rains,
when / sent man from my home
ranch to Texas to pay the rent on
the ranch at that place and to help
the rest of the boys bring the herd
back home. They started for home,
and the second night out, camped
and let the cattle Craze in the very
near vicinity of the Rio Grande river.
Early the next morning they began
to drive the herd across the river,
and got perhaps two-thirds of the
herd across, when they were sur
prised by number of Americans,
who claimed to be officers, accom-
panied by the alleged owner of the
herd. They had their story we'll
learned, and they not only threat
I ened to kill some Of my men if they
did not surrender, but actually shot
two of them and scared the remain
ing five so badly that they took to
their heels. This" he said, twas
not only a wholesale steal and pure
murder, but a local paper came out
the next day and reported that a
gang of Mexicans had been killed
| while attempting to cross the river
| into Mexico with a herd of cattle
| that had been stolen from American
| ranchmen. That story went all over
the world as another of the out
breaks on the Mexican border, per-
petuated by MeXicans, while as true
as there is God in heaven. the Mex
leans had been guilty of no wrong
doing, while the Americans had COM
mitted both murder and robbery"
The man leaned against the side
of building for minute or two be-
fore speaking and then added: "Do
you suppose that is the only case of
where the MeXicans have been
wrongfully accused?' And l could
give him no answer, but asked why
he did not let the authorities take
his case. He smiled sadly, shook his
head, and said "There would not
be any use in trying to punish an
American on Mexican evidence, and
while I have made the statement
number of times that I would un-
doubtedly die with my boots on,
have description of some of the
men so we'll that | may have notch
or two on the grip of my pistol. If
happen to see one of them before
they have found out what my mis-
sion in life is"
Outing Club Members, Attention.
MI 1.