Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-08-06
rELL or MEXICAN caUELrIEs.
American Woman 10 Proof Of Lasisss
Conditions.


Washington. Aug. 1. Brutaly
treated and finally starved TO death by
Mexican soldier bandits Mrs. w. II.
years ago to Join her son-in law and
daughter, Mr.. and Mrs, Charles Il,
Sturgis, In Mexico, died last Novem-
Der, Her body, wrapped in a strip
of mating, lies hidden IN n hole near
Depolan, In Chipas.
Before she died she saw the Sturgis
plantation sacked, witnessed the cruel
| ties that reduced DIR, Sturgis 10 n
physical wreck, and was forced To
watch the indignities suffered by her
daughter at the hands OF Carranza sol
diem and the bandits led by Gen.
Rafael Caly Mayor. friend OF Ia
pata,
DR.. and Mrs. Sturgis reached New
Orleans few days ago. They prob
ably will appear before the house rules
committee. which Is inquiring into the
situation In Mexico and the treatment
of Americans there.
Eight months OF Imprisonment and
brutal treatment In n Mexican bandit
camp, where they were hidden after
| their plantation was sacked, was the
experience related by DR.. Sturgis and
his wife.
Twenty years ago DR.. Sturgie went
to Mexico to practice his profession
Of dentistry. He also acquired and
cultivated a large coffee plantation and
In 1915 came to washington and mar
ried Miss Cora Keenright. Mrs. Keen
right, her mother, went to Mexico to
visit her daugbter.
1t was in January, 1918, according 10
Mrs. Sturgis, that they had their first
| raid.
"The raiders were Carrancista SOL
| diers." Mrs. Sturgis said in letter TO
| friends here, Commanded by Capt
Leopolda Garcia and Capt. Julio Cas-
| tillano. They swarmed into the house.
| Capt. Garcia pointed his rifle at me and
at it's muzzle forced me to search the
whole house for him for revolution
aries he said.
Then he ordered me to climb the
roof and search 1t with him. refused.
He struck me on the left shoulder with
| the butt of his rifle.
"Youm pay for that I told him.
I'm the wife of an American citizen
| He,sneered at me.
"Go ahead and kick to your gov
| eminent. Go ahead and kick to my
government, too, If you want to. 1t
| won't do any good. We're going to
drive all you damned gringoes out OF
| the country before we're thru with
| you he said.
"Well, the Carrancistas left us at
last. And then came the raid OF June
1918. That was headed by Gen.
Rafael CaIy Mayor himself.
Prior to that time we were in dir
ficulties. For the Carranza govern
ment ordered all plantation employees
| to quit. A Carrancista agent kept COM
ing regularly. If he found any at work
| he threatened to have them hanged.
"On June 26 Gen. Cal y Mayor rode
I'D to the house. His men swarmed
thru 1t. They stripped the house OF
everything movable. Then they took
us to the bandit camp as prisoners.
1--WE were prisoners Of Gen. Cal
Mayor from June 26. 1918, to Feb. IS.
1919. It was Nov. 10, 1918, that my
mother died Of slow starvation.
This Gen. Rafael Cal y Mayor was
a close personal friend of Zapata. On
Nov. Is. 1918, he had me brought to his
| shack
"sGet ready for a trip ne told me.
| You're going to carry message tc
Zapata for me. You're going to Vera
Cruz and to Mexico City. I haven't
| got anybody but Indians here, and
| they can't make the trip. Here's $125
| in gold. II you try to trick me, or il
you're not back in two months I'll XIII
your husband
"He gave me pair of rough shoes
| they had made in camp. In between
the soles, he said, were sewed the
! MESA ges for Zapata. He sent with me
an Indian woman named Clotilde Lo-
pez. She was to keep watch over me.
Travelling on foot on muleback' ana
sometimes IN a canoe, the two women
| finally reached Mexico City.
Mrs. sturgis made the long journey
back to camp, and saved her husbands
life. They we're held prisoner several
! weeks longer and then set free. After
much trouble they got in communica-
ton with the American consul at "a
line Cruz, who furnished money SUI
ficient to pay their expenses back 10