Charlevoix county herald., 1919-09-05
CRUELTY TREATED
BY CARRANzA men
American Woman Tells Tale Of
Atrocities.
MOTHER STARVED TO DEATH
Suffers Eight Month. o. Imprisonment
and Brutal Treatment In Bandit
camp-Forced by carranxa General
to Carry Message to zapata-Two
Months Trip 10 Ono Of Hardship
and Danger.

Brutality treated and finally starved
to death by Mexican soldier bandits,
Mrs. w. FL. Keenright, who left Wash
ington few years ago to join her SON.
in-law and daughter, DR.. and Mrs.
Charles T. Sturgis, in Mexico, died
last November. Her body, wrapped in
a strip of mating, lies hidden in hole
near Depolan, in Chipas.
Before she died she saw the Sturgis
plantation sacked, witnessed the cruel
ties that reduced Doctor Sturgis to a
physical wreck, and was forced to
watch the indignlties suffered by her
daughter at the hands Of Carranza
soldiers and the bandits led by Gen.
Rafael Cal y Mayor, friend Of Ia
pata.
DR.. and Mrs. Sturgis reached New
Orleans a few days ago.
Eight months Of Imprisonment and
brutal treatment In a Mexican bandit
camp, where they were hidden after
their plantation was sacked, was the
experience related by Doctor Sturgis
and his wife.
In Mexico 20 Years.
Twenty years ago Doctor Sturgis
went to Mexico to practice his profess
sion Of dentistry. He also acquired
and cultivated large coffee planta-
ton and in 1915 came to Washington
and married Miss Cora Keenright.
Mrs. Keenright, her mother, went to
Mexico to visit her daughter.
It was in January, 1918, according
to Mrs. Sturgis, that they had their
first raid.
"The raiders were Carranzista 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.
Captain Garcia pointed his rife at me
and at its muzzle forced me to search
the whole house for him for revolu-
tionaries,' he said.
"Then he ordered me to climb the
roof and search 1t with him. refused.
I'm the wife Of an American citizen.
He sneered at me.
AGO 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 through with
you he said.
"Well, the Carranzistas left rs at
last. And then came the raid OF June
20, 1918. That was headed by Gen.
Rafael Cal Mayor himself.
Ran Away All Employees.
"Prior to that time we were In DIFF
fculties. For the Carranza govern
ment ordered all plantation employees
to quit. A Carranzlsta 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
ND to the house. His men swarmed
through 1t. They stripped the house
Of everything movable. Then they
took us to the bandit camp as pris-
oners.
1--WE were prisoners of Gen. Cal y
Mayor from June 20, 1918, to February
Is, 1919. 1t was November Is, 1918,
that my mother died of starvation.
"This Gen. Rafael Cal y Mayor was
a close personal friend Of Zapata. On
November 10. 1913. he had me brought
to his shack.
acct ready for a trip he told me.
You're going to carry a message to
Zapata for me. You're going to Vera
Cruz and to Mexico City. If you try
to trick me, Of II you're not back In
two months, I'll kill your husband
"He sent with me an Indian woman
named. Clotilde Lopez. She was to
keep watch over me-"
Travelling on foot. on muleback, and
sometimes In q canoe the two women
finally reached Mexico City.
Mrs. Sturgis made the long journey
back to camp and saved her husbands
life. They were held prisoner several
weeks longer and then set free. After
much trouble they got In communica-
ton with the American consul at Ia
line Cruz, who furnished money suffi-
cient to pay their expenses back to the
States.