The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-06-10
EXECUTION PLACE
NOW JOY FACTORY
ESCAPED PRISONER TURNS BE-
LENS BLOODY COURTS INTO
REFUGE FOR ORPHANS.

playing ring-around-the-rosy in the
death court as I entered what was
until a few yesterdays ago the most
hellish spot in Mexico.
Song and laughter rose from the
enclosure where innumerable men
have cursed and died.
The sun poured into the stony
sockets whose fostering horror hadn't
seen the light of day for century.
Such was my introduction to Be-
lem, long the home of Mexican in
QUESTION and for decades the human
slaughter-house of Diaz and Huerta.
It's transformation into an asylum
for the mendicant, the orphaned and
the miserable indicates Mexico's in
ternal regeneration and her right to
bid for higher world respect.
An old man led me in.
At the far end of the court towers
wall, rusted with the blood of many
executions, SCARED with bullets, and
at one point almost shot away.
He told me of Senator Belisaria
nominguez' mysterious death; of
kidnappings, arrests and fiendlsh
things, all ending here in this laby-
rinth of terror that held peculiar
mockery because Belem had for 800
years before been convent, conse-
Grated to peace and prayer.
And then the old guide pointed to
a man standing or top of the wall
lean, tall, with features fiercely
calm.
"Come up" said General Alejan-
dro MacKinney, half Scotch, half
Mexican and wholly human-once
condemned prisoner in this hell hole
he has converted into a joy factory
Newspaper men, eh?" he said ami
ably. "Used to be one myself"
He led me to a point on the crumb-
ling abutrent where we could look
down into four courts.
The old execution yard swarmed
with romp;ng youngsters. In anoth-
er area stood hundreds of men. wo-
men and children in rags, being at
tended by white-robed doctors and
nurses. From the workshops in
third emerged lines of women and
girls. clean, neatly uniformed, chat
ting and smiling.
Veritable Miracle.
Those of you who don't believe In
miracles ought to see Belem today
after you've heard recital of its
CHASTITY yesterdays!
"a home for happiness" said Cen
eral mckinney, with wide sweep
of his hand. Here we are retaining
mendicant Mexico. Not a human be-
ing brought in has known anything
but want for years. Many have new
er slept in bed, never eaten except
from a garbage can, never known
other clothes than rags-never smil-
ed.
"When Cortez came to the city
four centuries ago he found 100000
professional beggars on the streets.
Their descendants have chung to US
through succeeding generations.
"Today we are gathering them IN
here, cleaning, feeding, clothing them
and teching them to earn an honest
living, In that building the women
learn to sew and weave; in this one
the men are trained to skilled work.
When they become self-supportlng
they may leave"
The gates opened, letting in white
clad attendants bringing milk, fresn
! beef, rice, sugar, coffee, macaronl.
What a scramble for the first square
meal most Of these wrecks had ever
eaten!
"And now," said the general, lead
ing me to the top Of the wall again.
''let me show you why / am here.
Look down there"
Deep between two walls l saw
small iron gratings-alr holes TO
dungeons. At one end workmen were
tearing down the masonry, ripping
out the bars. :,
"When Diaz was president" said
MacKinney, 81 spent three months
down there in the blacklist, dampest
cell.
"The firing squad in the court
above was my time-piece. Every
night at o'clock came that regular
death-knell. It didn't strike for me-
though I was condemned to die, be-
cause a $4,000 bride bought free
dom.
''I vowed if I ever got out ia come
back here and clean up this hole. I'm
doing it. Not blood-stained stone
here shall offend one of these ablect
creatures we're making over INTO
happy and self-respecting humans"
I think the very ghosts of Belem,s
victims must be dancing ring-aroundi-
the-rosy with the children who laugh
xubara thew died,