The Washington times., 1919-08-03

Rafael Cal y Mayor himself.
Prior to that time we were in diff
ficulties. For the Carranza govern
ment ordered all plantation employees
TO quit work and not even attempt
to pay us back advances on their la
Dor. DR.. Sturgis had over $4,000 out
in cash and store goods. 1t was all
lost. Many of the 125 workers we
had at La Blanca wanted to come back
and work, but a Carranzista agent
kept coming around regularly. If he
found any at work he threatened to
have them hanged if they didn't quit.
Swarm Through House.
"This day in June, General Cal
Mayor rode up to the house. His men
swarmed through 1t, room after room
1 escaped into the brush back OF the
house. 1 was peeping through, and I
saw them lead out Dr. Sturgis with a
rifle pointed into his back.
"He called me: Cora! Coral They're
going to shoot me II YOU don't come
backp 1 heard him. And of course 1
went back.
"They stripped the house Of every
thing movable. Then they started
for the bandit camp, telling US we
were prisoners.
They allowed my mother and my
self to wear the clothes we were
standing in. They made DR.. Sturgis
pack up all his dental supplies and
take them along. He had a small kit
with which he used to do q little
work for our neighbors and for Mex
leans in pain with toothache.
"We were prisoners Of Gen. Cal y
Mayor from June &c, 1918, to. Febru-
airy Is, 1919. 1t was on November Is,
1918, that my mother died of slow
starvation. She was sixty-five years
old and in delicate health.
Marched Twelve Miles.
"on the day we were taken pris-
oner, they marched us twelve miles.
My mother was on a horse. DR..
Sturgis and 1 had to tramp along in
the blazing sun, me with only a hand
keTchief tied around my head for pro-
lection, for the bandits had stolen all
my hats for gifts to their Indian and
Mexican women. We tramped along
half suffocated in the dust OF those
Mexican horses.
The next day they marched us If
teen miles and then we took to the
Griialva river. A day later we reach
ed Cal y Mayors camp. There were
fourteen small camps about 1t. His
main camp had 800 men constantly
under arms.
"All they fed us was dry tortillas
without salt, and all we had to drink
was river water. Once in a week or
so they would toss us a handful Of
beans to keep us alive a while longer.
Mother was sinking rapidly. Thank
God, she didn't suffer much toward the
end. She was too weak. She just
slowly starved and grew unconscious
and died.
Friend of Zapata.
"This Gen. Rafael Cal Mayor was
"a close personal friend of -Zapata's.
They had campaigned together in
Morales. And then on November Is,
1918. he had me brought to his shack.
"'Get ready for trip he told me.
You're going to carry a message to
zapata for me. You're going to Vera
Cruz and to Mexieo-City. I haven't
got anybody but Indians here, and
they can't make the trip. Here's SIPS
in gold.
"If you try to trick me. or IL
you're not back in two months, I'll
kill your husband
He gave me pair of rough shoes
they had made in camp. In between
the soles, he. said, were sewed the
messages for Zapata. He sent with
me an Indian woman, named Clotilde
Lopez, wife of Captain Lopez of his
band. She was to keep watch over
me.
She doesn't know enough to go
herself, but she knows enough to
Kill you if you try to get away he
warned me-"
Hard Journey.
On the first night OF the journey
eighteen miles was covered. The trip
was not without its hardships. Some
of the distance was made on the back
OF a mule, some on foot, and some in
a canoe down a river. They finally
reached the City OF Mexico.
81 went straight to the American
embassy with Clotilde with me-" Mrs.
Sturgis continues. There I told the
whole story to Mr.. Summerland. the
charge daffaires. and to Lieut.. Col
Robert Campbell, the military at
tache. Then ] went TO the hotel and
gave the shoes with the messages for
Hapata to Clotilde. There was a Ia
pata secret agent waiting for them"
Mrs. Sturgis covered back over the
City and at the end of two mont hs
reached the bandit camp and saved
her husbands life.
I'VE were kept prisoners for weeks
longer. 1t was then l was forced to
cut wood for the Indian and Mexican
women" Mrs. Sturgis says. These
women spent their odd moments
sneering at me and saying things in
Spanish TO me that l can't repat in
English. No decent woman could.
Set Free At Last.
"And then at last we were set free.
DR.. StUrgis was unable to walk, he
was so weak. They put him on one OF
our own old plantation horses without
saddle or bride. They gave me a
machete. And they sent one of their
spies along to tran US. We started
out on that fifty-odd miles to our old
plantation.
How me got there ] don't know.
had to go ahead and cut brush and
vines with my machete. The doctor
fell off his horse several times and
had a hard time getting back the
horse and getting on it. But at last
we got to our own home, La Blanca.
1t was stripped bare"
After much trouble the American
1 consul at Salina Cruz was communi-
Gated with. He furnished money suf-
fcient to pay expenses to the States.
Andrew P. GLADDEN.. who Is now
experimenting the erection of some
buildings in Alexandria, and who ~