The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-03
ORTER EMERSON BROWNE
- Is an engaging person, a roly-
y nolv who refutes instantly the

ORTER EMERSON BROWNE
- Is an engaging person, roly-
L poly who refutes instantly the
popular belief that authors starve In
a garnet. His countenance Of cherubic
good humor likewise gives the lie to
the impression that chronic humor-
list has the appearance and manner Of
chronic dyspeptic. One would
scarcely imagine that this genial. I'M
assuming commuter had created in
1.-THE Bad Man" at the Comedy Theatre
one of the picturesque hair trigger
characters of the present season, who
for all his sardonic sense OF the comic
is apt to emphasize his jokes with a
revolver.
Behind that bland exterior Mr..
Browne has some forceful ideas, par
ticularly on Mexico, which he ex-
pressed the other day In explaining
how he came to capture Villa" for
the stage.
1T loaded up on local color" said Mr..
Browne, when I was down on the bor-
der soon after villa made his excursion
into Columbus. Down there found
that the poor beggars OF Mexicans. as
soon as they are captured by the OPP
posing General. look around for the best
whitewashed wall where they can be
lined I'D and shot My idea of dying
patriot had been vastly different-some-
thing In the line OF a chap who made
a neat statement suitable for engraving
on the tombstone.
.Prcsently / had a chance to put this
treatment up to O Mexican who had
been Madero's purchasing agent I'm the
United States. though I guess he did
more purchasing for himself. He had a
big car and bubbled with diamonds. He
was an intelligent man. finely set UP
like West Pointer, and wearing snappy
clothes for varsity men. But he was
typical.
zone day he rode into town to buy
himself another peck OF diamonds, and
the authorities gave TO him his choice
of either going back across the border
or else to San Diego. where the Govern
ment trouble experts were hiving UP all
the Mexicans then. He chose to go to
San Diego naturally, for he knew II he
went back across the line he would dig
his own grave. On the train TO that
place met him. and asked him why
the Mexican bandit chiefs used UP am
munition in shooting the poor devils
they took prisoner.
"'Well.' he said. what you dor You
have no jail. you cannot keep them.
They are seeck. they eat you up. You
cannot TAXA them wit you. You let
them go. they come back an fight you
maybe. SO you shoot them out Of the
way
THAT gave TO me a new slant on these
people and made me realize their point
OF view was not so foolish just because
they are always having revolutions
began to understand villa better, espe-
clally his hearty sense OF humor. and the
first thing knew had n play about a
Mexican chief in my system. Most OF
the stories | have heard about his jokes
appear to be true, though doubt
whether he actually took part In the raid
on Columbus
HE Is n most extraordinary man OF
the Napoleonlc type, who cares nothing
for human life and with whom the regu-
latons of civilization are at still less of
a discount. Too much civilization Is re-
sponsible for much of the worlds disor-
der to-day, for as one big man in Europe
said when asked what started the war !.
The telephone. II the man who began
it could not have set II In motion by
saving a few words over a wire but had
to despatch his order on paper by horse
back. he might have waited a day, gone