The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-02-20
by RUSSELL J. BllRDWEl.L
lEnnn:s,l ~, .a.x.., W., =, Il


Tiajuana, Mexico. Feb. 90. Here in
Satan's town the devil still bosses
his playground.
And over in San Diego, across the
border from where he sits on his un.
shaken throne. is graveyard-mer
ciful refuge for his victims.
Four fresh mounds Of earth are
there. Beneath them sleeps the ILL.,
fated Petcct family. Audrey and
Clyde, young and pretty sistcrs--un-
willing members Of the devils latest
party there with father and
mother. The girls said they were
kidnapped. drugged and despoiled by
Tiajuana's chief of police. Zenaido
Llanos. and n gang Of his Tiajuana
friends. Then. to escape the shame
of living. the whole family laid down
to die in the weirdest quadruple sui
eide pact ever known.
But here in this city Of sin there
are no wreaths Of mourning.
The Old story
Seductive music pOurs out into the
tequila- laden atmosphere from the
dens. saloons and cabarets; thou
sands Of dollars exchange hands
hourly in the gambling halls; the
old story still continues in the al
leys Of namelcss women and scarlet
i Tipped American and Mexican girls
lures to bait the tourist-sucker for
the dives and men they support.
\ The Peteet family was buried one
!; day, and on the following began Tia
juana's gayest four-day carnival-a
gesture to keep business going as
usual in this most iniquitOus cess
pool Of degeneracy and debauchery
| in the history of the North Ameri-
can continent.
! Night dcscends on Leper Lane like
Ia heavy smoke. and electric signs
flash on. Here parades the riff-raft
! of all races; murderers and robbers
with price tags on their heads in the
+; states; dope smugglers and rum rum
ners, signing with relief in their owr
land Of protection once more: jovia
travelling statesmen over the border
| line for a drink Of beer; and curious
American sight-seers putting thci1
money into varied gambling contrap
tions.
Dcns Are Still Open
Not one palace of pleasure or der
of indecency has been closed here
excepting the Oakland bar. where tn
Peteet girls were first drugged b!
Luis Amador. proprietor. The Hote
Nacional, where Llanos is charged
with attacking l9-ycar-oM Audrc!
Petect. is just around the corner.
And an alibicd path has been pavct
for the attackers Of American womci
to travel to freedom.
"Llanos has too much power. Is TO-
big . factor in Mexican political cir
clcs. to be dealt with harshly." i
the unanimously spoken commen
The probability that he may b
sentenced to face u firing squad !
joke. An agent of Mayor Palaclo
self.appointcd monarch. laughed II
my face when 1 mentioned such
sentence for his crime.
"Not Serious"
"Why. six years is the very mos
he could get under the law,
chuckled. :.
have not been able to find sin
gle pcrson who believes that Llano
will get any penalty at all.
However. some believe that one 9
the group Of miscellaneous attacker
who took the drugged girls for them
selves after Chief Llanos and Ams
dor had discarded them in the note
should be executed ITO appease Tn
unkind demands Of the Unite
States" 1t is generally believed tha
Amador. "who isn't important an!
way" as they say, will be shot.
An American Sailor
Around the corner from the Hot,
Nacional is Tiajuana's jail--a dar'
filthy hole, hardly fit for beasts,
In it a young American sailor hs 3
lain for six long months. Slow
: changing from = husky. upstand'n
tyoung seaman into pale victim {
4 tuberculosis.
He ran afoul Of some human ha
\ pies in the unspeakablc underwor'
Of this border hell, and he has bee
t sent to cell that may be his tom
h unless he is soon freed by action fro
outside. =:
$ He is-but we will tell about nj
! tomorrow.
Monday: The Tribune will te
] the story Of Elmo Kaye Gordon. u
, Americas sxilOr who was "framet
l. -