TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 2 December 1922, Page 5

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

IN MEXICO CITY

PROTRACTED DROUGHT LEADS

TO RIOT

MOB FIRED ON

MANY KILLED AND WOUNDED

(By Elec! nc Teicgrapn.- -Cupyi igiu- ) lAustralian A N.Z. Cable Association. )

NEW YORK, Dec. I

The. New York Times’ Mexico City correspondent states that a protracted drought vvhiek universally affected ail North America had an outcome in a terrible tragedy here to-day. 'lhi.s city of nearly a million inrabitants, through lack of wafer last Week, Ims suffered the tortures of the damnedf Working men to-day marched through tho main ‘street to the City Hall, .shouting “Givo us water!”, imt found tho building strongly guarded by police. The crowd surged towards tho building and tho police fired, and a guard on tin; roof and in a side street poured a heavy I’usilade into the populace. The crowd returned tho lire. The corrspondcut saw twelve dead civilians. The leaders then captured several policemen and marched them to the Mexican capital, where the crowd explained the occurrence to tho Legislature. Business throughout .the city has ceased. To-night merchants are covering their shop windows with heavy steel shutters in expectation of further trouble.

The city is now a vast turmoil, ‘there is rioting in many quarters, and 50 already have been killed and 200 wounded. Tho casualties are growing every hour. The police are powerless. The Federal Govern meat ordered out troops and marliaT law was declared.

A drought which left the city water supply very low also caused a derangement of the city water plant, with the result that it ceased to function. Council and aldermen took no steps to repair the plant, and -petitions pointing out the inhabitants’ suffering had little effect upon Coun - cillors, who engaged in a long wrangle over unimportant matters.