HOW HOBTING BEGAN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13394, 30 May 1914, Page 10

HOW HOBTING BEGAN.

VEKA> CRUZ; April 22. Lhrer 3000 marines are to-day in. Vein, Gms- and the -Stars and: Stripes waves from the 'peak" of the miihicipal buildling*., / . '■■'-•. ■ "■ ; ■ -'.With &- loss' of four killed T and twenty -one wounded the bluejackets and HBosine«mndei» command of Captain Wil'liam R. Rush, from the Florida} swaxmed -'aßhore & little- before noon- yesterday to. tftko, possession of th© customs house. General Gustavo-. Maas : had refused io surrender at the ; demand- of Bear-Ad-miral- Ketch©r y and.. orders were- immediately given rto. take tha-town. • Tem whaleboatsrfilledswith bluejackets from.; the Prairie at once put off- f ox tiae , Ctostom. house pier. A few minutes*, later Captain- liush. stepped ashore' with the- American- flag in his hands.. -The men -numbered 160 sailors frbnvthe Florida, 390 marines, from the Prairie* and. fiv** marines frqm- the ndrida. .Ah hour later these* forces wer© augmented by another- detachment f roin - the • Utah . Small . crowds - ' of apathetic Mexioans, s:prinkied liberally with groups of excited foreigners, watched the. landing and formation of the Ame rwatx forces. Nor effort was made to imped© the march to the heart of the city- •

FJRST SOATTERING, SHOTS. After formal possession lof the CustpnVhcjUse had been taken, all Mexican officials having retired' with the books and papery, the hoayily-armed marines began the march to *the American corysulate on Degollado street, within two blocks of. the main plaza. ' ASvthey rounded *the end -of the pier and itttrnJod -to the right, a few scattering rihbts '.broke out from adjacent housetops. Two marines dropped. Shots rang out 1 from behind the corners of h(>uses firtlier along the street. From the. rear of the O'Kelly warehouse a volley was poured into the ranks, and three- othpr; bluejackets fell. A charge in that direction was immediately ordered) while several squads were detailed to pick off the sharpshooters on the roofs., z - In a few- mmate4 the firing ceased'i. Twenty /deadiMexicans lay on the floor of ih«i'warehouso>. their blood dripping through th» cracks' between the heavy planks to the water 'below. ■The "Tevre d,e Bonito Juarez, . half a Hock fvojm thte; j>laza : . where several i-h^n-drod r Mejdcan soldiers were held, contained, a number of? sharpßhooters ; four shofa froia tha flve^inch rapid fire guns of the. Prairie served, to shatter the, old tower, and ;< a {"number of' bodies wej'e seen: toi fall to ; the- pavement three fitoreya<bß)6w. • Ai the marinos' reached the consulate

and took possession of the streets for -,' .sevovitl 1 blocks around, the" solfliers in the plar.a;poTired a hail' of > lead] into- the forces oil 'tnat side. This was immediately' .answered and the guns of the Prairio went into action. The marines • clashed toward tho ; central plaza, firing as ; they advanced, and after & few mwasnV' the (soldiers dispersed in all

directions. Over a hundred dead or ] grounded were lying among the flowerbordered paths and around the bandstand as Captain Rush reached the great arches over the sidewalks. These aro usually filled with tables where the food j

and refreshments are served, ,but now waiters; and diners wero gone ; overturned tables and wrecked chairs, and. bloody forms- filled the wide pavement. The wounded Americans and tliree dead bodies were sent to the waterfront, and the Stars and Stripes Avere hoisted over the Cathedral, Part of 'the retreating Mexican force attached itself to the reserves at the roundhouse, on the western edge of the city, and made a long detour to th£ northern suburbs. Their effort to flank the landing forces from -the safety of the railway shops near the Terminal hotel was seen by the officers aboard the transport, and' soon the Prairie's 'three-inch' guns began to play on them. Discouraged by the marksmanship of I the gunners, the Mexicans fled precipi- j tate.ly, leaving thirty killed and a number of wounded. BIG BUILDINGS TAKEN. A machine guir'in the tower of the great building where the Vera Cruz lottery is played was silenced ; Gatlings from the roof of the roundhouse added their crackle like the tearing of heavy canvas to the din, but wero soon stopped; the bark of the Mausers and the spiteful 'snap of the Krags from the j neighborhood of the Casa, do los Ostiones, or oyster beds, to the south, increased the racket and the less frequent, but far more deadly firing of the bluejackets ashore and aboard the little transport — all served to show that war was in progress and to furnish thrills to tlie refugees aboard the ships -and the inexperienced sailors fighting in the streets. . The. great building containing the post office and federal telegraphs and cable, the magnificent Terminal hotel, th© cathedral, and all the wharves were soon in possession of the landing forces. ,

; DESULTORY FIRiIXG.'. Desultory firing , from the outskirts of the city continued until late in the evening, and drew fr*m Captain Bush, the remark that he would "'hate to have the city bombarded, but that unless General . Maas ordered the . resist* ance stopped, hi© would have to order }t." "Thiev messenger, was told to advise the Mexican general that 10,000 men could .be landed , this morning, from the ships, .-and that a/ boniibardment which yrould. lay the- city in. waste would be ordened! at , once unless^ firing ceased.