REFUGEES ESCORTED BY BRITISH MARINES.

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

REFUGEES ESCORTED BY BRITISH MARINES.

WASHINGTON.. April 241

Nelson O'Shaughnessy, American charge, in Mexico CSty, left 1 the Mexican capital l^Jst.; night for Vera, Cruz, accompanied by his wife and child and escorted by General Huerta's chief of staff. ",

Charge Algara, who has been charge; at the Mexican embassy, left last niglht at 12.10. for Toronto, Canada, accompanied by Chief Flynn, of the United Spates iSeoret Sen" vice. He /(received his passports yesterday afternoon from | .Secretary Bryan. Admiral Fletcher's report stated that lighting in. Vera Cruz had finally stopped, aiter.it had continued in a. desultory fashion since Tuesday, when the marines landed. Cessation was acconvplished by a. house-to-house search and the disarming . of all natives. The message stated that late last night a train had arrived from Mexico City witn 50 English, 150 Americans, 300 Mexicans, and 75 Germans. The first secretary of the British legation accompanied the train, and will return with, it to 'Mexico City to-morrow. The refugees . reported , the situation, in the capital as "ominously calm," arid expressed fear* that "it might ..'become worse to-day. . ■ . ■ • ' The train proceeded slowly arid with many interruptions, and reached the Mexican outposts at Tejeria at 310011, where it was detained for two 'hours ■while -a search was made .by the Mexicans for railroad officials, four of whom were arrested and hold until General Mans at Soledad was communicated with and their release ordered. The passengers on the trip suffered little inconvenience. There were fourteen cars in the train, and a majority of tine passengers -were wtomfeu and children, . About three miles, from Veva Cruz.. » section of . traclT nearly a mile long was found torn up. The refugees walked, carrying their baggage, to a train on the Vera Cruz end of the break. '

A . detachment of British mairines, unJhned, acted as escort to tne refugees, on the-last s£age of their journey to VeraOruz. "■■■/■' .„ , . The Ypiranga. loaded with, rifles and ammunition.' consigned to Huerta, has docked, and will proceed to unload h«r cargo at. the Customhouse, now in the hands of the American forces. According to. a despatph just received, 100 Ameribans. mostly women and cnildren, hare ; arrived . at , Naco, Arizona, from^ : leaving, only a few .'American' men: in the copper mining town across. the border ; They reported the. situation :as . tense, with violence towards Americans threatening, to break out at any moment, • Secretary Daniels last night gave out this statement : Admiral Badger wirXjs that, he ■ landed the battalion from the Minnesota, Michigan, [and South Carolina oh Wednesday afternoon, adn that the landing | forces now ashore total about 4500 men. Tlte> Minnesota, Chester, Prairie, and San Francisco . are: lying in the inner Harbor, i Admiral Badger reports that as a result of the, desultory filing which {jontinUed about the/ city last night and this morning, three • more American saildrs were killed; and : about tAventyfiye wounded. The landing -party now occupies all the city, and outposts have been stationed on the sandhills^ in the ■rear; who have been " engaged in constructijig defensive • works.?'" Admiral Badger, in * command on «:h.or^, is malHng; every veffort to induce Mexican municipal aiithoiities 1 to. resume their duties and tafee up the" early administration ofu the city.' He reports negbtiiatfans fairly successful far. No business, however, is being • tran>salted. The public service ■ utilities have stopped because the. employes re- ! \\am to run the ereritual risk to themselves of resuming -'. employment. | "Very little food supply has been coming into the city, and 'it is thought that, in a feAV, days the. question of feeding" tike people of the city avill become paramount; . and that it is possible the United States will be called upon ,t_o furnish food. ' The water . supply is causing eome anxiety."

VERACRUZ, April 24. Mobs in the streets of Mexico City were trampling, under- foot the -Stars a.id Stripes, and were threatening American [pedestrians when the refugee- train, en- : gaged under the auspices of the British 'and German Legations, left 1 f6r, V^va Cruz, carrying some 500 fugitives ot various nationalities. ; The position of. American citizens loft in the federal capital was regarded as critical. , Immediately after tho new^, of the landing of marines and bluejackets nt Vera Cruz was made known in the federal capital by extra editions of the local newspapers,. crowds, of students and Government offico employees : began ; to gather. By dusk a mob -had assembled in front of the American Club, where they smashed windows and howled insults and threats at. the Americans inside, all of whom they threatened to assassinate. An appeal to the governor of the federal district' brought police protection, but not before the crowd had shattered' the windows in the club-house and in adjoining property belonging to Americans. . Until 2 o'clock in the morning excited Mexicans' marched the streets singing, the National AfithenV . and shouting ""Death, for; the., Americans."

An American jewellery stove was looted by the mob at midnight; . The police looked on, without taking action.' Tlie American dub, the leading American; hostelry,, .and the offices of ' the Mexican Herald, were closed, owing- to the threats to burn them and murder their occupants. The British, Germans, and French in the federal capital were prepared at a moment's notice to gather in the previously -arranged- concentration districts,- which had been provisioned to stand 'a »i»jf». j

The newspapers, probably acting under the directions of General Huerta, issued . many extra editions, in which they printed despatches stating that El Paso, Laredo, Nogales and other places had been taken by, the Mexicans. ,

REPORTS OF MEXICAN VICTORIES. Despatches announced that the federal troops had gained a great victory at Vera Cruz, that they expected to surround and drive the American invaders into the sea. The, papers also declared that the battleship Louisiana had been sunk by a Mexican torpedo-boat. Another despatch from the south said Emilio Zapata (the southern rebel) was coming. to join forces with Huerta. All American officials employed by the national railroads and the Mexican Railway Company were immediately discharged, in order that no trains, could be operated except under the supervision of the Government. At the American Embassy, orders were received from the Mexican Government that the arms and ammunition recently permitted to enter, should be given up. This was in retaliation for the seizure of Vera Cruz by the American fleet/ | Mir O'Shaughnessy had an interview with General , Huerta on Tuesday afternoon, accoinp'anied by Lieutenant Rowan. General Huerta promised protection to i all foreigners) particularly Americans, and the same evening sent hi& chief of staff to the Embassy building.. At the request of Mr O'Shaughnessy, about- 20; federal soldiers guarded . the JEmbassy with a force of eight police. iThe. f Ame-r rican consulate, which- had suffered sqme. damage, was puarded by a correspond-; ing number of federal soldiers. Remarks were floated that the British and German Ministers were r# making; efforts to send down, a train with refugees from their colonies, and finally, on Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that such a train would, leave at 6 o'clock, but it was not known until late" in the afternoon whether Americans would be allowed to travel on it. How t ever, at the station, tickets were < sold apparently to all who presented themselves, without question, of. nationality.. The train -was twenty \hours in reaching Vera Cruz. ' ■' _