The Mexican Revolt

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 223, 20 March 1914, Page 5

The Mexican Revolt

lIUERTA'S ARMY SCHEME.

A .MORE DETERMINED POLICY. Uy Cable —Press Association—Copyright Receive 1 ,19, 8.45 p.m. Mexico City, March 19.

It is reported the Huerta, owing to the increasing seriousness of the h'mvn--ial situation jn Mexico, is preparing to reopen negotiations with Mr. Lind. President Wilson's personal representative. ,

Iluerta summoned 60 of the wealthiest Mexicans and informed them that a decree had been passed, levying ten men from eacli owner of haciendiib throughout the country to enable Mm to take the field against the rebels. It ■s understood that if the hacienda owuits agree, a force of lialf-a-million men will be raised.

PROSPECTS OF PEACE.

„ Mexico City, March IH. An agreement has been reached between the Government and rebel forces ■regarding the Presidential election, which is likely to lead to. peace.

ARRANGEMENT WITH BRITAIN

Washington, March 18.

After a conterence with* Sir C. A. spring-Rice, British Ambassador, Mr. Byran states that when the British Government had occasion to make representations to the Mexican constitutionalists at Chihuahua it woulu do so directly through its own vice-consul. Mr. Bryan explained that no change of pol icy was thus involved, as where therj were no British consuls the United States would continue to act.

UNSPEAKABLE BARBARITIES BY

REBEL TROOPS.

Writing from the City of Mexico ou January 10, a foreign resident thus tells of the, cruelties and woes of the present Mexican situation:—The non-recogni-tion of this Government by the Unitid States, its encouragement of the revolution in the north and the financial boycott instituted against Mexico is causing the complete ruin of this country, and causing it an injury from which, it take many, many years to recover. You can hardly have an idea of thi extent of the dostrucj;ion of property that has taken place in some parts of this republic. For example, in the State of Durango magnificent haciendas, have been razed to the ground, literally speaking; all buildings have been blown up with dynamite, fences and water works destroyed, all cattle stolen, and even the monuments marking the noun- - daries destroyed, leaving the bare ground; and its owners, who were rich yesterday, are actually begging to-day.

I will give you a few instances of the barbarities and atrocities committed by the so-called Carrancista army in the State of San Poto3i into which they have penetrated through the State of Tamaulipqs/ All the following incidents mentioned axe of recent origin: A federal military train was blown up by the rebels a Jittle over a week ago at the station of Vcnado, San Luis Potosi. The military comhiander was one of the survivors of the explosion. ITc avns cauglit and the flesh pared off the soles of his feet and made to march along - great distance with the rebohj. a stop was made his two eyes were poked out, stabbed several times, and tied high up a tree by his feet,! and aUqwed to die gradually in that position. The man, so eye-witnesses say, bcgired to he killed, but no attention was pajd to him. At Las Crucitas, between San Luis Potosi and Tampico, a freight train was detained by the rebels and valuable merchandise burned. Aboard the train were three Juchiccq Federal soldiers .ui.l the Wife of one of thcße. The soldiers were murdered most brutally and the wife had her tongue cut out of her mouth whilst still alive. She was then outraged and murdered. Whilst the tongue-tutting operation was being done ii poor peon woman tried to intercede. She was beaten for interfering, and made to eat the tongue of the murdered woman.

At El Coro Station, on the same railroad line, an American was surprised in his house with his two daughters by several rebels. He was taken outside and tied to a tree and his two .daughters, girls of sixtwen and eighteen, wore outraged right before his eyes by (all of them. , • When this crime became known in Mexico City President Huerta ordered ii special commission of soldiers to get, after the bandits. Four of these were ■caught, taken to Cardenas, San Luis Potosi, tried by a judge, and taken to a little town called Los Eanehos and shot.

At Cioudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, when the city wa9 taken by the Carrancistas last month, a young lady who tried to defend her honor was outraged most brutally and her breasts slit open with a knife.

At a ranch near Valles, San Luiß Potosi. on the approach of the rebels the inhabitants, ran away and two children, four and five years old, one a girl, were left behind. The bodies of these two children were afterwards found 4 cut in halves vertically. At Tampacan, San Luis Potosi, ;a young fellow, ranch owner, was caught by rebels, the flesh from his arm dressed off, and walked around the market place until he died of exhaustion and loss of blood.

With these samples of crime you will get an idea of the kind of warfare that is being carried on in this country. In every town that is entered by rebels every girl in the place is immediately nutr'ajted: peaceful citizens are robbed, their houses burned, and arc then murdered. Many other crimes, aside from those, mentioned, are being committed every day which are so repulsive that decency prohibits their description.