MEXICO.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 March 1916, Page 8

MEXICO.

SYDNEY MAX'S EXPERIENCES. , J REVOLUTIONARY GENfRAI.S. I Sonic interesting sidelights 011 the revolutionary turmoil in .Mexico aic contained in a letter written ijv Mr. A. J. Willis, of Sydney, from El I'asu, Tmm, on January 14, to Mr. Laurie Thomas, of the Oceanic S.S. Co., Pitt Street. Mr. Willis savs that he has had some very novel experiences, and that the scenes lie has witnessed will live long | in his memory. He was introduced by j a Customs official to General Banda, who was in Villa's army, but who went over to Carranza. The three had supper at one of the leading restaurants in El Paso, and then motored to the railway station to see the general off. "It is supposed," Mr. Willis adds, "that he will join Villa again. He has looted over 25,000 dollars since he has been with Villa. Ji.e is a rough affair, but something in his roughness seemed to appeal to yon. It was all so strange to me to be standing on the railway j platform with a bunch of Mexicans, in- i eluding a revolutionary general. He : seemed interested in my being from 1 Australia, and wished me luck. While all this was going on a body of U.S. soldiers v ere closely watching his movements, because there is likely to be big trouble between America and Mexico over the shooting of 17 Americans in Mexico last week, and Villa has sworn to shoot every American he comes across. "You have 110 conception of the manner in which this country is run. The people just live to fight. They have awful places to live in. Women, children, and men look to bo the most miserable and dejected people on (Sod's green earth; i and Mexico is one of the richest coun- ' tries for minerals, oils, and other natuv- I al resources. But the Government is ! so unstable that it is impossible for ! people to carry out enterprises. There is ' an old church in Juarez, built over 300 ! years ago. You see the women kneeling on the bare floor with a candle six inches long alight in their hands. They kneel and pray in the one position until the candle burns out—and that takes from one to four hours." Illustrating the cruelty of General Fierro, whom he describes as the cruellest general in the Mexican armies, Mr. Willis writes: "On one occasion he had a prisoner who was a mere lad, The mother pieaded for the boy, who was awaiting execution. General Fierro had the prisoner brought out to liim, and said to his mother: 'So this is your boy, and you say lie is inno?ent.' Then j he added: 'He won't go baek to goal,' Drawing his revolver, he shot the hoy i dead. Jie turned on the woman. How i old are you?' he asked. She told him. 'You are too old to live,' he said, and j shot her dead. He was a fla=h brute, j and wore a large diamond in each spur, I : and an enormous one, estimated to be : worth .CSOO, In a ring. Eventually he was drowned." j Mr. Willis also writes interestingly 0/ 1 his expediences in San Francisco. !