TJ1E WMj adventures
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Mr. Gerald Brandon will contribute several fact adventure narratives of his experiences
as a war correspondent in Mexico. They are stirring recitals of actual events. The humors of
revolutions as well as the elements that thrill have been included in Mr. Brandon's stories. They
are human documents of absorbing interest, and are herewith presented for the first time.
- - Editor's Note.
I HAD lived In Mexico several years
when In June, 1910, President Diaz"
30 vears' era of peace was broken
by a revolution In the State of Yucatan,
which was immediately suppressed by
the Federal troops, who executed the
ringleaders with a few of their follow
rs and seemingly restored peaoe.
I covered this campaign for the Mex
ican Herald and then returned to the
Capital to take part in the sumptuous
festivities with which Mexico cele
brated the centennial of her Indepen
dence. There I saw President Porflrio Diaz
and his followers play their last part
In Mexican affairs. Apparently still
controltng the destiny of the country,
seemingly as popular as ever, they en
tertained the world's ambassadors amid
the cheering of the people.
One month later the scene had
changed. Throughout the country the
people murmured. Puebla, Gomes Pa
laclo. Parral and Cludad Guerrero were
in open revolt. In all but the last of
these cities the revolution was easily
suppressed, but the topography of the
country between Guerrero and the near
est garrison city made it more difficult
for the government to send troops
against the revolutionists.
Terse Tales From
IXTO HIS OWSf TRAP.
In a suit lately tried the plaintiff
testified that his financial position
had always been a good one. The op
posing counsel took blra In hand for
cross-examination and undertook te
break down his testimony upon this
point.
"Have you ever been bankrupt?"
asked the counsel.
"I have not."
"Now, be careful." admonished the
lawyer with raised finger. "Did you
ever stop payment?""
"Yes."
"Ah! I thought we should get at the
truth," observed the counsel, with an
unpleasant smile. "When did this
suspension of payment occur?"
"When I paid all I owed." Phila
delphia Telegraph.
THE MIFF.
Senator Borah was talking about a
disgruntled political opponent.
"His attitude," said the eloquent Sen
ator, "reminds me of a young lady at
the seashore.
"Discussing this young lady and a
Chicago millionaire, a girl remarked:
" 'She says he's not a very good catch,
after all.'
"Another girl, tossing her head, then
made the comment:
"'She says that, does she? Then he
must have dropped her.' "
CIGAR THAT FAILED.
"Billy." said Horatio Hardrocks. ad
dressing his son-in-law, who had Just
finished his wedding journey, "do you
know that you had a mighty narrow
scape before you married my daugh
I left Mexico with General Juan Na
varro, who commanded the Twentieth
Battalion, sent to oppose the rebels.
Navarro was acting under the orders
of General Plata, commander of the mil
itary department of the Nortwest, and
was Instructed to remain in Chihuahua
until further notice. I accompanied
him there, but could get no news of
the rebel movements, and therefore,
mounting a horse, rode toward Guer
rero, which is 250 miles to the north
west. In the thick of the Sierra Madre
range.
Meets Old Friend In Leader.
I had harly gone 10 miles when I
met a body of 400 mounted revolution
ists, galloping toward Chihuahua. They
stopped me and, hearing I was a news
paper man, took me to their chief,
Castulo Herrera, who was camping
near. Herrera, to my surprise, turned
out to be an old friend. I had met
him several years before in Mexico in
connection with a labor movement. He
was president of the Mexican Boiler
Makers' Union.
"We will take Chihuahua tonight or
tomorrow morning," said Herrera in
answer to my Inquiries. "Go and tell
General Navarro that if he wishes to
avoid the shedding of innocent blood
1M MNUTD? Will IXTUNNT
Humorous Pens
ter?"' The cool, calculating business
man had a cigar that he liked, and
he was. therefore, in good humor.
Billy Munson looked at him rather
curiously for a moment and then re
plied: "Oh. I've had a number of nar
row escapes In my' time." "But this
one," said Mr. Hardrocks, "was prob
ably the narrowest of them all." He
drew out a few rings of smoke and
contemplated them with pleasure as
they floated toward the ceiling. "Yes,"
he continued, "I had made up my mind
to discharge you. Your work wasn't
satisfactory, and I had even gone so
far as to notify my secretary to in
form you that your services were to
be dispensed with." Billy Munson was
silent, but he did not seem to be at
all disturbed. "Well," the older man
said, "you don't appear to be aston
ished." "No. The fact is, I knew It
at the time. Your secretary told me."
"He told you, did he? And you had
the presumption, knowing how I felt
toward you, to ask my daughter to be
your wife. I am surprised to hear you
say so." "I can't see why you should
be surprised, sir. You see, I realized
that it was time for me to do some
thing to make my position secure."
For a moment Horatio Hardrocks
gazed steadily at his son-in-law. Then
he tossed his cigar into the grate. It
had ceased to be comforting. Chicago
Record-Herald.
WHY HE WEPT.
At a reception one night, says the
Woman's Home Companion, a loud
voiced young man was invited to sing.
Desultory applause followed and he
responded with a vociferous rendering
of "My Old Kentucky Home." The host
ess was passing among hex guests.
THE STJXDAY
J;
he should meet me outside of the city
limits." '
I had a good horse and made him do
his best on the way back to Chihuahua.
Calling on Navarro, I gave him the
enemy's message, but he seemed in
credulous as to the number of men I
had met. He then sent for the Gov
ernor of Chihuahua and the military
commandant and I was cross-examined
by them and my story pooh
poohed. "There cannot possibly be so large
a body of rebels' within a 200-mile ra
dius," was the result of their deliber
ations. I put my story on the wire and went
to bed, sleeping soundly after so stren
uous a day's work.
At $ o'clock I awoke and asked the
hotel mozo if the rebels had as yet
taken the city. "The senor is pleased
to joke," was all the satisfaction I re
ceived. In fact I soon found out thaj on the
street nothing was known of the prox
imity of the revolutionists, who ap
parently had not kept their word to
me concerning their advance on Chi
huahua. His Hone Is Struck.
Borrowing a horse from the Chief of
Police, I rode out to the spot where I
beaming at the success of her enter
tainment and sure that everybody was
having a good time, when suddenly, to
her surprise, she came upon a middle
aged man but slightly known to her,
who was weeping silently but bitterly
in a secluded corner. Thinking that his
heart had been touched by the old song,
she asked sympatheticaUy:
"Why do you weep? Are you a JCen
tuckian?" "No, madam." he replied, "I am a
musician."
LIKED THE LOBSTER'S CLAWS.
E. Phillips Oppenbeim, the English
novelist. Is fond of American lobsters,
which are more delicate than their
English cousins. During his recent
visit to New York Mr. Oppenheim was
nightly to be seen in a lobster palace,
and It Is related of him that one night
his waiter brought him a lobster that
lacked a claw.
"I say, waiter, there's a claw missing
here, you know," he complained.
"Yes, sir," said the waiter. "Two lob
sters got to nghtin' downstairs, sir, and
this here feller lost a flipper."
Mr. Oppenheim pushed back his plate
a little wearily.
"Take him away," he said, "and bring
me the winner."
LITERATURE PAYS THE LAWYER.
James Oliver Curwood, a novelist,
tells the Cincinnati Times-Star of a re
cent encounter with the law. The value
of a short story he was writing de
pended upon a certain legal situation
which he found difficult to manage.
Going to a lawyer of his acquaintance,
he told him the plot and was shown a
way to the desired end. "You've saved
me juBt $100," he exclaimed, "for that's
what I am going to get for this story."
A week later he received a bill from
the lawyer as follows: "For literary
advice, flOO." He says he paid.
OREGONIAN, PORTLAND,
"PHOTOGRAPHY and
' WOUNDS"
Being Adventure No. 1
By
GERALD
BRANDON
had left Herrera the day before, over
taking on the way the rear guard of a
federal force which Navarro had taken
out to prove or disprove my informa
tion. While I was talking to Colonel
Trucy, in command Of these men, the
rebels, ambushed on either side of the
road, opened a scattering fire on us,
but doing practically no damage.'
Hearing the firing, Navarro hurried
back and with his six hundred men
drove the rebels from, their positions,
killing about twenty,,' - j
I was taking pictures of the more
interesting parts of the battle 'when
my horse, whose rein I held In the
crook of my elbow, reared suddenly, a
big splotch of blood showing where a
bullet had furrowed 'his shoulder.
After this the pony Would not keep
still enough to let me take pictures,
but would try to break away every
time a bullet whistled near us, so I
had to let .him go and he galloped
right at the enemy, receiving another
wound in the neck. He then stood still
between the two fires, browsing and
starting occasionally until a third bul
let put an end to his misery. '
After the enemy had retreated the
Federals picked up the dead and
wounded and returned to Chihuahua,
carrying with them eighteen dead rev
olutionists and three prisoners. .
The dead were exhibited to the pub
lic gaze in the street before the police
station and the prisoners were turned
over to the state authorities who sen
tenced them to three-months in jail.
Escape Is Thrilling;. .
The following week Navarro, with a
mixed column of one thousand Infan
try and cavalry and two 70-mm.
mountain guns, left Chihuahua with the
avowed purpose of taking Cludad Guer
rero, the headquarters of the revolu
tion. In the first half of the march
we had three unimportant skirmishes,
reaching Cerro Prieto on Sunday, the
7th of December, and engaging the
enemy that occupied the heights sur
rounding the village.
The revolutionists were commanded
by Pascual Orozco, later generalissimo
of the anti-Maderist revolution, and
numbered about 3000. However, all
their men did not get to the firing line.
Most of the shooting was inaccurate,
owing to the fact that the rebels kept
retreating as the. Federals advanced,
maintaining a distance of about 2000
yards. At last the rebels reached the
town and ensconsed themselves In the
outlying houses, loop-holing the walls
and firing from this vantage at the
Federals on the plain.
I was with the advance guard and
we stormed several houses, having to
riddle them with bullets before their
occupants' fire would cease. In nearly
every one of these houses we found
dead women and children, and there
wruld always be more dead men than
rifles, which proved that the houses
barbored non-combatants.
A mile farther on was a clump of
huts and 50 federals detached them
selves from the main body and made
toward them.
Spurring my charger, I galloped
ahead of them, thinking I could get
the women and children out of the
way before the federals got close.
Twenty yards from the first house
a barbed-wire fence prevented closer
approach, so I called out at the top of
my voice, "Out with . the women and
children; the federals are coming."
A door opened and a gun barrel pro
jected, followed by several others.
above which peered -the uncombed
heads of their mountaineer owners. I
repeated my warning, and, unslinging
my camera, snapped them..
The rifles in the doorway belched
fire and something smote me in the ab
domen, while my horse reared and fell
Quips and Flings
Mrs. Newrlch We're going to live
In a beter neighborhood hereater.
Mrs. Keen Ah! so are we.
Mrs. Newrlch Then you are going
to move. too7
Mrs. Keen No; we're going to stay
right here. Boston Transcript.
"I wonder," said the youthful stu
dent; "how the prodigal . son came to
go broker
"I suspect," said Farmer Corntossel,
"it was because he spent his time in
town hangin' around talkln' about how
to uplift the farmer." Washington
Star.
She (touring) Say, what town is
this?
He Whafs today Wednesday or
Thursday?
She- Wednesday. . .
He Then I guess it's London.
Sketch.
"What did that handwriting Nebu
chadnezzar saw on the wall mean?"
"I don't know," replied the precari
ous politician. "But I suspect that it
was something that began, 'My Dear
Senator1!"
"A man can't build nuffin' much,"
said Uncle Eben, "if he stops to heave
rocks an' throw mud when he orter be
pilin' up bricks an' mortar."
"Yu don't like corn on the cob?"
"Not very much; but how did you
know?"
"You eat it so gracefully." Detroit
Free Pres. ; -
"Wealth doesn't always bring happi
ness," remarked the youngster with
the large spectacles.
"iNaw," asserted tns other kid. "Look
DECEMBER 8, 1913.
xm correspondent
upon me. Later I found out that my
camera had been mistaken for an In
fernal machine. ' " '
I did not lose consciousness, but did
not feel like getting up, fearing that
greater loss of blood would result from
any movement.
Soon the federals came up at a gal
lop and got entangled In the fence un
der the rebel fire.' Of these B0 fed.
erals not a single one but was killed
or wounded in the next half hour.
Sergeant Gomez, who ty order of
General Navarro had Deen my oraeriy
or personal servant during' the march,
came up to me where I was lying and
got me from under, my horse, which
had oeen Kmea. .-..
Kneeling 'beside me Gomes started to
unbutton my vest, which was drenched
with blood, when suddenly he fell
across my cheat, the entire top of his
head blown off by a soft-nosed bullet.
I managed to wriggle from under
the body of the faithful fellow, who
was spilling blood all over me. To my
surprise this movement did not entail
much suffering, and I began to won
der if I was not mortally wounded aft
er all. ' i
Then a cavalry Lieutenant orawled
to my side. "Will you please take
my picture now, so that I oan prove
to the boys in Mexico that I have real
ly been on the firing line?" he pleaded.
My camera, a (J rati ex, had received a
pretty hard shaking, as both myself
and my hovse had fallen on it, but it
seemed to be working all right, and
I asked the Lieutenant to move a lit
tle to the left In order that a bunch
of dead soldiers should also show up
on the negative. ,
He moved, but It was 1)14 last move,
as at the precise moment that I was
about to click the machine he uttered
a gurgling sound and fell back, shot
through the breast, , .
Wound Are Slight.
This scared me, and I lay still until
more troops came up on the other side
of'-the houses, firing through them,
and incidentally killing some of us
who were in the line of fire. This was
by no means pleasant, and I got up In a
hurry, and mounting a fine horse with
a silver decorated saddle that was
hitched behind the house I made off to
seek a surgeon. ' '
About an hour later the rebels in the
houses were dislodged by artillery.
some escaping, 12 being captured and
80 killed.
The surgeon laughed when ha ex
amined my wounds. One bullet had
gone between my chest and arm, sorap-
ing the skin from both. Another had
pierced my wrist, and a third hit me
square in the abdomen, but had not
penetrated the abdominal wall owing to
the fact that It had first gone through
my horse's head, become mushroomed
and lost its penetrating power.
Gen'eral Navarro had received Instruc
tions from the President not to take
prisoners, as the judicial authorities
seemed Inclined to give them light sen
tences, so after the battle he rounded
up all the prisoners as well as all the
able-bodied men in the village, 36 In all,
and shot them without trial barely ask
ing each man his name as a matter of
record.
The rebels met their fate calmly with
Indian stoicism. - The non-combatant
villagers started to protest, but, find
ing it' useless, relapsed into a sulky
attitude, refusing to give their names
or have any dealings with the federals.
I thought this a very big story and
sent it to Chihuahua by a courier, as
Navarro refused to allow me to trans
mit it on the military wire. i
On the day after the battle the fed
eral camp was visited by Haggerty, of
the Associated Press, accompanied by
C. B. Harris and Felix Sommerfeld, Ihe
at me cousin yonder. He's got two
onnt, nnri ha O n ' t rfanldA hptWfieU lolll
pops and ice cream." Pittsburg Post.
"Look at this beautiful castle."
"Don't bother me. How can I read
the guide book if you keep pestering
me to look at the rocKs ana castles:
Washington Herald.
m
Wlfei And please remember, sir, I
wasn't anxious to marry you. I refused
you six times.
Hub Yes, and then my luck gave
out. Boston Transcript-
Romantic Husband Ah, how I'd like
to be back again on the old farm.
Prosaic Wife Huh! But I notice you
had no desire to be back until, you
knew the harvest work was done.
Chicago News.
The Inventor of the automatic pistol
shed bitter tears.
"I thought I had the greatest man
killing Invention of all ages," he said,
"and then somebody had to come along
and Invent the racing motorcycle."
Denver Republican.
-
"In India brides of 12 are not un
common." "I don't expect to equal that record,"
said the Summer belle, "but so far I've
been the fiancee of six." Louisville
Courier-Journal.
-
Son Say, mamma, father broke this
vase before he went out.
Mother My beautiful majolica vase!
Wait till. he comes back, that's all.
Son May I stay up till he does?
Fllegende Blaetter.
www
Mrs. Youngbride (at the baker's)
The holes In these doughnuts are very
large. You ought to make some re
duction.
Baker Can't do that, mum; but I'll
allow you a cent each for the holes if
you'll return, 'em. Town Topics. ; '
&r I Li It
one an American photographer and the
Other a German mining man, both re
siding In Chihuahua.
Haggerty had been with tne revolu
tionists and had come over to get the
federal side of the story. Sommerfeld
was a sort of a revolutionary agent,
though he did not admit it until after
Madero had won. At that time he was
acting as general guide and interpreter
for Haggerty, and later he took a regu
lar lob with the Associated Press.
I was proud as punch ol my tnree
wounds and showed them to Haggerty,
and thinking that my story was on
its way' to Mexico City I gave him a
description of the battle and its bloody
aftermath. My story never reached my
paper, but the Associated Press papers
all over the world printed a detailed
account of the executions, causing a
general protest against such unneces
sary cruelty and disregard for the ao
ceptsd rules of warfare.
The matter excited such attention
that the Mexican government was
questioned by the diplomatic represent
atives of several world powers, among
them the United States. Of course an
Indignant denial wag Issued by the
Mexican War and Foreign Affairs De
partments. Rebels Take Revenge.
We had - several ' battles, or rather
skirmishes, during the week following
the battle of Cerro Prieto. At last
our ammunition grew scarce and we
occupied the village of Pedernales, be
ing immediately surrounded by the
rebels, who by that time ware several
thousand In number.
Navarro sent couriers to Chihuahua,
asking for more ammunition and ar
tillery, as well as enough men to oc
cupy the strategic points at his rear.
in order to Keep open nil communica
tion with his base of supplies.
Meanwhile the rebels, rendered des
perate by the summary execution of
their comrades, were murdering every
Government sympathizer that feU Into
their hands, and the greater part of
the country people, fearing to fall In
Navarro's power, took their rifles and
joined the rebels.
MEN
Among the Poets
THE DEBATE.
We argued from the 'break of day
Until the noontide sun grew warm;
We argued when the skies were gay,
We argued 'mong the threats of
storm.
The tariff was a favorite .theme.
The referendum would oome next,
And personalities extreme
Seemed to arise from any text. "
How soon our pleasures we fofget
As time moves by with pictures new:
How soon the various things that fret
existence here must vanish, too.
When various booms are quite forgot
Ana stinea is the election shout.
We'll go our ways and wonder what
The argument was all about.
St. Louis Times.
THE EXCEPTION.
The girl with the ruby lips we like,
The maid with the eyes like diamonds,
rue lass with teeth of pearl.
The cheek-like-coral girl;
The girl with the alabaster brow,
The lass from Emerald Isle,
All these we like, but not the Jade
With the sardonyx smile.
Boston Transcript.
THE PROPER CAPER.
Said Wise: "We have decided that
We will adopt a son.
To make home of our habitat
We need a little one.
And so, to take the shortest cut,
I think the proper caper
Will be for me at once to put
A 'want tad' In the paper."
Kansas City Times.
KEEPING THE FAITH.
I've gotta b'lieve in Santa Claus,
An' that's just all there is to thatj
That mV 1 ft VAAral TtrtnnnAra wers-
publicly shot In Guerrero in retalia
tion for the Cerro Prieto executions. .
One morning Navarro called me aside
and showed me a message from Mexico,
which read as follows: "The reporter
who accompanies your column is send
ing out news that 1b detrimental to the
prestige of the Federal arms. It Is i
thrpfnr Inrnnvpnlffnt tha.t he Should
ever return to Mexico."
fiacing ms nana on my niiuuiuer,
Navarro, who had apparently taken
quite a liking to me, explaijjjpd that the
message meant that he shoXW suppress.,
me. "If you promise never to send out
another word without my approval I
will try to set you right with the gov-T
ernment," he promlsvrt. "If not, I will.,
have to order your death. At any rate, '
you must immediately telegraph to ;
your paper that there were no execu- .
tions at Cerro Prieto."
I thanked the General for his In- .
terest in me and explained that should
I comply witn nis request i wouia oe
committing journalistic suicide. Then
tcV T .nnV. nf th United, o
BlUieS, Ul IIS lUtCICDi HI Alllcili-ttUD
the press and of the delight with which
American newspapers wouia stare a,
crusade against Mexico were an Amerl-
fx 11 w tv 1 buiicauuuoii, ,J Ll l. 1. V u .
illegally.
The General thought awhile, then re- .
died- "I see that it would not do to
kill vou. but I will use your arguments
against tne revolutionists, l win mane
you leave my camp, me revuiuuumia
wlU kill you, and the onus of Amerl- .
can wratn win iau on tnera. iou win
be serving the Mexican government
with vour last breath."
We had a drink. The General folded .
me in a op&msn euiurttucj anu uuuo 111a
. 1 1 T , . T a -1a n
i n i enru wiu a icik rcuci uaic ui . w
with two blankets and a camera as my,,i
AmitnnacrA c a mv V. n r u j, hlnor
booty belonged to the Federals, and
leaving It behind I could not carry
much stuff on my back.
(infl secona suvencuro caapier uy-
number.
of tne Daily Press
I've gotta to keep my faith, because
Down where we're now a-nvin' at
Wa are so Door. It costs so much
To buy the things we eat these days
We had to move. Dad says It's touch '
An' go with what the fact'ry pays. .
An' ma has turned bed dress ag in.
An' pa wears bis Ias( winter suit.
An' we buy our round steak cut thin
An' never have no nuts an' fruit.
An' wnen x saia: x want to giL
A joD an' nelp a little, too, "
jua nuggea mo up axi cnea a oil.
mil
"Well, then," I said, "I'll tell you this,"
An' ma thought I was gonna fuss .,
An' tried to stop me with a kiss.
So, don't buy us no Christmas things."
An' I Just sort o' clamped my jaws,
"Pft. this vnc. v-r,,, hava. trnt hv llne-H.
To leave all that to Santa Claus!" "
I'm needin' skates an" need a sled u
I've got to have them, seems to me;
1JU l 1SL 11 1 & 11 l, mi iuuixcu II Ill wcu,
I got to thinkin' I would be
r.UKnriui li l lip v lllll it l uumn.
Because, since we have moved away, ,-..
And Santa always misses some,
He might miss me on Christmas day. .
Kids Bay there ain't no Santa Claus,
But from now on I'll contradict
The kids that says it, an' because '""
I gotta, b'lieve it, they'll git licked u;
Keep my faith strong through good ,
an' bad.
A-b-llevin' Santa Claus Is true
Toe more I'll be a-helpin' dad.
i Chicago News,