Newspaper Page Text
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PLANS FOR WAR IN MEXICO ARE PROCEEDING RAPIDLY
Special Cable to The American. . |
VERA CRUZ, May 9.--Richard Harding Davis, correspondent
of The New York Tribune and Medill McCormick, oorrespondent‘
of The Chicago Tribnne, are under arrest in Mexico City, weord—|
ing to information reaching Brigadier General Funston to-night.
WASHINGTON, May 9.—The ordering of the monitor Ozark a
light draft vessel carrying two 12-inch guns, from (‘uba to Tam
pico, the engaging of eight troop transports to mobilizé at Gal
veston, and an extraordinary offfcial tangle concerning the German
steamship Kronprinzessin Cecilie, which earried a cargo of arms
to Puerto Mexico for Dietator Huerta, were the important de
velopments in the Mexican situation to-day. %
The order for the Ozark to proceed at once to Tampico fore
shadows the entry of American armed forces up the Panuco River
and a landing to protect the American oil wells and ogher property.
The troop transports are expected to carry reinforcements to
General Funston as soon as they can be gathered at Galveston.
1t is understood that the War Department does not want to begiu'
an aggressive move until it is ready to press it to the utmost. |
. The vessels just chartered, and their locations, arje:_l,‘olorado'
at Galveston, Ossabow at Galveston, Dorchester at Norfolk, Kan
sasan in the Caribbean Sea, Minnesotan at New York, City of Mem
phis at New York, Denver at Galveston and the City of Macon at
New York.
The announcement was made to-night that the Kronprinzessin
Cecelie returned from Puerto Mexico to Vera Cruz without landing
her cargo of war munitions. It is also said that this cargo and
others supposed to be aboard a second German ship, the Bavaria,
will be returned to Germany. This announeement seems to solve
the mystery of the ship’s movements, which gave Washington an
uneasy day. Here are the facts in the matter: l
I—At 3:30 p. m.. yesterday Secretary Bryan admitted he had
information that two German merchant ships were on the sea with
arms for Huerta. ‘
2--At 4 p. m. Secretary Danielg indicated tht the Nvy would
not interfere with the landing of arms.
3—At 4:45 p. m. Secretary Garrison stated that the Kron-l
prinzessin Cecilie had already arrived at Puerto Mexico. |
CARGO UNLOADED, BADGER CABLES.
4—At 1 p. m. Admirdl Badger cabled the Navy Department
that he understood the ship had unloaded its cargo, passed it
through the custom house and that it was on its way by train to
Huerta. |
s—At midnight the Navy Department gave out a paraphrase
of a dispateh from Admiral Badger which said that the Admiral
had first reported that the German ship would reach Puerto, Mex-‘
ico vesterday, but that he later reported that it would arrive
to-day. |
5-To-day at noon Secretary Bryan stated that the German:
ship would not land its cargo. This was on authority of the Ameri
can Consul at Havana.
7--At 3:30 to-day Secretary Bryan admitted that he had no
knowledge of the whereabouts of the Kronprinzessin (‘ecilie, and
his sole information was based on the Havana message.
BAt the same hour a dispateh was received from Admiral
Badger stating that the Kronprinzessin Cecilie had arrived at
Vera Cruz at 6 o’cloek this morning from Puerto Mexico.
WHOLE ARMY AWAITS ORDER. i
Preparations for war went actively on to-day while peace was
talked. Mediatons were diseussing while transports were being en
gaged for troops, which will fight first and be ready to mediate
when Mexico is under the control of the United States and their
comrades safe from an attack by General Maas.
The War Department is holding the fourth and fifth brigades
of the regular army at Texas City, Texas, in readiness to embark &t
a moment’s notice. The chartered vessels, Colorado and Ossabow,
are both at (Galveston, prepared to take on the men.
The entire fighting organization of the United States awaits
but the word from the President to go into action.
Mexican Guns
Cover.U. 8. Troops.
WASHINGTON, May 6.--Mexican
Tederal soldiers are concentrating
20 miles west of Vera Cruz and have
trained their field artillery upon the
pumping station at Vera Cruz and
are guarding railroad tracks in an
ticipation of a forward march by
American soldiers, /
This information was received
from Brigadier General FFunston in a
message to the War Department to
dat);;‘nerul Funston reported that un
der the authority given him by Sec
retary of War Garrison to extend his
lines to the west of Vera Cruz as
far as necessary, he has advanced his
outposts asbout a mile beyond ~ the
pumping station. He has thrown up
breastworks of sandbags and taken
c¢ther precautionary measures,
“Funston has discretionary powers
to protect his position, and will take
every precaution to insure the safety
of the American forces at Vera Crug,”
said Secretary Garrison. |
To Reinforce Funston.
In view of the alarming situation
that has developed through the con
centration of troops under General
Maas, army officials believe that Sec
retary of War Garrison within a few
aays will take steps to reinforce
greatly the American troops now at
Yera Cruz. The remainder of Fun
TIE GLORGIAN'S NEWS BRIEFS
ston’s forces which were not sent
with the main expedition in all prob
ability will leave Galveston by the
latter part of this week. Funston
lacks mountain artillery, because of
the inability, to transport mules from
Galveston. These will be sent to hlm‘
within a few days, and will be used
in connection with the detwchments
now on picket duty outside of Vera
Cruz,
Carranza Eliminated.
Gen. Venustiano Carranza has been
completely eliminated from the me
diation negotiations of the Latin-
American envoys. Official announce
ment to this effect was made by one
of the mediators to-day after a con
ference with Secretary of State
Bryan,
“Carranza will not figure in the me
diation proceedings,” Bryan said
“We have decided to eliminate him.
Knowing that Carranza s a strong
man, we do hot think that he will ask
to ve included, We are going ahead
with the plans without him.”
The mediators will meet at Niagara
Falls on May 18 to begin negotiations,
The House to-day adopted a res
olution offered by Representative
Fitzgerald, of New York, to form a
joint committee of the House and
meDate to attend the services at
swooklyn next Monday In honor of
e sailors and marines who died at
Vera Cruz and whose bodles are now
being brought home. The resolution
provides that the Speaker shall ap
point fifteen members and that tha
Vice President shall appoint seven
Senators - :
CONSUL WON'T
TALK ABOUT
MEXIGO
TORREON, COAHUILA, MEX]QO.
May 6.—Mounted couriers arriving
here to-day brought word that the
Constitutionalist army under General
Pablo Gonzales has arrived in Saitillo
and has already laid siege to the city.
Nelson O'Shaughnessy, thé former
Charge d’Affaires for tne United
States at Mexico City, who was given
his passports by Dictator Huerta and
ordered to leave the so turbulent
Southern republic, passed through
Atlanta Wednesday, en Troute to
Washington for a conference with
President Wilson and Secretary of
State Bryan. He was accompanied
by his wife and little son, Elim
O'Shaughnessy.
Mr. O’Shaughnessy was wiiling to
talk abeut anything except preseat
conditions in Mexico. He told smii
ingly of his experiences, in the alnd
of the Mexicans, but refused abso
lutely to comment regarding the pos
sible outcome of the present trouble.
“l am not at liberty to make a
statement,” he said. 1t is quite like
ly that I have my own opinions about
the best way to handle Huerta, but
this opinion will remain my own pri
vate property,” I expect to have a
conference with Secretary Bryan and
President Wilson as soon as I reach
Washington, and the it is possible 1
map be able to say something.”
Mr." O'Shaughnessy was asked
whether, in his opinion, the United
States should’ continue to follow a
policy of “watchful waiting” and wait
for the mediators to eliminate Huer
ta, or whether the army should be
sent into the country and force the
dictator off the throne.
“That's too much of a ieading ques
tion,” he replied. *“I can't answer
that, Anyway, that’'s a part of my
private opinion that I'm going to tell
the President :nd the Secretary of
State.” :
“I'm gtad to “¢t back to the United
States,” said Mr, O’Shaughnessey.
“You can get to like Mexico pretty
well and I had two years of it down
there, but after all there's no place
like America. It's home, you know.”
The former Charge, who bears the
distinction of being the only Ameri
can diplomat now living who has
been given his passports by a for
eign nation, told an interesting story
of his trip from Mexico City to Vera
Cruz, and thence by gunboat to New
Orleans. He went from the; Capital
of Huerta-land to Vera Cruz in a
rickety train that rumbled dismally
over a narrow guage railroad, and,
after staying in Vera Cruz for two or
three days, came to New Orleans on
the gunboat Yorktown. The sea was
so rough that he got seasick and
didn't eat anything for two days.
‘While being transferred across a split
in the railroad out of Vera Cruz,
‘where a detachment of the American
soldiers met his train, his 40 pairs of
‘boots, which he. had packed on a
mail sack, were stolen, and he de
clared that the first thing he does
when he gets to Washington will be
to visit a shoe store and lay in a sup
ply of very conceivable kind of bool
and shoe,
Part of the Business. |
The members of the Independent
Order of Enthusiastic Good Fellows
were operating on Mr. Timberwheel
a few weeks ago, putting him
through the operations supposed to be
necessary to convert the ordinary
citizen into an Enthusiastic Good
Fellow, They were almost hrough
with the initiation when some kind
of an explosion at the store over
which the hall was situated blew the
puilding into the middle of the street,
and interfered with the ceremonies.
Ready hands set to work and ex
tricated the people from the debris
Fortunately no one was hurt very
much, but after a census had been
taken Mr. Timberwheel was found tc
be missing. A search was instituted
and before long he was found in ar
adjoining yard, where the force of the
explosion had landed him. He sat in
a lodgeroom chair, and his eyes were
still blindfolded.
“Why on earth didn't you take that
thing off your eyes and get out of the
chair when the explosion occurred?
asked one of the Enthusiastic Good
Fellows.
“Explosion?’ echoed Timberwheel.
“Why, I thought that was part of the
initiation!™ ' g e s
POST, “GEREAL
S
KING, " KILLS
!
SANTA BARBARA, CAL., May 9.
. W. Post, multi-millionaire cereal
magnate, of Batfle Creek, Mich.,
committed suicide in a bedroom at
his residence here to-day by shoot
ing himself through the head with a
rifle.
Post was 60 vears of age. His
wealth was estimated at over $50,-
000,000. ¥or many years he had suf
fered from neurasthenia, but only
yesterday he was pronounced by his
doctors to be in good condition. It
is thought he was temporarily de~
ranged when he fired the fatal shot,
All his life he has denounced sui
cides as “cowards.”
Mrs. Post left him for a while ear
ly to-day to go downtown and con- ,
clude some important real estate
deals.
Dresses Up for Death.
; During her absence Post called for*
‘his latest suit of clothes from the
jt;ai(or. dressed in a Jdown-to-the
lminute style, with many fancy
touches to his costume, and asked
‘his nurse to leave him alone for a
while, as he wished to sleep,
The nurse drew down the blinds of
'l:is bedroom window, and withdrew.
l Post then went to a closet, wbere
he had a 40-72 rifle.
Lying on his bed, Post placed the
rifie directly over his right eve. It is
thought he pulled the trigger with
his thumb. The bullet tore off the
top of his head, plunged through the
bed, dnd sped through the wall of an
adjoining room.
Post had returned to Santa Bar
bara three weeks ago to-day from a
race with death which he hiid made
to Rochester, Minn. There he had
undergone a critical intestinal oper
ation by the famous Mayo brothers.
He had rushed there in a special
train, accompanied by a staff of phy
sicians. On his return he was pro
nounced decidedly better.
Efforts are being made to secure
a special train to take the body back
to Battle Creek.
Made Fortune From Cereals. ~
Post and his wife had purchased
one of the most palatial residences
in Santa Barbara, where they had
intended to pass the remainder of
their lives. They also had just con
cluded a purchase of two city blocks.
It is said Post owned hundreds of
thousands of acres in the surround
ing country.
Post first became interested in the
manufacture of cereals as a result of
his ill health in 1884, when he suf
fered a nervous breakdown. He be
gan to study medicine, then took up
hygiene, and soon began the manu
facture of cereals, which enabled him
to amass an enormous fortune.
Several years ago he divorced his
first wife, later marrying the pres
ent Mrs. Post, who was then his ste
nographer. The two had no children.
Post had been one of the foremost
cpponents of union labor in America
for many years. .
He was known for his vast wealth
from one coast to the other, having
‘held land and immense interests in
nearly every State in the Union.
Simple Transposition.
Floating out into the great concert
hall came theé silver notes of a tenor
voice singing that dear old song,
“Sally in Our Alley.”
The audience sat spellbound and
silent until, just before the singer
finished, a series of spasmodic sobs
startled everyone. Mrs. Blobbs was
crying her eyes out.
“What's the matter, my dear?”
asked a kindly old soul, sitting by
her.her.
“That s-s-song,” burbled the tear
ful one. .
“Ah, these old songs are very touche
ing; but it's not meant to be very
sad, you know."”
“It's n-not that; it's the thought of
my little Sally at home, swallowing
a marble this morning. I—l thought
at first that she was going to ch
choke. Oh, my—oh—oh!” And once
more she burst out again in the same
place. i
“But what has that got to do with
the song?"
‘lt's so-s 0 like ‘Alley in Our
S-s-sally.” ’