The Matagorda County Tribune. (Bay City, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, June 12, 1914 Page: 15 of 16
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quickly, he leveled his revolver at Paul and
pulled the trigger.
There was a blinding flash: the loud report
echoed and re-echoed through the damp cel-
lar, and, without a cry, Paul Keith fell to the
floor.
“Heavens, Sam, you’ve killed him!” cried
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mouth, the Prairie’s boats, each manned by
twelve lusty oarsmen, sprinted for the stone
landing in front of the American consulate.
With a cheer, they clambered up the steps
one after the other, followed by Major Berke-
ley and Lieutenant Colonel Neville of the ma-
rine corps. To the men of the Prairie, there-
fore, is allotted the distinctive honor of hav-
ing been the first to land on Mexican soil.
In the meanwhile, from the funnels of the
r little steam launches of the Florida and Utah,
1 a few hundred feet astern, came dense vol-
umes of black smoke, as they opened wide
their throttles and crowded on all steam to
join their fighting mates. Captain W. R. Rush
of the Florida was the next to land, after
which he assumed supreme command ashore.
. Thus far, there had been no apparent re-
sistance offered our men. It was only when
they began to deploy in the direction of the
custom house and railroad terminal that there
came a sound like the explosion of a bunch of
firecrackers. It emanated from sharpshoot-
ers concealed within an ancient light tower
to the north of the landing place. Lieutenant
Commander Buchanan of the Florida quickly
swung around his three-inch rifle, “went into
action, ” and five well directed shots soon re-
duced it to a mass of smoking ruins.
Our ken then continued to advance on the
custom house, the objective point of attack.
By the time they had reached the empty space
in front of the building, General Maas, the
that the Prairie, lying close in shore with her
decks cleared for action, began to shell the
Mexican commander, who had massed his ar-
tillery in the plaza, opened fire. It was then
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molished the rusty lock and the lid was lifted.
The box was filled with coin—gold, silver
and copper—but on top of the treasure was
a package of musty, yellow papers, and the
first one that Paul trembling fingers un-
folded was indorsed on the back, in his Uncle
Kent’s cramped hand:
“Last Will and Testament of Kent Keitbf”
It was dated many years after the other
will which had made Charles Carmichael mas-
ter of Enderly, and, when legally proven, Paul
Keith was congratulated as the rightful heir
come into his own.
Sweet Alice Lee entered the old mansion,
now thoroughly repaired, a month later, and
never was there a happier bride or a prouder
groom.
The gang of counterfeiters was broken up
and all three—for Bob had been arrested just
as he was boarding the up-boat—were sent
to the penitentiary for a long term of years.
E TAKING OF VERA
Incidents of the Recent American Occupation
water front Her guns soon silenced the Mex-
ican battery and drove General Maas from
his position.
As he retreated toward the north and west
our men were exposed to fusillades from the
neighboring housetops and windows. Despite
this, they continued to advance until the post,
telegraph and cable office were taken and
held. By nightfall, all the 'water front and
lower end of the city were under control of
our forces. The casualties were, on the Amer-
ican side, four killed and twenty wounded;
a rd among the Mexicans 150 killed and prob-
ably many more wounded. Desultory firing
from the housetops continued throughout the
night, though the city was comparatively
quiet.
The next morning, with a reinforcement of
600 marines from the transport Hancock.
Captain Rush decided to complete the work
that had been interrupted by darkness. His
objective point was the Cathedral Plaza. With
this end m view, he swept the streets with
a brisk machine gun fire, hoping, in this way,
to dislodge or intimidate the sharpshooters
on housetops and in windows. He then in-
structed Lieutenant Colonel Neville, with his
marines, to move southward, and Lieutenant
Commander Buchanan, with his bluejackets,
westward in the direction of the red sand
dunes back of the city.
The little Mexican naval cadets, however,
had a surprise in store for our men, and from
their naval academy on the water front, half
a mile south of the custom house, came the
first organized attack. From roof and win-
dows, as well as from the surrounding build-
ings, came a sharp rifle fire that almost dazed
One aeropianist was fired upon by the fed-
erate while flying in the vicinity of Vera
Cruz, but th© bullets did not harm him. He
TV 0.0 doubtless at a height of half a mile from
the earth and at such a height an heropl an j st
would be safe from Mexican bullets.
the
not '^a
’ punV
ments thrown up, and outposts ■stablished, in
case General Maas should attempt to recap-
ture the city.
On Tuesday morning, April 28, Brigade
General Frederick Fqnston, with I9? officers
and 3,000 men arrived in th^ ^ansports Kil-
patrick, Sumner, McCyunn and Meade. The
men were General Funston giv-
en sii premp command asliore, and the blue-
jacket^relieved. Two thousand marines from
the ileet, however, remained ashore, and were
incorporated into General Funston’s com-
mand.
The experience of the force of occupation
at Vera Cruz has shown the probable used-
ness of aeroplanes in case of an myp^ion of
the entire country to be far great QL than had
been imagined.
Army officers generally have long been
cognizant of the value of aeroplanes as means
of acquiring military information. The navy
aviators at Vera Cruz have, however, demon-
strated that the aeroplane has an addition?
value. Its effect upon the Mexican is
frighten him into good behavior. .med
Even after martial law had been prpfcrvals
sniping from housetops continued afutenant
and did not entirely stop until T unit had
Bellinger, commanding the aviald vicinity,
made two flights over the ciUt positively
Marine and naval officers arts over the
that it was the aeroplane ;put the final
homes of the people whirshots.
quietus on the isolated nif TERRORIZE
AREOPLANE FUIGH. )
MENCICger flew over) the
When Lieutenant/ B ter the Mississ’inm
ty, within two hcA M
. __. - -__
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dropped anchor in the outside harbor, the
place was startled into a state of activity
which had not been seen for days. People
who had not ventured out of their doorways
rushed into e streets as they heard the
strange wh1' r-r-r overhead, and the report
spread that he Americans were flying over
the city. T e brick and plaster houses, built
in solid roi were in a twinkling emptied of
more peop e than had been supposed to live
in them a7 1 the Mexicans with straining neck
filled the air with exclamations in their na-
tive tong te. In the suburban districts, where
the peo le had not had such close contact
with th 5 new arrivals, the effect was even
more marked, the people dropping their work
and running to shelter.
The idea grew that the sole purpose of the
flights was to prepare for wiping Vera Cruz
off the map with “bombas.” Those who
still wanted to indulge in sniping realized
that the man in the areoplane could plainly
see any snipers concealed on the parapetted
roofs.
‘ ‘ Ah, it is no use, ’ ’ said one old peon wom-
an to an American officer, “you Americanos
come to us ready to fight not only on land
and on the sea, but in the air. General Fun-
ston, since occupying Vera Cruz with the
army, has also been greatly assisted by the
aeropianists. Flights have been made almost
to Mexico City and valuable information as-
certained as to movements of the federal
forces between Vera Cruz and Mexico City.
The federate have blown up several railroad
bridges on the main railway line to Mexico
City and also torn up the tracks for a con-
siderable distance.
the little man, bending over the blacksmith’s
prostrate body.
“It’s all your tauiu” retorted Sam. “What
with your romancing and yom
you’ve ruined everything.”
The little man was about to re ’
suddenly checked himself and cl
companion’s arm.
“Hark!” he cried. “What’s that?”
“Jack Gaffney and his mep!” cried Sam,
with fierce emphasis. “Your foolishness has
ruined everything.”
He dashed the. tell-tale lantern to the floor,
and, with his pistol gripped firmly ran to-
ward the open window, followed by his com-
panion.
Too Late!
As they sprang through the opening, pis-
tols were leveled at their heads, and Jack
Gaffney’s stern voice commanded them to
1 j
W. Nephew King, late lieutenant of the
U. S. navy, writes this graphic account of the
capture of Vera Cruz by American forces on
April 21, 1914:
—-’I DMIRAL FLETCHER’S quiet and
dignified occupation of Vera Cruz
showed a state of preparedness of
which the nation might well be
proud. It broke the world’s record
in military and naval annate, and commanded
the admiration of all the foreign officers
present. Within the brief space of three
hours, eleven hundred marines and bluejack-
ets had leaped from their small boats, clam-
bered up the stone steps of the seawall, and
the “thrice-heroic city of the true cross,” as
Vera Cruz proudly calls herself, was occu-
pied.
To the south and east of the city, far away
on the blue waters of the Gulf, American sail-
ors and marines were preparing to make his-
tory. The faint notes of the bugle call, “all
hands man boats ready to land under arms. ’ ’
floated across the broad expanse of water.
Decks had been “cleared for action,” guns
shotted, and every man’s waist encircled with
a cartridge belt heavy with sharp pointed bul-
lets.
The Florida and Utah lowered their cut-
ters, and steam launches towed them toward
~' their goal. The boats of the transport Prairie,
which was anchored close in shore, were
already in the water, awaiting the arrival
of the others. As soon as the little flotilla
* appeared between the extreme ends of the
two breakwaters that mark the harbor’s
our men. It was useless to reply with small
arms. No one was in sight and the thick
walls were as impenetrable as armor to light
geons carefully dressed their wounds and
had them tenderly lifted and carried to San
Sebastian hospital it was pathetic to witness
their profound gratitude. One veteran sol-
dier, it is said, was so moved by this amazing
treatment from an emeny that he raised him-
self on his shattered arm and attempted to
kiss the surgeon’s foot.
Before noon practically the entire city was
under American control, and by njgutfall
nearly all of the shops were open and the
restaurants and cantinas in full blast. The
casualties on the American side, during the
second, day’s engagement, were eight killed
and thirty wounded, almost twice tha of the
preceding day.
After the military occupation of the <
was completed, Admiral Fletcher issuer
proclamation outlining the intention ’of
United States in
tection to all citizens and property, and
their duties. As this was not accepted in the
spirit intended, the commander in chief trans-
ferred his headquarters from the Florida to
the terminal station ashore and declared mar-
tial law. He then appointed naval officers
to different positions in the civil govern-
ment, formally raised the stars and stripes,
and, for the second time in history, Vera Cruz
became a de facto American city.
In the meanwhile, Admiral Badger’s orders
to proceed to Tampico had been counter-
manded and he steamed with all speed to
Vera Cniz, reaching there the day after the
occupation, in ample time, howeyer, to in-
crease the forces ashore to 2,000 men. Our
lines were then extended five miles, entrench-
halt.
“The game’s up,” growled Sam, throwing
down his pistol.
And he held out his hands for the manacles
that, were soon snapped upon his wrists.
His companion was likewise served, and
then the marshal and several men entered the
cellar. (
Paul Keith was just recovering from the
shock of th© counterfeiter’s bullet.
It had grazed his head, and at first he could
not collect his senses.
Finally, however, he was able to tell his
story.
They penetrated the vault in which the
counterfeiters had thought to hide the im-
plements of their calling.
At the further end they stumbled upon a
large oaken box, mouldy with age.
A few vigorous blows with a hammer de-
projectiles.
This coup of the cadets had not been missed ,
by the watchdogs of the fleet, however, and
soon the Prairie,. Chester and San Francisco
began barking with their loud-mouthed five-
inch guns. A few rounds sufficed to drive
out the cadets and almost demolished the
structure. The shelling of the naval acad-
emy shows the accurate firing of the m^
behind the guns of the Prairie. The
windows, one after another, trere shot
out and the top of the walls, manned by
snipers, raked and the snipers killed or
driven from the walls. Under this withering
fire, our forces continued the advance, until
the Cathedral Plaza, Military Barracks, and
City Hall were taken. Every house on the -
line of march was searched and Wherever
weapons were found they were confiscated
and the men arrested, if the arms showed evi-
dence of recent use. Some owners refused
to open their doors. These were soon smashed
in and swords, rifles, and revolvers thrown
from the windows into street.
In the central part of the city, dead Mexi-
cans lay at almost every corner. Two hun-
dred bodies were found before noon. Scores
of wounded soldiers were also discovered be-
hind doorways and in out-of-the-way corners,
where they h? d crawled on hands and knees
to escape our men. The poor fellows evi-
dently feared that the Americans would treat
their prisoner^ of war as do the Mexicans;
and, expected/a bayonet thrust or sht^ knife
across their throats. When, instead,city, within two he/
VERA CRUZ.
William Atherton Du Puy, special war cor-
respondent, tells the following story of Vera
Cruz, the historic city of the Mexican re-
public :
The American flag is over Vera
Cruz, the greatest. between Galveston
th d in the
X Siat hold! theVe- tent great maritne
guetive landl KCri,?16 °f the *°St
It mav blV„r^ “ >’era Craz accented,
teeming port hfnS "V a
t^railway^t^ deXt^f
plateaurof one in hours
tpvpl RockT mounts to the sea
vJrJ’r piCaLC0.ast Iands yon which sits
Dp„LC>5-lco a J Pueblo are as
Denver and Trim dad, hm’up in’the moun
tains. Mexico City ren^ds me in
ways ot Denver. It is th^anr altitude
lai m summer climate surounde- tK’ '
same sort of country PC^o wth i
Cuch of the world bilk, is
<xican, dominated the mos?
I
ji/ng the lanteim aloft, walked into the vault.
Presently he returned, walking with quick
steps.
“Sam! Sam!” he cried, with trembling
eagerness, “I’ve found the box of gold! It’s
a b./A one. Get a hammer, and come in with
me.
At these words Paul Keith could contain
himself no longer.
He sprang suddenly forward, pistol in hand.
“Stop!” he commanded. “The box is
jaine!”
yPerdition!” snarled Sam, and, wheeling
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Smith, Carey. The Matagorda County Tribune. (Bay City, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, June 12, 1914, newspaper, June 12, 1914; Bay City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1299678/m1/15/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Matagorda County Museum & Bay City Public Library.