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Show 1 Story of the Treatment of an American in Mexico Galveston, Tex., April 23. Forty-seven Forty-seven p.issongers, all but one citizens of the United States, who arrived today to-day from Vera Cruz on tho steamer Texas, told of alleged torture and assassination as-sassination of Amoricans In Mexico. All tho refugees loft their lands, homes, furniture and everything they possessed, except enough, money for passage and the clothes on their backs. Among tho entire number there wero only four or five trunks M H. Ish, one of tho refugees, told of the murder of an American citizen named Walt. His Head Decapitated, "Mr. Wait was a neighbor of mine, ' said Mr. Ish, "Ho had sold several, head of cattle and hidden the money. Desperadoes came to his house and demanded money. Failing to get it they deliberately beheaded him with their machetes and horded his cattle together nnd drove thorn off. There aro many instances just like this "We lhed In a little settlement whore a colony of eleven American families had founded tho town of San-burn San-burn All departed because -we wero afraid to remain longer, knowing we should be killed or tortured. Left Their Wealth In Mexico. "I went to Mexico one year ago, put all I had, $1,G50. In land and improvements improve-ments there, and todny 1 havo only my two hands and the clothes on my back. Boforo leaIng avo filed oui claims for damages with tho American consul In Mexico City " John T McGoe, a wealthy planter who went to Mexico two years ago, returned to Americauilnue ntoro than $20,000, nnd left behind land and livestock live-stock Mr. McGcc tells of alleged cruelties practiced on an American woman, a Mrs Sha, now in the hospital hos-pital at Mexico City. Bandits Aro Everywhere. "What has been tiue of tho Shay family," said Mr. McGee, "has been llkewiso true of scores of othor Americans, and by staying there wo took our llveb in our hands The bandits ban-dits are everywhere Tho Mcxioan government is not able to quiet them. "Many Americans bellec the Ma-dero Ma-dero forces so dlsllko the Americans that they would rather permit the brigandage than fry to btop'lt. Whenever When-ever Hirales are near, tho bandits dis-porsc, dis-porsc, but there rarely is a shot fired' Practically ovory man on board the Texas had a story to toll of experiences experi-ences in Mexico. Two men, avIio rode horseback into Vera Cruz, after abandoning aban-doning everything they tiwned, tell of meeting four armed bandits In a narrow nar-row pass. Path of Desolation. "The only reason we are here," said one of tho men, "Is that we wero lucky enough to heat them to It. Everywhere Every-where you go, except right In tho largest cities, you will seo de3ertod farms, houses burned, livestock stolen and in many instances the decaying and headless bodies of their owners are left lying about "The bandits are In such large numbers num-bers and so scattered over the Interior In-terior that to resist them is useless We Americans had to give up everything every-thing to them when the came to the settlements, no matter how well ' aimed we might be" Snnburn, the place where the refugees refu-gees say some of the alleged atrocities atroci-ties occurred, Is In tho state of Vera Cruz, thliteon miles northeast of Santa San-ta Lucretla. It Is on the Vera Cruz Sc Isthmus railway across the Isthmus of Tehauntcpec. and Is listed as a railway rail-way and telegraph station |