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Show SIS GRAPHIC! ACCOUNT OF THi rami Detailed Description of fcm Final Assault Upon thtfl City by Men From Uncle 'fl Sam's Warships, ffl VERA CHUZ, April 23. Early xM tcrdnj' afternoon the city of Yera Cnw was in undisputed possession of tifl American invading forces. 19 Although thero was no organiz force used against them nnd tho snifl crs wero loss in evidenco than at aol time during tho lighting, eight AmeM cans were killed and somo thirty vjoubm cd. While tho Mexicans suffered mo'9 severely, tho number of their casunltM has uot been ascertained, but tho bgjfl estimates obtained by Captain "WilHaJ R. Rush or' f.hn h.-iMlosliin 9 dicated thnt iu the engagements 9 Tuesday and Wednesday their dftil amounted to about 150. No per knows how many Mexicans fell tcoooI cd, as a large part of them wero taliX away and hidden by friends. yB In the streets about tho plaza WmI nesday afternoon lay fifteen or trcenM bodies, a majority of them attired .J citizens' clothing. Somo of tlo mil evidently had boen dead since tho gagomont of Tuesday, and iho tropiS heat made their immediate disposal 'hB porativo. One of tho first orders givB after the town had been captured nS to bury the Mexican dead io?X troucb. at the sea cud of the stretH leading from the plaza. Expected Death. iM "Whou tho city was taken, the ordjB was given to advanco carefully aflj search every building for men bcaiiK arms. Scores of prisoners wcro talV most of them protesting volubly, maH hysterically, that they were not guiB of any unfriendliness whatsoever B ward tho Americans. Accustomed! the Mexicans- aro to their own contfiH ing forces shooting immediately all piB oners takou, the caplurod men cojtt noL but bcliovo that thoy would r'ecejB no loss drastic treatment at the baB ot the Americans. The guns foundB houses were thrown by the marines sB bluejackets from the upper halconieiB the houses to tho pavement bcloTr.jB Tho most spirited action of WedaB day was tho taking of tho naval aoB emy. Aside from that fight there jB no definite organized opposition ,Bj countered by the Americans. A Bj firo was poured iuto tho advaaef Americans from the naval colics' which for a time hold thorn lmck,bMj few well directed shots from the criBJ ers Chester, Snn Francisco and P"jK tore gaping holes in the Btono vvajls lK silenced tho rifle firo of tha MeatjM (Continued on Pago four.) GRAPHIC ACCOUNT flF BUI HZ FIGHT (Continued from Pago Two.) inside. Tho bluejackets then were on-nbled on-nbled lo proceed with tho task they had in hand. Shots From the Tower. A squad of soldiors, despite the shelling shell-ing it had received Tuesday, continued to givo considerable trouble to tho Americans from the battered Benito Juarez tower. After they had been silenced and removed from tho tower, it was discovered that the soldiers bud continued fighting for lack of ability to do anything else. Tho shells from the warships Tuesday had torn away tho stainva3 in tho tower, and the men bad been compelled to remain in it. At 10 o'clock Wednesday morning tho Americans were in undisputed possession pos-session of all tho city except tho south-wcHt south-wcHt quarters in which tho barracks arc situated, and a few outlying districts. dis-tricts. At noou they had takon tho bar racks. When the city prison, which faces tho main plaza of tho city, was captured, Lieut nnant Commander Buchanan Bu-chanan of tho Florida made an inspection inspec-tion tour through it. There was great surprise among the Mexicans who had gathered there that the prisoners were not released. They baa been accustomed accus-tomed to seeing tho victor always release re-lease prisoners and then impress them all into the army. Chief of Police Antouio Villa Vi-cencio Vi-cencio was taken prisoner by tho Americans shortly after they bad occupied oc-cupied the main plaza of the city. Tt was suggested to him thnt he continue con-tinue in his official capacity to direct the city's protectivo system. Ho took 'tho matter under advisement. Had the frightened mayor made up his mind to accede to Admiral Fletcher's suggestion, which was made throueh. Consul Canada, the Mexicans might have been sparod tho humiliation of being forced from their positions and undoubtedlv a number of lives would not have boon sacrificed. Order Came Too Late. Coincident with the orders for the I general advance of the Americans, an aged, white-haired Mexican, carrying I the white flag of truco, came down a j street from tho center of the city. He carried a letter to tho chief of police, y the only authority he hoped to reach, 5 and desired Consul Canada to read it. J It was an urgent appeal to tho chiof j of police to call off the snipers and prevent tho bombnrdment ho Deliovod I would follow if thoy continued their t execution. Even beiorc the messenger , had climbed tho stairs into tho con- j sul'e office Captain Rush was informed of tho contents of The note ho bore- I and immediately sounded "cease firing" fir-ing" and "halt." But it was too late. The action had been begun all along the lino and it was not considered consid-ered wise to attempt further measures to stop it. The commanders ordered their men forward at double quick, which they carried out with a vigor that afterward gave ihem tho cit'. Americans in City. Blood-bespattered sidewalks, broken windows and bullet-scarred walls gave tho plaza a growsome aspect. Within the Diligencia hotel thor6 were forty Americans, most of them womon, who had been there since the commencement commence-ment of hostilities. When tho squaro was takon they were immediately notified no-tified that they might go to "other places if they so desired, but that they Krobably would incur no further danger y remaining in the hotel. It wns not until late Tuesday that tho last of General Mans's meu on top of tho hotel received writton orders or-ders from outside the city to vacate their position. Tho order "was obeyed by a portion of tho hundred men who were occupying tho roof and vantage points in tho interior, but a small portion por-tion of the band determined to disobey dis-obey tho orders of their superiors and fight to tho last. These men, however, surrendered Wednesday morning. A lieutenant who was in command of tho Mexicans was led out a prisoner, and although ho had fought desperately, he trembled and turned pnle in the belief that ho would be summarily executed. None of tho American womon wns mistreated by the Moxicans during their occupation of tho building. A few of the women assisted the Mflnd-cans Mflnd-cans in caring for the wounded. Flew Mexican Flag. In the fighting iu the center of the inuer harbor, San Juan de Uloa. an ancient stone fortress, dew tho Mexican Mexi-can flag throughout the attack. The commandant and sixty armed men and 300 workmen in the navy yard peered from the emhrnsnres at the Prairie, lying 500 yards away, and the other snips shelling tho naval acadotny. In tho dungeons remained 500 prisoners, tho ochoes of the guns on the ships reaching them through a sixteen-foot wall. Captain Stickney of tho Pnurie ! went through tho fortress several days ago and found some heavy guns, five torpedoes and a torpedo tuno ma corrugated cor-rugated iron shed outside tho wall of tho fortross. When the landing of tho Americans was ordered, Captain Stick-ucy Stick-ucy tost word to tho commandant of San Juan do Uloa that ho would Wow him to pieces with the PrairioS guna if he opened urn against the Americans, Ameri-cans, but that otherwiso ho would not b disturbed. Tho commandant re-1 re-1 plied tha ho would answer with his cannon if fired on, but that no would not commence hostilities. When tho engagement ashore betran the com- mandant hoisted a brilliaD new Mexi- I can flag, whfh flew all -day long, Bear Admiral Flctchcrhnstructcd tho Spanish cruiser Carlos V to go outside the breakwater in order to give the Prairie room to fire her guns. The Spanish commander refused, saying that he dared not, maneuver his boat in so small a space at night. Ho also declared that no needed to take on a supplj of fresh water. Admiral Fletcher insisted yesterday that his order be carried out and the Carlos V moved outside just beforo the attack on tho center of the city began. When Admiral Fletcher directed that battalions of bluejackets and marines bo landed from Rear Admiral Badger's ships before dawn and drawn up in the plaza before the railroad station and then proceed to take tho entire town he acted only after warning and after fiftoou shells from the Prairie's three-inch three-inch guns ha"d been thrown into the si eel framework of the new market, which faces Market Place. A persistent but scattered fire came from rifles in the market during all the early hours of the morning, and Admiral Badger 's men landed to the accompaniment of rifle bullets over their heads. Rush of Bluejackets. Whon the rush started Admiral Badger's bluejackets, clad in orange colored clothing, made for them on tho trip down by dyeing white uniforms uni-forms with iron rust, moved in close column formation up the water front, past the market and across the front of the naval college across the water front, a long three-story building built of adobe stono und having a tile Toof-Tho Toof-Tho column moved steadily forward until un-til the first company lia'd passed beyond be-yond the college and the remainder were covering the whole- front close against the wall. Suddenly a spatter of rifle firing broke out. Flashes from the rifles wero plainly visible in the upnpr windows of the college and alone too roofs. The jnckies stood their ground piuckilv. iomo of them huddled close to the wall to avoid the rain of steel jacketed bullets bul-lets from above, while somo dashed across a small open space directlv iu front of the building. These "blue-jackets "blue-jackets dropped on their stomachR and lifted their rifles high in order to get a raugo on the windows above. Held Their Places. Finally the American officers hustled their men either forward or backward until they were in shelter of the build- ing. The jnckies in front held their places, however, and the Prairie sent ' shell after shll from nor three-inch battery into tho windows of the col- lege, huge columns of rod dnst leaping i upward as each shot wont homo- The 'Chester also joined in, and with a roar her six-inch shells tore groat gaps in the roof of the college Far to the riyht in tha harbor tho mine ship San Francisco opened with her five-inch guns, and taking tho front of the college, col-lege, shot ont window by window, planting the c-hells with tho precision of target practice. After fifteen minutes of firhir the Prairie and the San Francisco ceased and the column of jackies formed again and pushed ahead, deploying around tho front of the college. A few shots were directed at thorn, but none came from the college. The Chester continued con-tinued hurling shells into any building where snipers lurked, and also far out iuto the suburbs. The jackies went steadily ahead without faltering spreading out through the water front sections, seizing tho highest buildings and organizing squads of guards at street intersections. Battle Closes. The firo along tho front gradually slackened aud then died out, but the Chester sent a few shots out into the hills before ceasing. Tho Hancock, with 700 marines on hoard, and the battleship Michigan arrived too lato to participate in the fighting. Tho wounded and the prisoners were taken aboard the Prairie until the arrival ar-rival of tho Solace about noou yesterday. yester-day. Immediately after tho firing virtually vir-tually ended Admiral Badger boarded tho Prairie to confer with Bear Admiral Ad-miral Fletcher as to tho best menus for securing tho town against attack, for caring for tho dead, injured and refugees, and for setting in motion the work of conducting the -ity in an orderly manner. |