Show FLETCHER CAPTURES HA CRUZ AFTER FIERCE bihl LAND ON MEXICAN SOIL FOUR KILLED AND TWENTY WOUNDED IN ATTACK ON MEXICAN PORT general maas offers stubborn resist once anee to occupation and for many hours there was wan severe fighting in the streets vera cruz mexico fax Ica tills port Is in the hands of forces from the united states warships but the occupation of tho port was not accomplished without loss of american lives pour four americans blue jackets and marines were killed by the fire of the mexican soldiers and twenty were wounded tho the mexican loss Is not known but it Is believed to have b been con heavy the rho water front the customs house and all important piers including those under the terminal works from which extend the railroads to the cap ital have been occupied all the territory around the american consulate Is strongly patrolled and detachments ants hold other sections of the city the mexican commander general gustavo maas offered a stubborn rei el al stance and for many hours there was fighting in the streets rear admiral 17 fletcher letcher in command of the united states warships prefaced his occupation of the port on tuesday by a demand through throng h the american consul W IV canada tor for its surrender general marts maas promptly prompt ly declined to accede to this demand and shortly afterward ten whale whaleboats boats were vere sent ott off from the side of the transport prairie loaded with marines these boats effected a landing in the neighborhood of the customs house before noon and a few minutes later captain william ft rush of the battleship florida who was in command of tho the operations ashore brought his rag flag in captain rushs men inen had bad already taken up tip their positions they numbered blue jackets from the florida marines from the prairie and sixty five alve marines from the florida later these were augmented by a detachment tach ment from the utah the coming of 0 tho the american forces was vas not heralded by any great ex cit ement but small crowds gathered to watch vatch the landing soon boon tho the blue jackets t and marines marched arched in through the street leading from the water front and along the railroad yards others proc proceeded ceded to the Anie american rican consulate while stilt still others were deployed along the approaches to central plaza in which general maas bad concentrated his men these maneuvers were effected without opposition but suddenly general maas challenged the advance with the first shots a volley fired from rom a point three blocks from the marines and two blocks south of the main plaza the marines replied immediately mediately but the action ceded in a moment there was a lull for ten ini minutes and then another brief exchange from the west end of inoa inas street where a federal outpost was stationed at 1230 tho the tiring became general and at I 1 the guns of the trana fruits port part prairie went into action prior to this ibis a detachment of blue jackets from the utah holding the ground between the consulate and tho the water front opened fire with tac ol 01 their three inch guns the first shots from these pieces were directed against an ancient tower which onca served as a lighthouse this was occupied by mexican sharpshooters lieutenant commander buchanan of tho the florida ordered that it be destroy ed five shots brought the old ben bell into juarez tower down after general maas had been driven drivell from his position in central plaza the iho americans found thoms es the object of fusillade from the tops of houses where small groups of soldiers and citizens had taken up positions it was learned only tuesday night that the greater part of those engaged in this resistance were civilians wro refused to accept the american occupation passively they obtained guns and stationed themselves at points of vantage and did much to prolong tho the action the women of the american colony in vera cruz had already been d aboard the chartered steamers D esperanza apex and mexico but the foreign colony especially the american section 11 was greatly augmented tuesday morning when three train trainloads loads arrived from tho the capital some of these remained ashore but many were taken a board aboard tho the steamers so tar far us as can be learned none of the refugee refuge ei was injured the post postoffice office government telegraph office and the cable office ivere tho the first buildings occupied after the customs house A squad of marines was placed ed in charge of the cable office the telegraph wires were found intact and enough mexican call operators opera tora were retained to min the lines to mexico city the four who met death in the occupation cu pation of vera cruz were daniel Aloy alua Ilag haggerty gerty private marine corps attached to battleship utah eighth company second regiment advance brigade son of michael Ilag haggerty gerty 16 fl arding street cambridge mass john F schumacher 25 years old coxswain attached to battleship florida son of mrs isabelle isabella mckinnon harmon street brooklyn N Y george poinsett 20 years old seaman attached to battleship florida son eon of william P poinsett of philadelphia delp hla S martin private |