OCR Text |
Show THE SITUATION IN I MEXICODESPERATE I Americans and Other Foreigners in Direct Line of Fire Many People Penned in While Heavy Shells Tear Through Walls and Roofs ALL STREETS fit TROOPS J Release of Several Thousand Desperate Criminals and Arrival of Zapatista Band to Loot City 1 Alarms Government Many Starving Food Prices Exorbitant t Mexico City, Feb. 12. Americans and other foreigners living in this" city -found themselves In a desperate situation today. Tbe foreign residential resi-dential and commercial districts ia. in the direct Hue of artillery firo film both the rebel and federal po-Jl- 1 t inns. Many people, who had taken refuge In the more importaut build-lings, build-lings, found themselves penned in. (while heavy shells whistled b iou1 thm. tearing throuch wall? and roots i The cable office was several damaged dam-aged bv shrapnell and U was feared that communication with the outside I world might be temporarily cut off All surroun ling streets were occu pied bv trooiis and throughout the morning the w hir of the machine gune iwai continuous, while infantrymen kept up a constant rifle fire Nether Side Gains Advantage Neither side gained anv perceptible advantage up to noon, when plans for a Conference between the leaders 01 ihe rebels and representatives ol the government were taken up for discus, slon at the national palace, following a visit to Ma lero bv the American , embassador and the Cerman minister Hopes of a conference soon diminished dimin-ished There was a cessation of firing fir-ing hut this appeared to be due to a cbunRe In the federal positions and . was regarded bv the re'. els as a trick 'to draw them .it The bulk of the coverntnent Hoops arc statlone, In the northwestern part of tbe city. Re'eslnng of the Prisoners. Ftom the viadcro point 01 view t vo of tbe most seilous 01 the day's developments de-velopments were the re'esing by rebels of several 'housand criminals from the city prison and the arrival In the cltj of Alfonso Miranda, one ol Zanatlsta's lieutenants, with a band 01 followers, who are said 10 have plot -td the whole-ale looting of the capital capi-tal Poor People Suffer Meanwhile the scarcity of provisions provi-sions alread) causing suffering among the ioor classes. Ordinary food Is obtainable onlv In small quantities quan-tities and at prices from five to ten times the usual rale. Mexico City. Feb. 12 The federal troops reopened the battle m si reels of the Mexican capital ;it 6 :'.fi this morning with a light artll- , lery fire. The action soon becam general, all the artillery on both side. beins brought into play The cannon fir was augmented by sweeping salvos sal-vos from the machine guns, while the infantry came into action with vo:-levs vo:-levs and Individual shooting. The rebels under General Kelix Dial btarted io advance toward the uation al palace ai 8 46 The rebels seeming)) arc emplos - : ing heavier cannon than the did yesterday They directed their fi-c toward tbe national palace and on ihe higher buildings in the center ' ; tiie business district, on many of which federal machine guns ae mounted and federal riflemen are posted. The contending rebels and federals feder-als occupied the same positions this morning as at the beginning of tbi-fighting tbi-fighting yesterday Vn effort made bv the federals to isolate the rebels from their water Supply was ineffective became thero are a number of artesian wells in I the portion of the city occupied by i lie rebels Diaz Fortifies Positions. According to reports from the rebel lines Felix Diaz utilized the nlghl hours in further fortifying the poal- ! Hons be bad taken up and which even vesterday had proved strong euough to withstand the attacks made ' by tbe government troops. 1 The federal force was strengthened during ihe night by reinforcements ol both artillery and infantry The now arrivals took up positions along Ihe I streets leading to the scene of bat-tie. bat-tie. Soldiers Sleep on Pavement The streets of the capital during I the hours of darkness had the ap- pearance of B great armed camp. Sentinels Sen-tinels challenged all passorsby ai eacn ! comer. Soldiers of all branches ..t .the service slept on the pavement. while large numbers of horses were tethered in the great Alameda parte many of the cavalrymen lying down : bfside them. Electric Wires Cut. In many parts of the city the electric elec-tric wire.; were cut by bullets and ibis ; resulted in long stretches of almost: complete darkness Thousands of res- J Idents took advantage of this to escape es-cape from tbe zone of dani;er The SQCOdUS began m the early hours of i the mr.ht. as -non as the people real- j ized thai fighting bad temporarily ceased. A number of robberies, prompted by the withdrawal of police protection, were reported and boys and men took great riok in looting tbe ruins or' .hich bad been shattered by I tbe artillery. Trade Paralyzed. I Commerce has been utterly para-lyzed para-lyzed since Sunday. The front3 of a1! stores are boarded up, giving tbe streets the appearance of long can- A few residents who were able to do I o immediately after the entrance cl If Uia;-. into the city hurriedly stockei j their homes with provisions at tbo I I high prices prevailing, but ihe poorer I people were unable to pay the pricci demanded and are suffering. Foods Unobtainable. Those who usually supply the city markets fear now to enter with such j j commodities as milk and vegetables, I Which are practieallv unobtainable at I anj prices Groups of women of 'he , lower classes earh th'.s morning followed fol-lowed the cavalry, scraping up from the pavement grain by grain the corn which the horses spilled while feed- For many hours after the opening of today's battle, the artillerv tire of the federal troops did not appear to i do great damage to the rebel posi- I tions. Diaz soon brought his heavy i guns to bear He mac . every effort I to dislodge the federal riflemen end machine gunners from tbe hlghe, lb ildlnss,, At the sam time he dl- H rerted a outanl (ire on the nev H I National theatei . about which a on. H Lftiderable portiou of the federal ar- H ti lery was stationed lu this lattei H effort he was fairly successful H At about half past ten there was H 'a virtual cessation oi firing but I hid H was due presumably to the troop? H changing position, as u -ither side bad 1 at that time won a decided advantage Tbe fedeial troops at one moment made a valiant but ineffective effort IH I to obtain possession of Belem jail in the neighborhood of the arsenal. The i.jili'W ers of Felix Uia; lepulsed their I vigorous attack and then released a H portion oi the prisoners, some of H whom thej incorporated in their H i.inks. arming thvm with rifles from H the arsenal stores H The group of Zapatistas lommhnded H bv A Conso .Miranda, who entered the H city in thv nltht. worked in con- H junction with Diaz, but, instead of at- ! H i tempting to Join him adopted guer- H Irilla tactics and cai scd gresl tiouble H to the federals H A most spectacular d'splay of ar- H tillery flgnting occurred in the center H of the city. The federal cannon were H ! in action in San Juan de l.etran H street and just off Juarez avenue, in H locations midway between the arsenal S H and tbe national palace ifl Some of the rebel she! s reached 'I ill I the ground of the palace il The artillery fire of the rebels from 'll their position at the arsenal extend- ll ed In several directions on account iH I of the encircling tactics adopted by the government troops. Diaz turned his grins in the direc- ' tion of the Rritish legation shortly (after noon in order to replv to 'he firo of a federal battery stationed ill there. 'Ill The rebels strengthened their po3i- ill tion bv placing more men and field 1 11 1 guns on the V M. C A. building. jifl commanding the arsenal, again.-t 1 which the government troops contln- j 111 ued to direct a terrible fire from their ill I artillery and small arms !l It was reported soon after noon r I that Gcnevevo de la O. the Zapatista j I leader, had entered the city and Sas working his way toward the rebel J ' position presumably to join Feliv: I H For tour hours continuously dur Dg I I tbe forenoon the federal troops shell- l I i t-d the positions of the rebels without. great effect The rebels returned nfll the fire much more vigorously than If I yesti rday. Their heavier guns hurl- ed shrapnel and solid shot into the IJI heart of the business district. Tl It was unofficially reported at l 111 o'clock that Madero had ordered a jli suspension of firing, as he dreaded III foreign interference: but. although IM i here was a slight lull, the firing did rll not entirely cease u M .dero say.s he will not yield ':i ID anv rns?. but If Diaz persists ij the 111 bombardment he will move the tffl tal to San Luis de Potosi or some otn- JH er point. lull Minister Foraento Manuel BoniUa, R according to an American who travel- tm ed with him from San Luis de Potoal, SI has been attempting to arrange with II tbe governor of that state for the II proclamation of the national capital 1 there, but he found the governor ob- jm stlnate. i |