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Show TROOPS LEAVE MEXICAN PORT Final Evacuation of Vera Cruz by American Force Under General Funston Begins. U. S. RETAINS MONEY Department Arranges to Take Away 300 Mexican Civilians Civil-ians Who Fear to Stay. Washington. Nov. 23. American troops which hnvo held Vera Cruz since last April, were evacuating the city and sailing for home today and officials here expect sunset will see the Mexican flag acnin floating over the ancient fortress of San Juan and the American troopers well on their way homeward across the gulf. Dltpatches early today from Major General Funston said his furtherest outposts had hon withdrawn at f o'clock; at lo o'clock troops guarding the railroads at the approaches of the city were withdrawn and at 11 the embarkation wns on in earnest. General Gen-eral Funston reported he expected to sail for Galveston at noon. H reported re-ported constitutionalist troops under General -guilar were taken possession of the city. Occupation of the Mexican port In reprisal for Huerta's insult to the flag at Tampico. has cost the United States more than a score of lives, some in battle and some from disease ;md according ac-cording to some estimates aa much as ten million dollars. But Mexico will be asked to pay no indemnity Administration Ad-ministration officials want that fact to stand out as an added evidence of the disinterested friendship of the Fnited States for her southern nclgli-Dor, nclgli-Dor, Recognition to be Avoided. General Funston has instructions to urn the city over to none of the Mex-can Mex-can factions and thereby avoid what night bo construed as a recognition of ne of them. His orders simply are o bring his troops away and leave o city to whichever faction takes possession pos-session Carranza s commander. Aguilar. is nearest, but Carranza troops which have swerved in their allegiance to Villa are not far distant. There have been some evidences that Carranza intended to move hi3 capital to Vera Cruz upon the American evacuation. The Fourth, Seventh, Nineteenth and Twenty-eighth infantry and the First battalion of the Fourth field artillery and two squadrons of the Sixth cavalry will return to Galveston. The three regiments of marines will go to Philadelphia Vera Cruz, Nov. 23. The American forces of occupation under General Frederick Funston, after a stay in Vera Cruz of seven months, today began embarking on the steamships which will return them to the United States. The outposts began falling back it 9 o'clock in the. morning and l wo hours later the first American soldiers were going over the sides of the waiting transports. Gejeral Funston established his bead juarters on board the transport Cristobal and all the organizations of his command began at daylight the work of moving out their equipment preparatory to final evacuation. Everything Ev-erything progressed smoothly Beyond Be-yond the American outposts there had been mobilized during the night a force of Constitutionalists As the Americans withdrew, first from the outlying districts and then from the .it-, itself, the Constitutionalists fol lowed them along and nominally occupied oc-cupied the territory evacuated. Inhabitants Are Nervous. The city is quiet, but the inhabitants inhabi-tants are nervous and apprehensive concerning the final outcome of this transfer of authority. All saloons in Vera Cruz remained closed today on orders of General Funston. and many commercial establishments decided de-cided not to open their doors The government of Vera Cruz is not being turned over to any faction of Mexicans The territory is being evacuated,- and as fast as the Americans Amer-icans go out Constitutionalists are coming in. U. S. Retains Money. The American army officials are taking with them the moneys collected col-lected for customs and from other sources of revenue These ultimately will go ro some Mexican government which the United States may deem a proper one to receive them. The American quartermaster department de-partment has arranged to take away from Vera Cruz something like 300 Mexicans who did not care to be in the city when their countrymen again came Into possession. American forces were ordered to Beize Vera Cruz in April of this year, on account of a series of acts on the part of the Mexican authorities to which Washington had protested In vain. Among these vas an incident at Tampico when a boat load of American Amer-ican bluejacketfl were arrested. American Amer-ican marines and bluejackets landed at Vera Cruz April 21. an the city was occupied with a loss of seventeen American lives. In due time the American bluejackets blue-jackets and marines were, removed and forces of the army under General Funston took possession At the time Vera Cruz was occupied, Vlc-toriano Vlc-toriano Huerta was provisional president presi-dent of the republic Today Huerta is in Europe, and the constitutionalists constitutional-ists who opposed him are in control of Mexico City The American force embarked at Vera Cruz today numbers about 6000 men. Havana. Nov 23. The safety of Cuban Cu-ban citizens in Mexico is becoming r. subject of much concern to the Cuban government It is feared that with the departure of the American forces from Vera Cruz the positions' of the Cubans will not be safe It Is understood that the Cuban government govern-ment is considering the Immediate dispatch of a cruiser to Vera Cruz ' to bring away such Cubans as desire to leave. There Is talk of sending ; the cruiser Cuba or the cruiser Palria ' or even both ot these ships to Mexico. I Captain Asked to Explain. I Washington. Nov 23 Major General Gen-eral George Barnett. commandant of ' the marine corps, under Instructions from Secretary Daniels, todav called i upon Captain Walker N Hill in Ro.v ! ton. to ascertain whether published roports were accurate which quoted ( npl3in Hill as salng Mexicans probably prob-ably would be burning and looting I Vera Cruz before nightfall, if the American forces left there today. Cap-1 tain Hill also was requested to explain ex-plain fully just what he did say, if anything, concerning the situation at Vera Cruz, where he commanded a company of marines during the Amor-lean Amor-lean occupancy. |
