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Show GRAPHIC STORY OF VERA CRUZ Capture of Mexican City After Two Days' Fight Presents Vivid Picture. VALOR OF OUR BLUEJACKETS Warship Shelled Buildings In Which Mexican "Snipers" Had Taken Refuge Ref-uge Natives Surprised at Courtesy Cour-tesy of American Troope. Vera Cruz, Mexico, April 24. Twelve Americans were killed and thirty wounded before the city of Vera Cruz came into the undisputed possession of the American invading forces after a two-day fight. Although the Mexicans suffered more severely, the number of their casualties has not been ascertained. The best estimates obtained by Capt. William R. Rush of the battleship Florida indicated that in the engagements of Tuesday and Wednesday their dead numbered about one hundred and fifty. No person per-son knows how many Mexicans fell wounded, as many of them were taken away and hidden by friends. In the streets about the plaza Wednesday afternoon lay fifteen or twenty bodies, a majority of them attired at-tired in citizen's clothing. Some of the men evidently had been dead since the engagement Tuesday and the tropical heat made their immediate disposal imperative. One of the first orders given after the town had been captured was to bury the Mexican dead in a trench at the sea end of one of the streets leading from ,the plaza. Scores Are Taken Prisoners. When the city was taken the order was given to advance carefully and search every building for men bearing arms. Scores of prisoners were taken, the majority of them protesting volubly vol-ubly many hysterically that they were not guilty of any unfriendliness toward the Americans. Accustomed as the Mexicans are to seeing their own contending forces shoot immediately imme-diately all prisoners taken, the captured cap-tured men could not but believe that they would receive no less drastic treatment at the hands of the Americans. Ameri-cans. The guns found in houses were thrown by the marines and blue-Jackets blue-Jackets from the upper' balconies to the pavement below. The most spirited action was the taking of the naval academy. Aside from that fight, no definite, organized opposition was encountered by the Americans. A hot fire was poured from the naval college, but a few well directed 6h'ots from the cruisers Chester, San Francisco and Prairie tore gaping holes in the stone walls nd silenced the rifle fire of the Mexicans Mexi-cans inside. The bluejackets then were enaed to proceed with the task they had In hand. Escape From Fight Cut Off. Despite the shelling it had received Tuesday, a squad of soldiers continued to give considerable trouble to the Americans from the battered Benito Juarez tower. After they had been Silenced and removed from the tower ft was discovered that the soldiers had continued fighting for lack of ability to do anything else. The shells from the warships Tuesday had torn away the stairway In the tower and the men had been compelled to remain tn it-Appeal it-Appeal From Aged Mexican. Coincident with the orders for the general advance of the Americans an aged, white-haired Mexican, carrying the white flag of truce, came down a street from the center of the city. He carried a letter to the chief of police, po-lice, the only authority he hoped to reach, and desired Consul Granada to read It. It was an urgent appeal to the chief of police to call off the Bnlpers and prevent the bombardment he believed would follow if they continued con-tinued their execution. Even before the messenger had climbed the stairs Into the consul's office Capt. Rush was informed of the contents of the note he bore and immediately im-mediately sounded "cease firing" and "halt" But it was too late. The action had been begun all along the line and it was not considered 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 them the city. Evidences of War. Blood-bespattered sidewalks, broken windows and bullet-scarred walls gave the plaza a grewsome aspect. Within the Dillgencia hotel there were forty amerlcans, most of them women, who had been there since the commencement commence-ment of hostilities. When the square was taken they were immediately notified no-tified that they might go on the Spanish Span-ish cruiser Carlos V. outside the breakwater in order to give the Prairie j room to fire her guns. The Spanish i commander refused, saying that he 1 dared not maneuver his boat in bo small a space at night. He also de-; de-; nlxred that he needed to take on a j supply of fresh water. Admiral Fletcher Insisted yesterday that his order be carried out, and the Carlos V. moved outside just before the at-track at-track on the center of the city began. At 10.08 Wednesday morning the Americans were in undisputed possession pos-session of all the city except the aouthwest quarter. In which the bar-, bar-, racks are situated, and a few outlying districts, i-t noon they had taken the barracks. When the city prison, which faces the main plaza, was captured, cap-tured, Lieutenant-Commander Buchanan Buchan-an of the Florida made an Inspection tour through it. There was great surprise sur-prise among the Mexicans who had gathered there that the prisoners were not released. They had beeD accustomed to seeing the victor always al-ways release prisoners and then impress im-press them all into his army. ( Chief of Police Captured. Chief of Police Antonio Villa Vln-cencio Vln-cencio was taken prisoner by the Americans shortly after they had occupied oc-cupied the main plaza of the city. It was suggested to him that he continue con-tinue in his official capacity to direct the city's protective system. He took the question under advisement. Had the frightened mayor made up his mind to accede to Admiral Fletcher's suggestion, which was made through Consul Canada, the Mexicans might have been spared the humiliation of being forced from their positions and, undoubtedly a number of lives would not have been sacrificed. When Admiral Fletcher directed that battalions of bluejackets and marines ma-rines be landed from Rear Admiral Badger's ships before dawn and be drawn up in the plaza before the railroad rail-road station, thence to proceed to take the entire town, he acted only after warning and after 15 sheila from the Prairie's three-Inch guns had been thrown Into the steel framework of the new market, which faces Market Mar-ket place. A persistent but scattered fire came from rifles in the market during all the early hours of the morning, morn-ing, and Admiral Badger's men landed land-ed to the accompaniment of rifle bullets bul-lets over their heads. Uniforms Dyed With Rust. When the rush started Admiral Badger's Bad-ger's bluejackets, clad in orange colored col-ored clothing, made for them on the trip down by dyeing white uniforms with iron rust, moved la close column formation up the waier front, paat the market and across the froxt of th naval college, a long, three st'y structure struc-ture built of adobe and having a tile roof. The column niofed steadily forward for-ward until the first comjany had passed beyond the college and the remainder re-mainder were covering the whole front close against the wall. Suddenly a spatter of rifle firing broke out Flashes from the rifles were plainly visible in the upper win-down win-down of the college and along the roofs. The jackies stood their ground pluckily. Some of them huddled close to the wall to avoid the rain of steel-jacketed steel-jacketed bullets from above, while others oth-ers dashed across a small open space directly in front of the building. These bluejackets dropped on their Btomach and lifted their rifles high to get a range on the windowu aboye. Finally the American officers hUBtled their men either forward or backward until un-til they were in the shelter of nearby buildings. Men in Front Undauntedi- The jackies In front held their places, however, find the Prairie sent shell after shell from her three-Inch battery Into the windows of the college; col-lege; huge columns of red dust leaped upward as each shot went home. The Chester also Joined in, and with a roar her six-Inch shells tore great gap in the roof of Che college. Far to the right of the harbor the mine ship San Francisco opened with her five-inch guns, and, taking the front of the college, col-lege, shot out window after window, planting the shells with the precision of target practise. After 15 minutes of firing the Prairie Prai-rie and the San Francisco ceased and the column of jackies formed again and pushed ahead, deploying around the front of the college. A few shots were directed at them, but none came from the college. The Chester continued contin-ued hurling shells into any building in which snipers lurked and also far out Into the suburbs. T"b6 Jackies went ahead without (O tenng, spreading out through the waterfront wa-terfront sections, seizing the highest high-est buildings and organizing squads of guards at street intersections. The fire along the front gradually slackened and then died out, but the Chester sent a tew shots into the hills before ceasing. The Hancock, with 700 marines on' board, and the 'battleship Michigan arrived too late to participate In the fighting. Wounded and prisoners were taken aboard the Prairie until the arrival of the Solace, about noon. Vera Cruz Thoroughly Cowed. Conditions in Vera Cruz began to take on a normal aspect Thursday. Some of the restaurants were opened and a considerable part of the native population began to appear in the streets Inspecting the damage done. There were no expressions of good will for the Americans, but there was no apparent antagonism. The Mexicans Mexi-cans here seem thoroughly cowed and appear to accept with paBslveness the presence of the foreign forces. |