12
ILLS GERMAN
RAIDER MARVEL
Ponga Has Freighter's Appear
ance, Cruiser's Qualities,
Says Former Captive
Sfecial to the Telegraph
New York, April 18.—This is the tale
of the German light cruiser Ponga—-
probably as much of It as will be told
until the war is over.
The story was told by Captain J. C.
'iorton, of the British freighter Cor
bridge, one of the Ponga's victims, and
includes both first-hand knowledge
and information based on casual re
marks dropped by German officers
while the British mariner was pris
oner aboard the cruiser.
"Oh, yes," began Captain Barton,
in reply to a question, "the Ponga
is a mighty finis piece of work. She
was built to be Just about- the fanciest
bit of raiding craft that ever took
the water.
Built Especially as Raider
"The newspapers have printed the
statement that the Ponga was built
in 1914. That's a mistake. She was
laid down in 1914, after the war be
gan, but she was not finished until
December, 1915. Now, 1 know this
will show Itself in due course, but the
fact is that the Ponga was built by
the German Admiralty for the sole
purpose of running the British block
ade and getting out into the open
ocean as a commerce raider. The sec
ond fact of importance is that nothing
like her was ever built anywhere in
the world.
"Above the water line- inside and
out—she looks exactly like a fruit
ship, a clumsy freighter with nothing
to boast of by way of lines. But be
low the water line nothing finer ever
floated. That 'slow-going old freight
er' can do 20 knots without half try
ing. With danger threatening, she
• ■an rip out another five knots. It
might be well for the British Ad
miralty to know this. If they are go
ing to catch the Ponga. they do not
want to send anything after her that
cannot exceed 25 knots, for thut Is
what they have got to beat. The
Ponga is not a freighter transformed
into an auxiliary cruiser: she is a
made-to-order cruiser and about as
fast as anything afloat that carries
guns.
Swedish Colors on Sides
"I realize I am saying a lot about a
boat that I never saw until the after
noon she sank my ship, but as my
story progresses I have a suspicion it
will disabuse any doubts on the point.
"The Tonga was built in a German
port on the Baltic, and when she was
finished they painted her a buff color,
with ihe Swedish flag painted on each
side amidships. In the flag locker
they had every kind of ensigns that
are flown anywhere in the world.
Just after Christmas Ihev recruited a
crew.
"They didn't get that crew by telling
them the truth, you may be very sure
of that. I do not say they could not
have obtained a crew if they had told
the truth. 1 merely say they did not.
The sailors came from a dozen ships
"f the German Imperial Navy, the
Kiel tfanal Fleet, as we Britishers are
fond of calling it. Personally, I am
not particularly fond of that way of
designating German ships of war: I
have met too many outside of the Kiel
I 'anal. My judgment is the passen
gers of the Appam and those of other
ships which have been sunk will be
less free about referring to the Ger
man's preference for inland \vaters.
Crews Were Misled
"The Germans told the crews of the
wamhlps on Which they went in search
of volunteers that the Ponga was a
fruit trader and was going to operate
in the Baltic, chiefly carrying fruit
from Sweden for the tables of German
aristocrats. Of course, it was a risky
business, even as it was told. But it
was not a case of going to a certain
death. The fact that such must lie
the inevitable finish of every man
aboard the Ponga was known to the
officers only.
"They all know it now, but T must
admit I did not see anything that
looked like fear among any of them,
from oilers to gunners. They were
not exactly light-hearted, but thev
went about their work with nothing
to show that they knew sudden death
might come up over the horizon in
the form of a British battle cruiser at
any moment.
"I expect I had better tell how I
know so much about these things. To
begin with, there was the Ponga's
nameplate in the charthouse. it gave
her genuine name and the date, l«♦l 4.
But it is the custom to date the con
struction of a ship from the time her
keel is laid, not when she is placed In
commission. And as far as the name
went, it was never the intention of
the Germans to try to keep her name
a secret. She is not registered and
probably never will be.
"The Appam's passengers are re
sponsible for the rumor that she was
the Moewe. Most, of the prize crew
put aboard the Appam were from the
Moewe. The Germans figured that if
any one came near enough to read
that nameplate, unless thev were pris
oners, it would be an armed boarding
party.
Nontenant 'l'old Secret
The way 1 discovered that slie was
not finished until alter Christmas hap
pened innocently enough. I was taik
ng to Lieutenant Berge one day, when
they had all the skippers in the chart
room. 1 remarked bv wav of pass
ing the time that we had had unpleas
ant weather in England all Christmas
week.
" 'ln Cermanv. too,' said Berge. 'lt
held us up a week on this very boat.
It was all rain and sleet and" snow.
And you know how it can rain and
sleet and snow along the Baltic coast.'
"That fixed the place where the
Ponga was built. The light buff paint
and the Swedish flags were even
easier. I could see the original coat
ol paint beneath the dead black she
was painted when she got me, and the
i lags also could be seen. As a matter
of fact, the second painting was done
within 100 miles of England. And it
happened either January !) or 10. f
know that, because the black paint
was wet when I went over her side
on January U. The marks of that
< lerman paint are on mv trousers
jet."
The skipper bestowed a glance of
contempt at the black smears on his
trousers.
Met 150 Miles From Knglnml
"We were three days out from
■Hartlepool." continued the captain,
"about 150 miles northwest of ('ape
Kinistere, if. the Bay of Biscav. and
Just about that far from England,
when we picked up the clumsy-look
ing freighter dead astern. Gunwale
down with 0,000 tons of coal, as we
were, the best I could get out of the
('olbridge was nine knots. 1 took a
Jook at the stranger through mv bi
noculars and decided she was a fruiter
bound for the Mediterranean. I saw
she was low in the water also, but
figured.she must be carrying a miscel
laneous cargo. Fruiters do not carry
Iruit to the Mediterranean.
"Well, that old bird came wobbling |
along, doing about 12 knots. 1 do not
mind saying it annoyed me to see her |
ilo it. An honest freighter that can do
12 knots loaded is annoying to other
honest freighters. However, I lot it
go at that for an hour or so, and then
had another look. This time I could
make out. the Kritish flag at her stern.
It was a merchant flag. The only
trouble with it was that it was too big.
f Xhe longer I looked at that flag, the
THURSDAY EVENING,
less I liked It. She htid too mueh
speed and too mueh flag to suit me.
But X let It go at that for another
hour or so.
Shells Fall Rapidly
"And then, as It was 5 o'clock, I left
the bridge and went below for tea. I
had not any more than started when
I heard a shell sipp over my ship. At
about the same instant my first mate,
an excitable Irishman, came tumbling
down the hatchway.
" 'They're droppln' faster and
faster,' says he.
" 'l'll be above presently,' says I,
finishing my tea.
" 'We'll be below sooner," says my
mate.
"With the screaming of the shells
coming one continuous shriek. 1 was
inclined to agree with him and went
above. Then we got a fresh surprise.
"That dishonest freighter suddenly
veered away from us and showed us
the cleanest pair of heels I ever saw.
If she was not doing 25 knots, she was
going backwards, and she was not go
ing backwards.
"Why, she had left us so uncere
moniously became evident a minute
later, when we saw she had seen the
poor old Farrlngford, homeward
bound. M ' lady with the cruiser bot
tom and the tramp top-structure didn't
bother to deceive the Farringford.
She opened fire at five miles and the
very first shell went over the Far
rlngford and hit the water a half
mile the other side of her.
"And then sane landlubbers try to
tell seamen that this Ponga actually
is a freighter. They ought to learn
how a ship has to be built to mount
a gun that will shoot a shell six miles,
hnycd For Darkness
"I did considerable praying at just
about this time. It was growing dark,
but not half fast enough for me. I
prayed those German gunners would
continue to overshoot the Farring
ford. The longer it took them to sink
her the better my chances would be
of getting away in the dark.
"Then one of the Ponga's shells
struck the Farringford on the water
line and we knew our game was up.
"The instant the Ponga saw she had
settled the Farringford. she turned off
and headed back to us, and when I
saw the bow wave she made, I rang
down to stop iny engines and waited.
I had a suspicion the Ponga was not
going to sink my ship. She needed
what I had. Of course, I could have
scuttled my boat and robbed the Ger
mans of 6,000 tons of the very best
Welsh coal. I've been extremely sorry
ever since that I did not. But up to
that moment I had hoped to get
away, and my coal was considerably
needed at its destination.
"The Germans boarded the Cor
bridge at once and looked it over.
Then they put all of ns, except seven
aliens in the crew, in one of our own
small boats and directed us to row
to their ship. The seven aliens may
get that outfit into serious trouble.
Four of them arc Greeks, two Span
iards and one a Portuguese. So far
as I know, they are still aboard the
Corbridge. 1 do not know what their
governments can do about it, but I
can testify to the fact that these seven
men were forcibly impressed into Ger
man service.
Seized by Armed Seamen
"Meantime, the Farringford\s crew
had taken to their small boats and
reached the Ponga about the same
time we did. The minute we came
over the side, we were seized by
armed sailors and marched below to
a boarded-in part of between decks.
There was only one door and po other
opening of any kind. To make mat
ters worse, we discovered the place
was half filled with water-soaked po
tatoes. Those water-soaked potatoes
were all we had to lie on or sit on
for the next six days. Just to make us
a bit more cheerful, one of the armed
guards at the door told us we were
directly over the main ammunition
magazines.
"At daylight January 12, the skip
per of the Ponga sent for me to come
to the charthouse. The Corbridge
was lying off our port quarter. The
German commander informed me he
wanted me to go back to the Cor
bridge and persuade those seven aliens
to sign a paper waiving their rights
and agreeing to be peaceful members
of the prize crew. I refused to do
so until 1 heard something that
sounded like 'court-martial.' I did
quick thinking then and agreed on
condition that I could also get some of
m.v personal belongings that were of
value only to myself. The commander
wanted to know what these belong
ings were. If I had not told him I
would never had found out as mueh
about that cruiser as I was able to.
"I had explained that chiefly what
I wanted was my Masonic regalia,
which was in my cabin. I had three
diplomas, one from the Masonic lodge
in Tacoma, Wash., where I took my
first three degrees. But the skipper
could not understand me at all. And
then one of the lieutenants, who was
a Mason, explained, and permission
followed immediately.
"There was a stiff breeze and we
had to row our own small boat back to
the Corbridge. That was a bit of
luck, for it compelled us to drop back
under the stern of the Ponga and gave
me a first rate look at her afterpart.
She is a beauty. Below the water she
is out away like a racing craft. We
pulled along her whole length and
I could see quite enough to establish
the fact that this craft was built on
lines none but a naval board ever
drew.
"Back aboard the Corbridge. I dis
covered my cabin had been rifled, and
everything 1 owned had disappeared,
my Masonic regalia included.
"When we returned to the Ponga. I
took another look at her underbody.
For all the fact that inside she was
fitted up with insulation and lifts,
such as fruit ships carry, her under
body showed thai she actually had
no carrying capacity at all. Tt made
me wonder if so much deception had
been necessary to fool that volunteer
crew, who thought they were to stay
in the Baltic. Then I decided it might
be only another example of German
thoroughness.
"The next day, January 1 3, we came
lip with the Dromondy, the Author
and the Trader. Practice had im
proyed the German gunners. They
about finished each one of these boats
with the first pair of shells. By Ihe
time the officers and crews of this
trio Joined us in our potato cellar we
were a sad lot. It had been crowded
before; now it became a fair imitation
of the black hole of Calcutta.
"Forty-eight hours passed without
anything happening. And then we
heard those forward six-inch guns
speak and we knew we were in for
another addition to our quarters. It
turned out to be the Ariadne.
"ft was along about 3 o'clock in the
afternoon of the 15th that we picked
up the Appani. I expect what hap
pened then has been told often enough
not to need my version.
"But it was the next day that the
real show came off. And this time
all of us skippers happened to be in
the charthouse, where we had been
called by the commander. He was
telling us that the next ship we got
he was not going to sink, but would
use her to put us all aboard with a
prize crew, when the lookout sung
out and we discovered a sizeable
freighter on the horizon off our star
board bow. The skipper forgot us
entirely and jumped for the bridge.
"Off we started like a whirlwind.
We could see everything out of the
ports of the charthouse. Presently
we could make out the freighter's
name. She was Clan McTavish. and
she mounted a three-pounder.
"The Ponga wirelessed the Clan
McTavish, so her skipper told us later,
and ordered her to stop her engines.
" 'Who are you,' asked the Mc-
Tavish's operator.
" 'We're a German cruiser,' replied
the wireless man on the Ponga.
"The Britisher's >-eply to that state
ment was one word, and it expressed
DECORATED FLOWER
PLACE IN WINDOW BOX SCHEME
88 >BB " hp
ggsaiiiiuf «r« • -- wKKKKf* *§»!*#
Interest in the Telegraph's Porch
and Window Box Campaign has ex
tended even to decorated flower pots.
The Telegraph herewith presents an
etchinr made from photographs of
four samples painted by a Harrisburg
lovor of plant's. They are designed
BROTHERS WIN A
COUSINLY FIGHT
Oliver F. Straver Loses in Legal
Batlle to Keep Option
Money
JJ>] L 111 liberation an April
Common Pleas
jury this morning
returned a verdict
feS Strayer, brothers
mTa in their suit against
I i ~lc' r cousin, to re-
I cover the option
money they paid
the defendant when negotiations were
pending for the purchase of the lat
tcr's interest In the Strayer Hardware
store. The jury returned a verdict
not only for the full amount of the
brothers' claim but for interest as
well.
The second trial in the action
brought by Anna R. Motter against
Belle Stephenson, administrator for
John Marquart to determine who is
the legal beneficiary of SI,OOO in in
surance money left by Marquart, was
begun before President Judge Kunkel.
Mrs. Motter was not permitted to
testify because she was named in
Marquart's will as a beneficiary. Sev
eral months ago a common pleas jury
disagreed on a verdict. In No. 2 court
before Judge Rush Gillan, suit was
beyun by Anast Belehas against the
MeCaul Construction Company to re
cover damages for injury to Belehas'
barber and shoe shining shop next to
the Kunkel building. A lot of bricks
crashed through the Belehas skylight
when the defendant company was
constructing the Kunkel building.
Know Henry Garner? ln a let
ter to-day to James 13. Lentz, county
recorder, Mrs. E. Garner-Amer, of
Medera, Cal., asks for information
concerning the birth of Henry Garner.
He iived 'round here about 1790.
Thinks Hubby May Vamoose.
Beliesing that her husband Roy W.
McCarty will suddenly leave the
court's jurisdiction and therefore con
tribute nothing toward paying her
counsel fees. Mrs. Nora McCarty to
day naked the Dauphin court to with
draw the rule she obtained sometime
ago to lequire her husband to pay
fees.
Wedded Bride of 15. Pretty Edna
May Good, aged 15, this morning be
came Mrs. William Arthur Sliowe,
when 'Squire George W. Hensel, clerk
in the county poor board's office, per
formed 'lie ceremony.
To-day's Petitions. Nominating
petitions Pied to-day included the fol
lowing Republicans who want to be
county committeemen: Elmer E. Kiss
inger, Weft precinct, Williams town
sljip: Thomas W. Miller, Second pre
cinct, Swatara township: Ross A.
Look. L,< wer Paxton township: Wil
liam H. Ege, Dauphin; Edgar L,. Mc-
Crone, Fifth precinct, Swatara town
ship.
Open Water .Meter Bids. Bids for
furnishing the year's supply of five
eighths, three-fourths, Inch, one and
a quarter, inch and a half, and two
inch water meters will be opened at
3 o'clock, April 26, by City Commis
sioner Harry F. Bowman, superin
tendent of public safety. The supply
is to meet the city's demands for the
year ending May 1, 1917.
Mercantile Hearings April 27.
Thursday, April 27, has been fixed by
H. D. bong, county mercantile ap
praiser. as the date for hearing ap
peals on the 1916 appraisement. Mr.
Long will sit from 9 o'clock until 3
in the county treasurer's office for
the purpose.
At the Registrar's Office. To set
tle Elizabeth M. Matter's estate Coun
ty Registrar Danner yesterday granted
letters of administration to John Mat
ter, West Londonderry township.
the sentiments of the McTavish better
than any other word could.
"Thereupon the German skipper or
dered down the collapsible bulwarks
and collapsible deckhouses, which
concealed the guns and a six-inch shell
went hurtling across the McTavlsh's
bows. It was dusk and 'I expect the
McTavlsh's skipper could not bring
himself to believe that this freighter
really amounted to anything as a
fighter. Anyway, he promptly re
turned thfit shot with one of his own,
a, miserable little ball about two Inches
in diameter. He tired another one,
too, but that was the last of it.
McTavish Sent Down
"If the Appain's passengers call it
a fight, their ideas of a fight are a lit
tle wrong. The whole thing was over
in no time, anil after the Ponga had
shot 11 shells the McTavish tossed up
and pitched stern first into the sea.
"One of the two McTavish shots
killed three Germans, but I am afraid
it was costly. The Mason lieutenant
conllded to me that the McTavish's
skipper and all the other officers
would pay for that shot, the next
morning at a court-martial.
"All the McTavish's survivors, ex
cept four wounded men, were kept on
board the Ponga. The rest of us were
transferred that night to the Appam.
"The end of my story is a cross be
tween what I know and what I have
decided. 1 am convinced the Appam
never meant to come into an Amer
ican port. I am sure the original
plan was for her to make for some
out-of-the-way spot in the West Indies,
put us ashore, and then fit out as a
raider on her own account. That
must have been thf plan, because she
is of little value as a prize, of no value,
as it happens, until the war is over,
and she would have been of great
value as a raider. Personally, I have
reason to believe she put Into Newport
News because she was forced in. She
had less than 24 hours' supply of lu
bricating oil for her engines. That 1
know positively."
HARRTSBURG TELEGRAPH
to fill vacant corners on porches ort
v/indowsills and are really very artis- j
tin and inexpensive. Ordinary red
earthen flower pots are used and var- i
r.ished inside and out. Then the paint I
is laid on.
Reading from left to right: The!
body of the lower part of the pot is
solid white, the upper rim a mixture
of blue and green. The design is a
conventional blue flower, with leaves,
of light and dark tones of green. Pot i
number two is a niottlecr effect of ■
blue and black with white lines as!
Indicated. Pot No. 3 is solid white]
with a design as shown worked out
in light and dark gray. Pot number
four is solid white on the lower part }
with the upper rim a mixed effect of <
yellow and red. The lower part is aj
tulip design worked out in yellow and
red. with broad green leaves.
Entries continue to come in as a
result of the campaign started some
time ago. The Berryhill Nursery si
offer of cheap sectional boxes has at- 1
COURTHOUSE NOTES
Pave Bridge To-day. Unless the
weather Interferes the asphalting- or
the new bridge across the Philadelphia
and Reading tracks at Nineteenth
street will be finished before nightfall
by the Ferro-Concrete company.
Finishing touches will require another
week's work, it is expected, after
which the viaduct, according to the
company's officials, will be ready to
turn over to the county commis
sioners.
Is There Anything
in the Name of the
Rootbeer One Drinks?
Whether or no there is much or
little in the name of the rootbeer one
drinks will be for the Dauphin county
courts to decide when it hears the
equity suit begun to-day by the Charles
E. Hires Company against Henry
Ueuwer of the "Golden Seal" drug
store.
The plaintiff contends Reuwer on
four occasions during the past year
or two sold what was represented to
be "Hires" rootbeer. For each sale
a penalty of S2OO fine may be im
posed. The proceeding to-day is to
restrain Reuwer from further use of
the "Hires" trademark and com
modity.
COMPANY B MISTERED IN
Company B of the Pennsylvania Re
serves of B. S. of A., were mustered
in last evening by Major Dill. The
company is now ready for their out
of-door maneuvers for this summer.
The company will probably go to the
big encampment in Philadelphia in
August for their first camp maneuvers.
WORKMAN INJURED
Mervin Shirley, Twenty-eighth and
Butler streets, Penbrook, employed at
the Harrisburg Foundry and Machine
Works, was struck by a heavy ear
wheel while working this morning,
sustaining a fracture of the right
leg.
0 0
•6 . 0
6 o
g 0
5 You Will Find J®] i
1 Your Money's Worth *
| Unending ;
I ..^litiim
"Bringing Up Father"
This Is George McManus' Best Comic Creation and the
Most Popular in the Country Today
a o
| Mr. Jiggs Is a Diamond in the Rough I
i 5
A
And His Adventures Furnish a Prolific Source of Laughs
I |
This Is Only One of Several Comics Every Afternoon
i -•• IN ---
j The Harrisburg Telegraph j
§ o
S s
A o
X o
iOtionpcuooooO
trncted many. For the benefit of thos
who have not clipped a coupon it I
printed again to-day.
/
In Co-operation With tile Cam
|>aign For
A MORE BEAUTIFUL
HARRISBURG
now being conducted by the
TELEGRAP H, we will agree
to accept this COUPON
as worth to apply
on each Of p-—*... running
foot of w i ndow
or Porch boxes in
excess of two feet. Coupons may
be presented at "The Berryhill" on
Locust Street at Second or at the
Nursery on the Jonestown Road.
The Berryhill Nursery Co.
Herbert R. Green Again
With Harrisburg Concern
HERBERT R. GREEN
The 20th Century Shoe Company has
secured the services of Herbert R.
Green, of £<ebanon, as manager of the
local store. Mr. Green Is a former Har
risburg man. having acquired his lirst
experience in (lie shoe business with
the Philadelphia shoe Store, located in
Market street, a number of years ago.
Fbr fifteen years Mr. Green lias been
associated with the shoe business and
intends to add new ami snappy stvles
to the present stock. The local store is
one of eight', the organization having di
rect from the manufacturer for all
stores. For years the i;otli Century
Shoe Company has conducted a success
ful local busines at 7 North Market
Square.
APRIL 13, 1016.
CARRANZA DEMANDS
DEPARTURE OF TROOPS
[Continued From First Page.]
try could reciprocally cross (lie dlvid- j
ing line In pursuit of bandits if un
fortunately tlicre should oe repented
along 'lie border acts like those com
mitted In Columbus."
The note adds, however: "From the j
beginning the Mexican government
judged that by reason of the time
which had transpired and for the pur
pose of treating a case already pass- 1
ed the said incident could not con
tinue as a proposal for the reciprocal
passing of troops."
Incorrectly Interpreted
The fact that the United States had
incorrectly interpreted Ihe note of
| March 10 was called to the attention;
of the Washington government, the
statement points out. In a note dated
March 17. This note likewise em
phasized that the passage of troops
would lie permitted "only if un
fortunately. from this time forward,
there should be repeated eruptions
like the one registered at Columbus
or of any other kind whatever at any
point of the frontier line." •
On March 18. the statement con-
I tinues, Frank Polk, acting Secretary l
:of State, in an interview with the
! Carranza confidential agent deplored
not having received the observations
of the Mexican government before
American troops crossed the border, j
declaring that the passage of troops
took place in the best of faith and in i
the belief that it would not be neces
sary to enter into more details of an'
agreement which was considered I
definite and ended.
These declarations made by Mr. j
: Polk were later confirmed on March
23 to the Mexican representative by j
Secretary Lansing, "who stated also
that he was sorry at having Inter-1
preted wrongly the contents of the!
i said note in respect to the passage of
i troops and that ihey would not ad
-1 vance more to the south of the place 1
where they then were."
Reference is also made in the note
'to the declaration made t>y President
i Wilson on March 26. saying "the ex- '
I pedition was ordered under an agree
ment with the de facto government
of Mexico for the purpose only of cap
i turing the bandit Villa, whose forces
have invaded territory of the United
States, and on no pretext whatever
would we order an invasion of that
republic or a violation of its
! sovereignty.
lias Fulfilled Object
| "That idea," continues the note,
"published by his excellency, Presi
dent Wilson, was rectified on March
! 31 by a message sent to our confiden
| tial agent in Washington, in which he
! was instructed to call your attention
jto the idea indicated, since the note
j of March 10 referred to the reciprocal
! passage of troops only tn case that
incident like those which occurred in
Columbus, should be repeated."
In concluding the note, which is
signed by Candldo Aguilar, secretary
for foreign affairs, points out that as
the American expedition "has fulfilled
Its object insofar as it will be able to
do so. as the party headed by Villa
has already dispersed; and finally, be
cause there are Mexican troops in
sufficient numbers pursuing them, and
more forces are being sent to ex
j terminate the rest of the beaten party,
J the first chief of the constitutionalist
I army, charged with the executive
power of the nation, ccraiders that it
■is already time to treat with the
| United Slates Government for the
| withdrawal of their forces from our
I territory."
Admiral Winslow Makes
No Mention of Attack on
Americans in Dispatches
Washington, D. C., April 13.—Dis-
I patches received early to-day at the
| Navy Department from Admiral Wins
low. commanding the Pacific fleet,
made no mention of a reported bandit
i raid upon Americans near Gua.vamas.
Admiral Winslow reported the ar
j rival of the cruiser Denver at La Paz,
'Mexico, en route to San Diego. lie
; did not mention ordering the Denver to
i Guayamas to investigate the alleged
j attack upon the Americans, and no or
i ders have been sent from the Navy De
U. S. WILL NOT HEED
REQUEST TO WITHDRAW
[Contiiincd From First I"age.]
lions. Moreover, it was said military
prudence would necessitate holdin.c
the advance columns close to support
ing forces until the attitude of the
Mexican troops about them was defi
nitely known.
War Department Prepared
It was also increasingly evident to
day that the War Department has en
deavored to provide against possibili
ties although strictest secrecy has
been ol.served. It is understood that
in every movement of troops beyond
the border and along the International
line, the possibility of an attempt in
cut off the expedition has been con
sidered and the War Department l«
prepared lo back up the forces should
need arise.
Some officials privately expressed
the view that General t'arranza might
have felt compelled to propose
withdrawal of troops in deference \<W
public sentiment In Mexico. It was
pointed out that his note proposed only
opening of negotiations to that end.
In official quarters i* was stated that
Iha American troops will not be with
drawn, at this *imc at least, and that
while the question is being discussed
with General t'arranza the pursuit of
the Villa bandits will be rushed with
renewed vigor.
Secretary Baker, of the War Depart
ment, said he was unable lo comment
upon General Curranza's note because
it raised questions of administrative
i policy entirely within the jurisdiction
of the President and the State Depart
; inent.
Contend Object Accomplished
Although General Carranza raised
■ side issues, administration officials at
! their first view of the communication
i regarded the principal contention as
j being that the object of the punitivo
1 expedition has been accomplished so
' far as it can be. and that the Villa
1 oands have been dispersed.
War Department officials take Iho
I view that they have no evidence that
, the Villa bands have been dispersed
I because they never had definite in
i formation ol their number and that
I the very nature of the situation gives
i no evidence that the raiders have been
exterminated.
Some State Department officials con
fessed that General Oarranza's note
i was not a surprise.
Counselor Hoik continued the slate
; inent in the note that when he asked
I for use of the Mexican railways tho
| reply was "satisfactory," but was
coupled with an expression of surprise
i thai the United States had not aWuitcd
I tinal approval of the pending protocol
j before sending troops across tho
j border.
First Formal Protest
) It was declared, officially, however,
I that no formal protest against I lie
i entry of General Pershing's columns
I had been previously made by General
i Carranza. When the advance troops
I crossed at Columbus, it was officially
stated, a Carranza general met them
at the border and made no protest
I cither personally or on behalf of his
! government.
Stale Departmenl officials took lli«
view that General Carranza\s note was
j not a demand for immediate witli-
I drawnl of tho forces, but an invitation
| to begin negotiations to limit their
' stay.
Counselor Polk conferred with
j Major-General Scott, chief of staff, and
{announced that the negotiations would
j be handled exclusively by Secretary
! Lansing.
Tlie dispatch of Ihe punitive expe
dition before negotiation of the pro
tocol was characterized by State De
partment officials as "perfectly justi
fied" by the correspondence between
Secretary and the Carranza
government.
partment to that effect.
.ulmiral Winslow stated thai the
1 supply ship Glacier was bringing a
| number of Americans from Mazatlan.
The last report front Admiral Wins*
I low was dated yesterday at 10 a. m.
i and reported Guayamas and vicinity
I quiet. The cruiser Chattanooga, tlu>i)*',
navy officials believe, is able lo copo
with any anti-American incident with
; out assistance from the Denver. A
considerable Carranza garrison is also
understood to be at Guayamas.
Navy dispatches reported quiet at
Vera Cruz, Tampico and Progreso.