Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 March 1914 — INCURRE DISPLEASURE OF MEXICAN GENERAL [ARTICLE]

INCURRE DISPLEASURE OF MEXICAN GENERAL

William B. Austin Talked to Prisoner and Had to Flee Across Border —Prisoner Released. ? The Chicago Evening Journal of Thursday, March sth, contained a front page picture of William B. Austin, formerly of this city and also aformer president of the Hamilton F Clu'b, of Chicago, giving him credit with securing the release from the Mexican jail at Jaurez, of V. E. Goodman, of Chicago. Because Mr. Austin insisted in talking to the prisoner in the jail he was compelled to flee across the Rio Grande, as General Villa would have caused his arrest and imprisonment had he been found. Upon reaching El Paso Mr. Austin at once took up the question of securing the release of Goodman, through the Order of Moose, J to which he belonegd. He wired the officers of the order in Chicago and a demand was made fir his release. Mr. Austin was returning from his trip to California and went across the border at El Paso to visit the Mexican camps. He visited the Mexican jail at Jaurez and there saw Goodman in a mouldy adobe cell. He was half naked and almost starved and his hair and beard had grown long. Mr. Austin had been admonished not to talk to the prisoners but there was something so pathetic in the man’s appearance that he addressed him and to his stirprise found that he was an American citizen and had a pitiful story of his imprisonment and abuse. Necessarily the conversation was short and the guide insisted that Mr. Austin must not talk, but he held his ground and secured Goodman’s name and ascertained that he belonged to the order of Moose. After leaving the jail Mr. Austin went to the home of a friend in Jaurez and here he learned that he was about to be arrested for- violating the prison rules and talking with a prisoner. He hurriedly left Mexico and went to El Paso, where he at once took up the matter of Goodman’s release. A telegram was received by the Moose president in Chicago Thursday that Villa had complied with the demand and had that day released Goodman. The Journal in printing the story concluded with the following interview with Mr. Austin: “A guard who was pacing back and forth in the corridor told me in Mexican that I couldn’t talk to the prisoners, but I paid no attention and continued talking to Goodman and succeeded in finding out enough before the guard and guide ushered me away from his cell. I left the jail a few minutes later and went to the home of a friend in Jaurez. I told him of my experience and he warned me that uniless I hurried back to El Paso at once Villa would have me thrown into prison. “It was my first experience in Mexico but I took my friend’s word for it and made a hurried exit back across the river to El Paso. Many others informed me that if I had stayed a few hours longer my friends in the United States might not have heard of me for weeks and I might have been locked in some filthy cell and allowed to rot, as had Goodman. “I had taken my wife and children to Pasadena for the winter and was on my way home when I stopped off at the Jaurez races for three days. “Personally I am convinced that

within thirty days the headlines of Chicago newspapers will tell of a “Jameson raid,” like that before the Boer war in Africa.’ Texans are organizing and are going to cross the Mexico border in spite of the U. S. state department. The governor of Texas has 1,500 miles of international border. It’s easy enough for us up here in Chicago to say, ‘Let’s have peace at all costs,’ but the Texas troops will have to cross the Mexican border to put an end to the reign of anarchy that is in full swing at the present time.”