Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 152, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1919 — COOVER WHERE THE BULLETS FLEW. [ARTICLE]

COOVER WHERE THE BULLETS FLEW.

The following letter from C. H. Coover to the editor of the Remington Press will interest a numbes of people in this vicinity. Coover is a nephew of William Coover, who was clerk of the Jasper circuit court for eight years. The letter follows: El Paso, Tex., June 20, 1919. Editor Press: ’ El Paso is a I think, in fact, I am in love with it; of course, that comes partly through my determination to stay in the west when I once got out here. I have also done well out here, so consequently there is no reason why I should return. The next step which I am very desirous of making is to get the folks out here and begin to live again, as before I got the “bugs.” As you will remember, I was first on the reportorial staff of the Herald for two months, where I did well. But in December I went over to the mechanical department of the Times, and have been an ad. compositor there ever since. .On account of the union organization 'the money,, is much better than in reporting—and money ig what you need out here. As an example, milk is eighteen and nineteen cents a quart and eggs are fifty-five cents, while butter is sixty cents. I had a pleasant incident last fall. Was standing on the Plaza last fall, when a soldier accosted me, and heproved to be young Watson, of Remington. I was delighted to see him. He looked fine, the army life apparently agreeing with him. Suppose you have read all the dispatches of the Villa incident down here. Being on the ground, however, there were many little incidents it was possible to observewhich did riot get into the newspapers. - - I work at night until 2 a. m., and on going home at that time one Sunday morning the Villa forces could be heard attacking the Mexican federal garrison at Juarez, just across the river from here. A cordon of police was strung out through the city here and no one was allowed to* go nearer than ten block from the river. The pop, pop, pop of Villa’s guns soon brought people out on the downtown streets —men, women and children came in streams. Just about that time interest on the American side was sharpened by the initial action of the U. S. army

headquarters in placing an extra guard along the border. Scores of heavy motor trucks, loaded with negro troops, began crashing their way through th< crowded streets in long lines on their way from Fort Bliss to the border. You see, El Paso is situated between the fort and the border. Cheers went up from the crowds as the coons showed an eagerness for “something to happen.” Officers’ cars whizzed through the streets at top speed with their horns shrieking. Then a long line of ambulance motors hurried by and the cheering became tumultous, as this indicated that the military authorities were determined on action and were ready for the expected casutlties. ' During the forenoon of Sunday I watched the fight between Villa and the Mexican federate from the roof of the five-story Times building. The roofs of all the ten and twelve story buildings in the city were lined with people all day. A man with a roof and a telescope was, indeed, a popular man that afternoon. The Villistas attacked from the east and would chase the federate through the town of Juarez to the Mexican Ft. Hidalgo, which sets in the foothills of the mountains to the west of the city. Then the federate would chase the Villistas back. A belch of smoke could be seen to issue from Ft. Hidalgo and then the pop of the cannon could be heard. The fact that we could see smoke proved that the Mexicans possessed no late smokeless powder. It was, indeed, a wonderful sight in the clear, brilliant' sunshine of the southwest. Towards evening the firing became real brisk, and sniping on this side of the river became a danger. A window on the fifth floor of the Times building was shot out while we were working on the third' floor. This building is twelve blocks from the river. At other places in the downtown section bullets were noted to drop in the streets. A woman living near the river was killed by a stray bullet in her own home. A Villa agent claims the sniping was done by Carranza soldiers in order to bring about intervention and save themselves from defeat, which they certainly would have experienced had not our boys driven Villa off. However, be that as it may, in order to stop this sniping, at 11 o’clock Sunday night our troops crossed the international bridge, oridered the Mexican federate to retire ito their fort, stealthily placed their guns and opened fire. And, zowie! it wasn’t a mere pop, pop, pop, now but a big boom, boom, boom like tremendous thunder, and those who know say the poor Mexicans died like flies. In talking to a young officer the next day, he said that our boys surprised everyone by having the range at the first shot —so much for American efficiency. When I quit work Monday morning at ? o’clock there was no firing to be heard, \ and only an occasional colored rocket sent up by our boys as a signal was the only evidence of any action, and it was away to the southeast. The troops returned to this side Monday noon with a bunch of prisoners, and a sorry looking lot it was, too. ■"*'-.<■■ I was out to Fort Bliss today. Ofte of the Villa' prisoners (just a boy), badly wounded and approach-

ing death at the base hospital, called for his mother. She, aged, decrepit *and careworn, was located here in El Paso, and rushed to his side. He had left her three years ago to join Villa, An intense happiness marked the meeting, but it was soon blotted by die slowly ebbing life of the young ViUista. Though unlearned and uncultured, there was , no lack of mother and filial love; between the two, and those in attendance were brought' to tears on seeing the- manifestation -of that love, as the boy, clasping his aged mother as best he could with his wounds, kissed her and died. There are always two sides to every incident and it seems that it was my fortune to see them both. Well, Bartoo, if you become tired of wet and dreary days, come on out. There is nothing but sunshine and good possibilities here. Of course, it’s a little warm now, but on account of our altitude of 3,700 feet the nights are always cool. I experienced a few of the much-talked-of sand storms for March, but really have ptot seen as much wind here as I have in Indiana at the same period. One fellow here complained of the past winter having been a severe one, saying that he had burned two tons of coal. I laughed, but he, never having lived in the north, couldn’t see the joke. I note with sorrow the numerous deaths around Remington during the past winter. We had the “flu” here, too, and it was quite bad, especially among the poorer Mexicans. I do not believe I would have pulled through it there —but here, in the glorious sunshine, it is different. I have often heard the west spoken of as the “Golden West” — well, since I have seen it, I can truly call it the “Gloriously Golden West.” With best of regards, C. Hartley Coover.