Central High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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for time we found it necessary to make a forced march at night. We left Casas Grandes at 6 o'clock in the morning and at sundown we had covered twenty-five miles. After stopping long enough for mess we mounted our horses for the night ride, through the wildest country in the whole of Myico. All went well till midnight, when, without warning, a horse dropped from under one of our party, killed by an unseen foe. 1 his sally caused us to increase our speed. W hen we were within a mile of the Rio dc Muertc a bullet slipped by my ear with a hiss. W hen we reached the center of the bridge we were met by a band of Mexicans who attacked us with determination. The Rio dc Muertc well desrves the name of the River of Death. for we left it with thirty men upon its bridge, ten of whom were members of our own band. The whole affair was sickening to me, but my hardened companions rode on without being noticeably affected. At sunrise we heard the noise of battle, and pushed on with greater speed. In a short time we reached the top of a ridge, and front it 1 looked down upon a sight I shall never forget. On one side in the shadow of the ridge our troops were stationed and opposite them on the side of a mountain cut off front all means of escape were the Myicos I hey were fighting their last fight, and they knew it. Those murderers seemed to quail at the grasp of the hand of Death and fought like mad. On our side the men were dropping in great numbers. Over the wild scene there settled a cloud of smoke like a shroud. It seemed that we were indeed staring down into the mouth of Inferno.” for such was its name: “El Paso de Inferno. Hut we could not stand there and wonder at the horrible scene; we had a duty to perform. General Kunsion was found in a few moments .it one side of the battle line giving orders in the calm, distant way that was his custom. At your service. General. 1 reported. Hoys. he said. 1 am going to give you the honor of doing the thing for which this war was intended. On that peak to the left of the forest are the supposed headquarters of ilia. He is no doubt practically alone, directing the battle by telephone. You and Marse take five men and bring him back to me, dead or alive! The five men were picked and we proceeded upon the command, not knowing how we would return, dead or alive. e circled the entire valley, and at three in the afternoon were cautiously ascending the mountain under the cover of a clump of trees. The supposition was true. Villa's tent was on top of a ledge surrounded on three sides by a natural barrier. We crawled slowly upon and dropped silently down upon the floor of the clearing. There at one end of the flat stood the powerful man who had caused so much bloodshed. looking out upon the field of battle where the setting sun was spending its last rays. We moved closer, each man carried a repeater in his hand. I leveled mine at the bandit, and called out. “Surrender.” He did not turn about, hut stepped forward a couple of paces to the edge of the precipice and cried. Viva la Rcpublica. and dropped downward from our sight, captured, not live, but dead! RAY C. BURRUS, T7. 12

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Viva La Republica Our troops had been making unsuccessful attempts to capture Villa for two months. They had also failed to stop the atrocities perpetrated against the citizens of the United States and of other nations which depended upon them for protection. Tht President had become tired of watchful waiting, and as a result war was declared from the White House at 8:15 on the night of May 10, and orders given to every part of the great and complex departments of the Government. At that time I was in the Secret Service Department, detailed upon some minor bomb plots against certain powder works in the New England States. At 1 o’clock on the morning of May 1G I was awakened by the hotel porter who gave me a code message from headquarters, ordering me to report at once. By ? o'clock that night 1 was in the Chief’s office with my partner, Marse. “Emerson, here are your papers,” said the Chief. “You and Marse report to Funston at Casas Grandcs and he will put you to work. Remember you are not to trail hyphens, but greasers, l.uck to you. He turned to his desk and Marse and 1 went to the Treasurer for expenses, and in a short time were on our way to “Mexico. From the name one might expect to find Casas Grandes a city of architectural beauty and grandeur, but not so. From the troop train we descended into a city of anything but beautiful castles, 'flic common houses of the street may have been at one time attractive, but the shots and shells of the warring factions had greatly defaced them. The hotel in which Funston had his headquarters was the only place in the town where a man of taste would direct his steps. Mr. Emerson and Mr. Marse, I believe? I am glad to meet you.” He spoke with the straightforward matter-of-factness of the truly great commander he was. I received a telegram from the Chief Monday saying you were coming. He says, also, to give you something light to start with. You can tackle the big game later, when we get farther down the country. 1 have a note from one of my men to the effect that the natives are being armed from the other side. Go there and stop it.” There was nothing for us to do but go. We were given command of twenty rangers who had just reported for duty, and at the end of the week had completed our first commission. 'flic General had moved his quarters fifty miles distant. He had taken his whole command, leaving no rear guard on the road, as he was depending upon reinforcements. So Marse and I. with our small command, were compelled to march through that mountainous road unprotected. Being pushed 11

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When I Was a Very Little Boy (Bathing.) I used to hate to take a bath, and whenever a Wednesday or a Saturday rolled around 1 made divers plans to avoid one. Once 1 nearly succeeded in doing so. My mother had prepared the tub, and was about to prepare me. when the ‘phone rang. Whilst she was in the hall, answering it, 1 conceived the grand idea of—hiding in a small clothes closet, where my toys were kept. This T proceeded to do. and when Mother returned no Billy was to he found. In the yard, in the cellar, up in the playroom—Billy had disappeared. A frantic search followed, all over the neighborhood. then my Mama ’phoned for Dad. Why. my dear. came over the ’phone, “are you sure you’ve looked well—in the clothes closets, for instance? Then, click, click, click.” high heels sounded on the floor. On they came, right up to the door behind which I cowered—then—well, you know. I don't like to talk about it. (Baptism.) One Sunday my mother took me to a Baptist Church to witness the baptismal ceremony of a young friend of hers. Without the divine grace of baptism, the soul cannot enter heaven. said the minister. Those few words were all I remembered of his sermon, but they impressed me greatly. So on the way home. T was very inquisitive. Had T been baptised? Had Mama? Tapa? Yes. Were we going to heaven? She hoped we would. 1 became very thoughtful. T remembered my dog and cat. They hadn’t been in water, and if T was going to heaven T wanted them there, too. An idea’ Several hours later T captured my live stock and carried it to a rain barrel near the house. What was it the man said when he put Gladys under the water? Well, a Golden Text would do for a plain dog and a cat. So— into the half-filled barrel went Pussy and Rover: down came the top. and T. with eves tightly closed and hands devoutly clasped, muttered. For God so love th’ worl' that he giv His on’y Son. that whos’ever bleved on Him shan’t die. Amen. I opened the barrel. Out of it and into the house dashed two wet. angry pets. “Shucks. I said, disappointedly, they never waited ’till I said the last A-men. (F.lcctric Globes.) Electric light globes are nice things to “bust. They make an awful 13