Part IV: Pages 61-80

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 the presiding authorities of the Church. And like many other efforts to colonize in different parts of the country by scheming, avaricious self-appointed men, they eventually failed. And there is only one safe guide for Latter-day Saints to follow. And this is to follow the lead of those who have authority, the right, and the responsibility to guide the affairs of the Church.

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1906

President Ivins and President Pratt came to Morelos and President Ivins said to me, "Orson, this Colony can now carry on without you. You are needed more at Colonia Dublán than you are needed here."

And I answered, "Well, you know Brother Ivins that if that is where I'm needed that's where I want to go. What is there that I can make a living at? You know I have a large family."

He said, "The people of the Colony are very much divided on the matter of building the canal and doing the work on the lakes necessary for the growth and prosperity of the Colony. Brother Pratt and I feel that you can bring about harmony among the people and that the work can eventually be consummated." And then he told me that he had five tracts of land there that I could have. So I went to Colonia Dublán.

I bought a brick house and a couple of lots from George Clayson. Then traded the Morelos houses and lots to Minerly for his house and lots in Dublán and 20 acres of land. and then traded for another house from Brother Haynie.

I was released as Bishop of Morelos and Charles Lillywhite was made Bishop and Daniel H. Snow first counselor and Walter Steiner as second counselor. I made a satisfactory settlement of the funds that had been entrusted to my care of the Morelos Ward and turned over all accounts. I then moved my families to Dublán and began working out a plan by which we could begin operations on the canal leading from the river to the Lakes. (We organized a legal company to which a concession had been granted by the Mexican Government for the privilege of using all the surplus waters in the Casas Grande River. Also to build a large canal to conduct the waters to the Lakes and to enlarge the Lakes to full capacity for storage purposes.) When this was done the Green Gold Mining Company owned by William C. Green collapsed. He owed the union Mercantile Company of Dublán some 25,000 pesos. This Mining Company had all kinds of railroad equipment having bought the railroad known as the Mexican South Western running from Ciudad Juárez to Casas Grandes and had

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started a grading running from Casas Grandes southeast towards San Bueno Ventura at the time of the collapse. We needed such equipment as owned by this Mining Company to complete the work on the canal and Lakes. And so President Ivins who was President of the Union Mercantile and Henry Bowman who was manager advised Mr. Green's agent that he would not take notes for the $25,000. pesos but would take a bill of sale for the mining and grading equipment which consisted of about 40 mules and construction equipment such as plows, fresnos, scrapers, drills, blacksmith outfit and other things. And so a bill of sale was made transferring all this equipment to the Manager of the Union Mercantile. And it was this equipment that was used for the construction of the canal from the Casas Grande River to the Dublán Lakes. This done made the water of the Lakes available for irrigation purposes thus greatly increasing the value of our farmlands.

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1908

In 1908 I received a telegram from L.E. Brooker, El Paso, asking me to come to see him. On arrival there he told me there was a Canadian Company which had bought an option on 500,000 acres of land in the territory of Tepic (now at the Junction of Highway 15 and 200), and the capital city of the State of Nayarit. And that their agent who had examined these lands had now contracted small pox. He had made his report from there and they now wanted me to go down to examine the land and check his report.

I went to the city of Mexico and got an extension on the option for 60 days and then went to the City of Tepic. From there into the mountains to examine the lands which had supposedly been examined by the agent of the Canadian Company. I found that he had never been on the land. I returned to Mexico City and had the pleasure of meeting President Diaz and reporting to him I had found that a company of exploiters were trying to sell the lands or more often options on the lands by representing their value falsely. The company of exploiters was composed of three Mexican Senators with a German as manager. President Diaz thanked me for the report and said that these four men would certainly be called on the carpet. While still in Mexico City the German manager offered me 25% of the $40,000. to be paid by the Canadian Company if I would return to El Paso and report favorably on the lands. I simply told him, "Nothing doing. You are barking up the wrong tree."

I returned to El Paso and reported my findings to the Canadian Company which had already paid out $10,000 as options on the worthless land.

During this same year, 1908, a spurious revolution headed by three men, Amelio Campas, Salazar, and one Alineze, was started. They got together a small band of about 100 men and were about to attack Casas Grandes and surrounding communities. One of the men's brothers told the Federal authorities and about thirty of the men together with the three leaders, Campa, Salazar, and Alinese, were put on the Island Prison, San Juan De Lua and

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were kept there until the uprising of Francisco Madera in 1910.

In 1911 Madero was elected President. He then pardoned the three leaders, Campa, Salazar, and Alineze. They then returned to Mexico banded together and called themselves Socialists and organized a small army that was disbanded by President Madero. But these three men bided their time and later at Casas Grandes grabbed Juan de le Lus Blanco and forced him to deliver to them the command of his 350 soldiers stationed at Casas Grandes.

1910

In 1910 before Madero became President he was put into prison by President Diaz and upon his release continued his propaganda against the Government as run by President Diaz. Little bands of rebels were making it very uncomfortable for the Federal Authorities. I went up to El Paso at this time and while walking down a strange alley I cam face to face with my old friend Abram Gonzalez. He said, "Why Mr. Brown, there isn't anybody I'd rather see than you. I want you to meet Madero who is in hiding in a back room of an upstairs building here.

I went up there and was introduced to Francisco I. Madero and several other patriots. Madero gave me a copy of their proposed operations. I discussed with them at some length the object of their uprising against the government and became converted that their cause was just. After reading the copy of their proposed ideals of government I went back the next day and had another conference with them. Mr. Gonzales told me he was afraid of complications with our Mormon Colonists and afraid too, that the U.S. Government might intervene in case of any trouble with the colonists. Notice was sent out to all military leaders not to molest in any way our people.

When I returned to the colonies the chief political head of the District of Galeana called me to his office at Casas Grandes. I was still head of the armed forced of the Colonies and he said to me, "I have called you down here to tell you we want 100 armed Mormons to come down here to Casas Grandes to help defend this municipality."

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At a meeting previous to this call from the Chief of the District, I explained to the Colonists the situation, as I understood it. We decided to remain as neutral as possible. And when I told the Chief of our resolution he railed out, "I'll show you what neutrality is. If you don't furnish me a hundred men when the revolution is over I'll get an order of expulsion and drive you out of the country."

I replied, "When this revolution is over you may be the one driven out of the country."

A few days later someone saw a big herd of cattle coming from the west toward Gases Grandes. It was reported that the rebels were coming. The Chief climbed on the top of a roof and saw that the rebels were coming. It so scared him that he had to be helped down the ladder and he smelled so strong that they had to change his pants. He took the next train out and died three days from shock and fright.

Another Chief took his place and he too called me to Casas Grandes and also threatened me that if we didn't furnish armed men to help defend the Federal Government and her interests we would be driven from the country. In about two weeks time the rebels over powered the Garrison at Casas Grandes and took the Chief to Chihuahua City where he was shot. Then Madero and his aides crossed the Rio Grande River from El Paso and established their headquarters about three miles up the river from Ciudad Juárez.

Ciudad Juárez was occupied by about 3,000 Federal soldiers. One morning three or four men slipped along the canal bank and opened fire on the Federal advance guard. Running down the east bank of the river I saw a Madero soldier by the name of Vaca. He was wearing a red shirt. He with 3 o 4 others scattered along the bank of the river. The advance guards of the Federals were in an old brick kiln about a hundred yards away. As a soldier came around the corner of the brick kiln Vaca shot him, another came and he was shot, a third and he shot him too. Then the rebels came streaming down the riverbank shooting and going on into the town of Ciudad Juárez shooting as they went.

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The rebels would pass back and forth from the riverbanks to the town, use up their cartridges, go back for more, or to eat, and return again. The battle had been going about 48 hours when Madero's second, Juan Sanches Ascona, and myself went down to the river and upon a balcony we were watching the rebels closing in on the Federal Garrison. At about 10:00 a.m. with field glasses I said to Ascona, "There goes up the white flag on the Federal Military Headquarters."

And I saw the man shot down from the pole for they had been fooled before. Soon another man hoisted the flag as we heard the bugle sound of surrender from the Federal Garrison. When I told Ascena he shed tears and thanked God for this surrender. We immediately got in touch with Madero and told him the good news. We all went over to Juárez together and made the customs house Madero's headquarters.

Then the Federal commander came into the Customs House, General Pascal Orozco of the Madero troops demanded that the Commander and his aides be turned over to him to be executed, but Madero and some of his aides slipped the Commander and his party below Juárez to the Rio Grande River to let them wade across to El Paso, Texas.  And this was the beginning of the collapse of the Federal Government over all of Mexico.

General Pascal Orozco as commander of all rebel forces in Chihuahua demanded that all Federal troops be withdrawn from the State of Chihuahua, leaving him in supreme command. Madero then, with his aides, went to Mexico City and took charge of the Federal Government.  President Diaz and his cabinet and all other officials had left the country. A Provisional President was in charge pending an election. He remained as such for several months until an election put Francisco I. Madero in as President (October 1911), Pinas Suarez as Vice President.

Meantime, the Scientific Party, as they were known, which was the old Federal or aristocratic, wealthy, domineering party, of Mexico began to work to overthrow the Madero regime. Terrases and Creel were two of the leaders of the Scientific Party and they had their elements approach

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General Pascal Orozco at Chihuahua to persuade him to rebel against the Madero government. So General Orozco went to Mexico City and demanded of President Madero 100,000 pesos, 50,000 for himself and 50,000 for his father as bonus for their services. Abram Gonzales who was Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of Madero was present when this demand was made and he told me he said to Orozco, "Why this demand is ridiculous. I thought that we were fighting for the principle of freedom."

And Orozco replied, "If you don't give me this money there are those who will give it to me without further asking." And he turned and walked out, not even saying goodbye to his lifelong friends. He returned to Chihuahua and there inaugurated his revolution against the Madero government. He had made a truce with Campa, Alines and Salazar and withdrew his troops from Ciudad Juárez allowing them to take Juárez without resistance. They robbed banks, stores, and everything else in the city. Later going on to Chihuahua City where they joined General Orozco in further uprising and rebellion against the Madero government. They started on the southern campaign arriving about 150 miles north from the city of Torreon. General Salies who was commander in chief of the army at Mexico City came north with 10,000 soldiers and met Orozco and his rebels. During the preliminary skirmishes a Captain Pone conceived the idea of loading an engine with dynamite and starting it down the tract toward the Federal Camp. When the engine struck the Federal Train the great explosion killed a number of soldiers. General Salies thinking all was lost went into his car and committed suicide and his men retired toward Torreon. Here President Madero named Huerta as General to lead an expedition to come north to battle the rebels. He had with him artillery, infantry, and cavalry. He asked President Madero for Secret Service men to go down and find out the extent of General Orozco's army and artillery, a general topographical map of the country where he had dug in awaiting the coming of the Federal soldiers.

General Llorenti and Alvert (Uncle of President Madero) who were in charge of Mexican affairs in and

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around El Paso had sent two different secret service men to the Orozco army they had never returned. Then they asked me if I didn't have a man I could send down. I had a man whose wife had a wounded soldier cousin with Orozco. I sent him down with his wife pretending friendship. He cam back with a small topographical map together with the number and kind of artillery, cavalry, infantry that Orozco's bunch of rebels had.

He also brought his wife's cousin back and left him in the hospital at Juárez. We enlarged the map and by special courier sent it around by Lorredo to General Huerta who had just arrived at Torreon. With the information and map Huerta began his advance northward toward the city of Chihuahua. He deployed his cavalry on each side of the railroad coming around and flanking the rebel army and driving them back into the city of Chihuahua. Then the rebel army split. Orozco and the majority of the army came on north toward Ciudad Juárez. While Salazar, Campa, and Alinecs, with about 600 men started west over the railroad coming through Madera and Casas Grandes. General Huerta remained in Chihuahua. For at least a month Pascual Orozco with his 1500 men came north, tearing up the railroad, burning the ties, piling the rails on top of them, burning bridges. I went to counsel Alberto Madera, who was still in charge of Mexican affairs in El Paso. I suggested that they be an army raised and sent into the northern states of Chihuahua and Sonora to protect the Mormon Colonies and other Americans against all this bunch of thieving and killing bandit rebels.

President Madero was advised of the need and sent General Garevaldie with his aides to organize and take command of forces from the northern state of Sonora. I accompanied General Garevaldie and his staff to Douglas, Arizona and when we arrived there Colonel Juan Dozal who had been Pancho Villa's chief of staff began a tirade against General Garevaldie complaining, "Why did we need a foreigner to organize and lead our army. He caused so much difficulty that General Garevaldie was unable to do anything. Then President Madero sent an old Federal general named

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Someone came in and said that Obregón was on his way to attack. They left in a hurry leaving many burros to die still laden with loot. Bandit General Orozco was destroying railroad while this was going on and General Huerta has turned rebel and was in Chihuahua meeting the Scientific Party and trying to overthrow the Madero Government. And when he saw the fires of Orozco's army he made the attempt to attack. He stayed in Juárez two or three months while Orozco moved over the railroad toward Casas Grandes and on into the mountain country near Madero. Several months passed and Huerta having equipped himself and his men, who was very friendly with one of Huerta's Generals by the name of Rabago, reported to me that he believed that Huerta together with others were planning to overthrow the Madero Government.

Huerta's chief of staff had been appointed to deal with me for the purchase of 100 saddle horses. I delivered the saddle horses and was waiting for the money from Mexico City to pay for them. While waiting I began working on Huerta's Chief of Staff. I wined and dined him and finally asked, "Why wait for a few thousand dollars from Madero? Looks to me that a man like Huerta wouldn't stand for such much longer."

And over his cup of wine he spilled the beans. He said that they were going to overthrow Madero and his government. That General Ferris Diaz, nephew of ex- president Porfirio Diaz, would rise up in Vera Cruz and march on Mexico City and at the same time General Fernando Reys would be released from the penitentiary and with armed prisoners would also march upon the City. Another General would join General Huerta in helping to overthrow the Madero Government in the northern part of the country. And finally that General Huerta would be made President of Mexico. And that the Scientific Party headed by Tarrascas and Creel were putting up the money and backing the project of overthrowing the Madero Government.----- I immediately wrote it all down making four copies of it. I sent one copy to Washington, D.C., one to Gonzales in Chihuahua and one to Madero.

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and one to Gonzales in Chihuahua and one to Madero. When President Madero received this message there was present one of his councilors who afterward told me that President Madero said, "It cannot be true. General Huerta is not a traitor." His friend and councilor advised him to believe it for he said that he knew me and knew that I wouldn't send that kind of information unless it was correct. President Madero wired General Huerta to entrain his soldiers and return to Mexico City.

On his arrival President Madero called him to his office and confronted him with this information. Of course he denied it. At the same time in Mexico City the American Ambassador, Henry Lane Wilson, dean of foreign representatives in Mexico City, began one of the worst diabolical, treacherous, damnable, outrageous,, course of maneuvers that ever was done by any foreign representative in an foreign country. He backed Huerta and the Scientific Party and without the knowledge of the approval of the President of the United States. Consequently they began to fight the Madero army. Huerta pretended to be on Madero's side yet ordering Madero volunteers into the streets where they were shot down. After eight days President Madero and Vice President Pinas Juárez were taken from the palace and murdered in the streets of Mexico. President Madero's brother, Raoul Madero was also killed.  Huerta usurped the power of President and was backed by Henry Lane Wilson. When the facts were learned H.L. Wilson was dismissed in disgrace. Then Huerta tried to subdue the people all over the country. But the republic wouldn't stand for it and the people rose up in arms all over Mexico. Pancho Villa in the north rallied the mountaineers and started south, cleaning Huerta's followers in Chihuahua and then marched on south. General Carranza raised up in the east with an army and others in the southwest. Senator Obregón came with big body of men and drove Huerta out of Mexico. The Generals agreed to meet in Agua Caliente in the center of Mexico and there discuss a man for president. General Obregón joined Carranza and Villa joined other generals from the southwest and they met. But now they couldn't agree. Carranza and Obregón retired to Vera Cruz not willing to submit to

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the decision of the other Generals, Villa and his army marched into Mexico City and then General Obregón organized a large army and came north driving Villa out of Mexico City they made a stand at Saylua, Jalisco and here General Obregón defeated Villa's army and took the greater part of his equipment. Villa came on north.

In a general election Carranza was elected President. However a constant fight between Villa and Obregón forces continued. Finally the U.S. Government recognized the Carranza government. But fighting still was going on. Villa took the cream of his army, some 5,000 men and started for Sonora. General Obregón sent an army from the north and General Calles from the south and they overpowered Villa. He returned to the state of Chihuahua with only about 500 of the 5,000 men. The Generals of the men he left in Chihuahua and Colonia Juárez had been bought over by Andres Garcia, the Carranza Mexican Consul while he was away. When Villa learned that the U.S. had permitted reinforcements to cross into the U.S. and back into Agua Prieta to the aid of General Calles he marched along the Sierra Madre Mountains. Villa crossed the border into the U.S. and attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico on the American side. He commenced burning houses, killing people, robbing stores, in revenge for the U.S. permitting the Mexican army to cross over into the U.S. so as to reach Agua Prieta more easily and so to attack him. Most of his men were killed when the soldiers got their rifles released.

Soon General Pershing with 5,000 men crossed the Mexican border at Palomas (south of Agua Prieta across from Douglas, New Mexico) and followed Villa's trail making his headquarters near Colonia Dublán. From there he sent out scouting parties trying to capture Villa and his bandits. They went as far south as Parral, Chihuahua. Here the American soldiers were fired upon by a group of Mexican citizens. They were ordered not to go any further south but to go north. The Mexican government then put soldiers east and advised General Pershing not to send out any more scouting parties, as it was practically impossible to catch Villa.

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…tried to stop them. The Mexicans opened fire and the colonists returned it killing one of the Mexicans. The other went to Ascension and told the people there that the Mormons were up in arms and had hanged a Mexican to a mesquite tree. They immediately sent a runner to Ciudad Juárez and at the same time President Ivins sent word to El Paso to me to advise me of the true situation. One of the men I had as Secret Service agent told me that General Pascual Orozco had 100 men ready to go down to disarm and clean out the Mormons. I immediately went to their agent Professor Hernandez and told him that if Orozco sent troops there to drive out the Mormons they would be met with many free American frontiersmen with many arms to clean them up. And further if they wanted international complications now is a good time. Then he asked me to go over to Juárez to see General Pascual Orozco. I answered, "You know that the officers in Ciudad Juárez have orders to arrest and shoot me for the part I played in denouncing Victoriano Huerta and his bunch of bandits."

"Well," he said, "We'll guarantee your safety." He immediately went to the telephone and called General Pascual Orozco in Juárez and told him we were coming over and that my safety had been guaranteed. I advised General Stiever at Fort Bliss at El Paso and he too called Orozco and told him that he would hold Orozco personally responsible if anything happened to me. So Professor Hernandes and I got on the streetcar and as we crossed the international line two secret service men got on to the car and accompanied us to military headquarters. On arriving there were escorted into the presence of General Orozco who said, "What is this all about? What do you want?"

Professor Hernandez very much excited replied, "My General we are confronted with a very serious situation and he began to explain. General Orozco turned to me and asked, 'What is it you want? I answered, "I want you to know the seriousness of the situation and the facts of the matter. This bandit who was killed is the same man who killed a Mormon colonist two weeks ago. Now he and another man robbed a store and when two of the Mormon colonists tried to stop them and in returning fire one man was killed and

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as his horse ran he fell into a mesquite bush. There is no fact that he was hanged to a mesquite tree. And if your men go down there to drive out the Mormon colonists there are American ranchers there who are ready with machine guns to cross the line and exterminate them. If you want international complication this is a good time to have them."

Then he said, 'Do you want an international complication?"

"No, but if you send these men down there you are going to bring them about."

He turned to his chief of staff and said, "Order all those soldiers to detrain and return to their quarters." And it was done.

After my visit to General Orozco with Professor Hernandes and while I was still employed by General Bell there came a report from a German who was employed by the Department of Justice of the U.S., General [Elias] Alles(sp) Calles, who was then Governor of the State of Sonora, had amassed the in the northeast of the capitol of Sonora about 50,000 Mexican soldiers who being trained by German officers with the view of attacking the U.S. was there was a great deal of friction between the two countries. And since it was reported that American gun boats had shelled Vera Cruz and Tampico and the American Marines had landed in these two towns because of President Carranza's attitude towards Americans and American interests the feeling was strong and the report of the soldiers training of great importance.

The government wanted to determine whether the German agent was reporting fact. There had been two secret service men who had gone to Nogales and were refused entrance into Mexican territory. So at this time General Bell asked me if I thought I could get in there and get first hand information. I told him that I thought I could for at this time I had Mexican citizenship papers. So I went to Nogales and while stopping at the hotel on the American side I met a man who said he was a master mechanic for the South Pacific Railroad Company at Tucson, Arizona. And that a young man 25 years old, half Mexican, half white had stolen his daughter of 16 years of age and had taken

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her to Guaymas, Sonora. He plead with me to try to find her and bring her back. On arriving at Hermosillo I immediately went to the Governor's palace and met Governor [Plutarco Elias] Calles and asked for a salvo conducto - a pass to go to Sierra Prieto where I had previous papers to look at a mine located there. It was in the vicinity the 50,000 soldiers were reported to be in training. I received the pass and went out to the mine and spent a …talking to a guard of the mine, making examination, cutting samples, and talking to the guard about the large training camp. I finally got into the car and drove to the military headquarters in the vicinity and found about 3,000 Mexican soldiers encamped there for the purpose of guarding against a surprise attack from the Yaqui Indians of Sonora who were in revolt against the Mexican Government. So I found the whole story as told by the German agent of the U.S. Department of Justice a pack of lies. So arriving at Hermosillo I went down about 60 or 80 miles to see if I could find the daughter of the master mechanic of the railroad. The same evening I saw her sitting with a bunch of Mexican women. As her father had given me a photograph of her I walked up, showed her the photo and asked, "Do you know this girl?" She jumped up and said, "Oh."

I told her that her father wanted her home and asked her where the man was who had brought her here. She said, "I want to go but the man is in Sinaloa and is due back here tomorrow and if he sees you here with me he will kill us both. So I told her to go where she was staying and…..send the old woman after something and…..

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...told me that Molly was married and happy. She also was half Mexican on her mother's side.

On arriving in El Paso I reported my findings concerning the 50,000 soldiers and that it was all a lie.

Conditions were very disagreeable between the U.S. and Mexico and continued to get worse until an arrangement was made for General Scott of the U.S. Army and General Obregón of the Mexican Army to meet in El Paso and try to reach an understanding. At the arrival of General Scott in El Paso, General Bell sent for me to confer with him and he asked me what I thought of the chances for settlement. And I said to him "You have been very successful in settling Indian affairs in the U.S. but you have a different class of people to deal with in Mexico. And so he asked me to go see General Obregón and I did. Then I reported to General Scott, then to General Obregón and Scott went into a series of conferences. The first was held in Ciudad Juárez in General Obregón's private car. Present at the meeting General [Franklin] Bell, Brigadier General Frederick Funston (of Philippine Insurrection fame 1899-1902)), and General Scott. With General Alvaro Obregón were Secretary of the Interior Juan N. Amador (he was also a prominent lawyer), and Andres Gonzales (Mexican Consul in El Paso at the time). No results from this first meeting. The second meeting was held in General Scott's private car in El Paso with the same results. Then General Scott asked me to come to another meeting where present were besides General Scott and myself, General Bell and General Funston. He said to me, "Mr. Brown I'd like you to go over to General Obregón, for he seems to like you, and tell him that unless we can get together and sign some sort of an agreement that within the next 20ays American troops will cross the borders of Mexico and American warships will attack her ports. I proceeded to General Obregón's private care where present were General Calles, Secretary of the Interior Amador, and General Obregón. I said to General Obregón, "I have watched your career from the time I met you in Colonial Morelos with your Yaqui Indians and I believe you to be a patriot and a good man."

He answered, "Mr. Brown, what is a patriot?"

I replied, "A patriot is a man who will sacrifice his own interest, as you have done,

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going with your men in the defense of your country."

He answered, "There are mighty few of them in this world."

I answered, "I think your are mistaken General Obregón, there are thousands of them. History repeatedly speaks of them in every country. They are men who lay down their lives if need be for the good of the country and other people. And I believe you are a good man and a patriot," I repeated.

Then he said, "There never was but one good man and he was Jesus Christ. And they sacrificed him and I don't want to be sacrificed."

I then answered, "You have espoused a cause of sacrifice and you are going to be sacrificed for that cause before you get through with this work."

And he turned pale and was nervous. Then I said to him, "If you don't make an agreement with General Scott at the next meeting the U.S. Army will cross your borders and the U.S. ships will attack your ports within 20 days. I don't feel so sorry for you officials as I do for the countless families who will suffer through the invasion of an army."

Then he answered. "We don't want the United States or any other country for a stepfather or stepmother. The weak ones always have to pay. We are neighbors and should be friends and we why can't we fix this disagreement up before a war instead of after?"

I then said, "Any pact that is made between you and General Scott will have to be approved by Congress of Mexico and signed by the President before it becomes valid. And as you know there is a war in Europe (First World War, June 28,1914- June 28,1919) which may drag in the U.S.(4-6-1917) and time is a great healer of these troubles and there may be great change before the Congress or President of these two countries confirm this agreement."

He then answered, "Maybe you're right Mr. Brown, maybe you're right. Let's see what calls can be done tonight."

I left and reported to General Scott what happened. And I told him further that I thought that they might be able to come to an agreement because there was a change of attitude on the part of General Obregón.

They met together at the Hotel del Norte at 4:00 P.M and at 4:00 A.M. the next

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morning they had signed an agreement. A copy was sent to the American Government and one to the Mexican. The American Congress approved and President Wilson signed it. The Mexican Congress could never agree and neither did President Carranza sign the copy sent to them. And in the meantime The American Government had declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. And by this time the war was over. President Carranza of Mexico had been killed and General Obregón had been elected President.

While General Obregón was still in Ciudad Juárez and before he was elected President, an agent from a New York bank came to El Paso and asked me to go over to see General Obregón, "Undoubtedly with the great drain of the revolution on the Mexican government it is in need of funds and our banking institution (naming the bank) will assist you in the rehabilitation of your government by loaning your government money necessary for that purpose if and when you have come to an agreement with the U.S. Government."

General Obregón seemed to be pleased with the offer and said, "We will take it into consideration." But later when he became President of Mexico he remembered the incident and accused the American government through this N.Y. banking institution of trying to bribe his government into making an agreement at that time with the American government. This showed his utter duplicity.

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Sources:

The content of this original work began from notes by Orson Pratt Brown. Also much of the content was dictated to his daughters Bertha E. Brown and Gwendolyn Brown Klein beginning in 1940 until his death in 1946. Where this work is committed in first person it is representing Orson P. Brown's own words.

Nov 2002:  Entered into MSWord, spelling corrected, some other minor corrections, subtitles, {bracketed], bold added, etc. by Lucy Brown Archer.

Copyright 1944 and 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org

"There is history in all men's lives".--William Shakespeare