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Show 14 given assurances that the Mormons wou1d be 1eft a1one, but after the Sosa affair their neutra1ity seemed to be an impossibility. In fact, on Ju1y 26th, 1912, Genera1 Sa1azar to1d Mormon 1eaders that no more assurances or guarantees cou1d be extended, and, in fact, demanded the guns of the co1onists to aid Orosco's forces. The next few days saw Mormons in Dub1an and Juarez co11ecting, with the approva1 of stake president, Junius Romney, o1d guns and ammunition and turn them over to Sa1azar's men. The co1onists, in anticipation of this kind of troub1e had ear1ier secured severa1 shipments of new guns and ammunition and had stored them in the bishop's storehouse in Juarez. Eyring reca11s the story his father to1d of how the guns were taken from Juarez without rebe1 detec- tion. With Mexican forces encamped in front of the bishop's storehouse and the main street patro1ed, Edward C. Eyring, Mi1es A. Romney, and others carefu11y smuggTed the guns out the rear.entrance to caves nearby and eventua11y to a p1ace ca11ed "the stairs" near the Eyring ranch. The who1e undertaking was extreme1y dangerous and had it been discovered, it seems certain that b1oodshed cou1d not have been prevented. With no guarantees from the Mexican rebe1s, and a recent announcement by the American State Department that the United States wou1d not intervene in beha1f of American citizens in Mexico, Mormon 1eaders met and decided that evacuation of the-women and chi1dren wou1d be the wisest course. The men wou1d remain behind to protect their property; then when things sett1ed down, they wou1d bring a11 of their fami1ies back. As o1d guns were being turned over to the revo1utionaries in Juarez, the women and chi1dren were being escorted north to Pearson where they boarded a train bound for E1 Paso. Mormon 1eaders in Sa1t Lake City |
