Mexican Situation

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 291, 12 May 1914, Page 5

Mexican Situation

.FIERCE BATTLE FOUGHT, t BET \Y EK N OONSTITUTIONALISTS ' AND FEDERALS. By Cable-Press Association—Copyright Received 11, 11.40 p.m. Mexico City, May 11. , One of the fiercest battles between the Constitutionalists and Federals has been fought at Tampico. The result is unknown.

"VILLA IS MERELY A BANDIT." A DANGEROUS MAN TO VISIT. Washington, March 21. After seeing some lantern pictures showmg corpse* and burning bodies in Mexico which were shown by F Tennesson Neely, who said that he kid traveled extensively in Mexico, the House foreign Affairs Committee to-day listened to testimony from, Elf ego Baca, of Albuquerque, N.M., who told a rather disconnected story of the death of Gustav Bauch, the German citizen who was put to death in Juarez. Mr. Baca came to Washington on behalf of General fcalazar, Mexican, who is bein" held a prisoner at Fort Bliss. General Villa, Mr.i Baca said, was merely a bandit who could neither read nor write, and whom every one distrusted or feared. He said that Villa had learned to write his name while he was a prisoner of Hucrta's. "He's a bom anarchist, is he not?" asked. Representative William G. Sharp of Ohi». * r '

that Villa had killed his chauffeur after giving him five minutes in which to make his automobile- run. The trouble with the car was that it had' no rasoene, and the driver waa.doing his best to make a bluff at fixing it" when he met his untimely end. .Concerning the death of Mr. Bauch, Mr. Baca said that a cousin had been arrested "for wearing a hat that Villa (lid not like," and while the cousin was being held in jail at Juarez he heard shots and a scream, which lie deduced was the killing of Bauch and' an American who were in jail with him at' the tune and who were not seen thereafter. SEES NO EXCUSE FOR KILLING. "You will never sefeihe bodv of Benton produced," said Mr. Baca." "Benton went unarmed to see Villa and was, killed. He was a perfect gentleman and did not drink, and I do not believe there was any excuse for the killing." Mr. Baca said that he believed it was dangerous to call on Villa on any business whatever, and Representative Henry D. Flood, chairman of the committee, wanted to know whv Benton's friends had not dissuaded him from undertaking so perilous a trip. He explained that thousands of Americans went to Juarez frequently and thought nothing of it. "Would you have made that trip?" was asked. "I was invited twice to go and see Villa," said Mr. Baca "and I am still considering ihe wisdom of it." "What evidence have you that he went unarmed?" asked Mr. Flood. '-Just the general report that be never carried a gun," was the Teply. Mr. Bacca remarked that lie first met Villa at Parral.

"What was his business then"? was asked. "The cattle business," replied the' witness. "Where did he buy his cattle?" "He didn't buy anr cattle," the witness replied. "He sold it." The committee laughed at this joke. "Carranza is so afraid of Villa,' said Mr. Baca, "that he would not sleep in the same room with him. He is not a soldier, he is just a bandit." Mr. Baca said that Villa had no intention of trying to capture Torreon. He asserted that the capture of Juarez, Chihuahua ond other places by V ilia was "because General Menoci sold out to him."