Show W FAILS IN VILLA RAID American l Officer Doubted Border Town V Would ouId Be Attacked l Report n nn i Lt LI ii i-asu i c S' S vu cu i. i J I warnings s that Mexicans had planned to raid Columbus X N. M. M oL received recel so 50 little credence from Crom the commanding officer there that when the attack Was as made March 9 9 1916 no unusual precautions precautions pre pre- cautions to prevent n had haiJ been taken witnesses told the Senate subcommittee subcommittee sub suh- committee Investigating the Mexican situation Leo Lee Riggs a deputy deput custom collector tor br said he lie had been the interpreter when whon Col Coi IF ir J. J Slocum commanding the arm army post sent into Mexico 1 a Mexican Mex Mex- lean ican scout to secure Information on corning the movements mo of Villas Villa's troops and when he ho reported reported on n th the ht before the raid that a a. body of the Mexicans was then marching on Columbus Columbu U 1 W. W F. F Murphy a telegraph tele rn h operator testified that a message o of warning from Crom the American military headquarters at Douglas also alMo had haiJ been sent to Colonel Slocum and other witnesses witnesses wit wit- nesses flosses declared the knowledge that tho the thoI I raiders were n a few tew miles south of oC Columbus Columbus Co Co- Co- Co lumbus was c common No News a WrIter It r Story Sory Murphy told tho thu committee that L. H.-L. H.- H. L. L Secse Seese an Associated Press dent dont was I so nearly convinced a raid would be attempted that he he appeared in Columbus two or or three e days b before toro It Jt was made and arranged to have sent there thele an extra telegraph raph operator to assist lr in Irl the transmission of oC the stor story h he lie to write The Tho accounts of oC the time raid as given i cn by br the different witnesses a agreed Inthe in inthe inthe the statements that when the M Mexicans xi- xi cans ns did appear thc they met md no opposition I tion lion until much of their killing lootIng loot loot- I In Ing irig and burning had bad been accomplished I When the they withdrew the they took with them man mail many American c CAvalry ah horses Jand J i and let left seventeen enteen dead Americans and I almost l as ninny many wounded 1 Judge E. E ii L. L I. I who tried and convicted seven of ot the captured Continued on page 2 VILLA RAID WARNING FAilS TO SAVE CITY Continued from CrOin Pago Pae 1 cans testified that urgent representations Lions ha had been made mado to him b by tho attorney attorney attorney at at- at- at torney general of or the United States not notto notto notto to proceed with tho case casc on tho ho grounds that Hie they should hould not be tried In n a civil court for murder as the they had been taken prisoners in connection with an nn Invasion and he added the thc messages delivered to me urging meI meto me mo I to cease conso proceedings said I should I 1 hol hold 1 up the case because it m might ht result I in diplomatic complications Ions vt with 1 Mex Mex- t I leo ico co Six Tho judge judg-e refused to halt the proceedings proceedings proceedings pro pro- and seven st of t the he men n were j condemned to death Six suffered the I full tUIl penalty the sentence of or the seventh I being changed to life lIto imprisonment b by bytho the tho governor go of the state Jud Judge o told the committee the suggestion that lint he should halt tho the proceedings proceedings proceedings pro pro- reached him through an agent of the department of justice who Savo gavoto I to fo him in open court the tho message from I the attorney general Another request came from the military comman commander er of or ortho tho the southern department and a third j I front from oli either le th the r secretary et y or of ar 1 war or orI orthe I I the secretary of state ho was unable to remember from which I I I I r I sent sent ent back word said the witness wit wit- j i j I ness that the m men n had hael been dul duly indicted in inI indicted in- in b by tho grand jur jury and that I I could see eo no reason for or not proceeding ding with tho the trial I told the writers of i the messages there would be no watchful watchful watch watch- ful CuI waiting in m my court Widow r ells of ot Raid Hold Examination of or Mrs Laura Ritchie widowed Id wed by t the e Mexicans on the night ht or of the raid developed de the possibility of or further discussion as ns to tho the legal lesal classification of or the tho raiders She Sho and her husband were operating the largest hotel in Columbus The raiders burned it and her efforts effort's to obtain obtain obtain ob ob- tain the insurance she told tho the com committee como com had been unsuccessful because tho insurance company adhered to that clause clauso in the policy exempting them theta from payment in case of oC invasion Mrs Irs Ritchie described the att attack lck on tho the town and tho the hotel where five o Americans were killed J She was thrust to one ono sl side sido e when her hu husband was dragged off ore to be shot Mexicans then lion ransacked the building in search of plunder but not until they thoy had re removed removed removed re- re moved from her fingers and those of or her three daughters the rings they wore One of oC her daush daughters was 8 years ears old one 15 and tho the other 20 O. O I 1 Bullets Pierce Coat COlt After the they had been rescued from the tho burning bUll building ln b by a neighbor the year old girl insisted she was going going go go- ing IuS' out of or tho the building where the they had been hidden cn to recover her fathers father's bod body which sho she had seen when she was wnM wason on the wa way to their hiding place Against protests she started and when not more than a few feet Ceet from the house her coat was wj pierced b by bul bul- lets Edwin G. G Dean was another witness who n ho described the fighting His father father fa father fa- fa ther was killed He was twice wounded but succeeded in escaping from rom the tho town with his wife in an au au- au- au i J L L. L. L BUrl Burkhead hend offered further further further fur fur- 1 ther information in corroboration of oC I that of oC other wit witnesses as ns to the general general general gen gen- j eral apprehension of or a raid that had prevailed Ho said aid that on March arch 8 3 8 only two of or the thirty Mexican schoolchildren school schoolchildren r children enrolled in hi the public schools appeared no C of tho the raiders was a witness s. s Jesus Paez 16 years cars ol old told e the committee com- com he and his father had b been n forced force to join Villa or become victims or of persecution b by the tho Carranza soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers His father was killed during tho the raid and one o of the boys boy's legs was shot 0 off I It was because of of t C the boys boy's youth he was not punished with the other seven brought to trial He Ire was delly- delly delivered ered cred to a charitable institution b by the court and when he appeared before the tho committee toa bay toay he spoke English fluently When captured he knew no word of oC the language |