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Show VILLA DECLARES HE IS INNOCENT OF SLAUGHTER By Intei national News Service. 'KL PASO, Tex., Jan. 'Sd. ' ' I am in -nocei: t nf the massacre of the Americans Ameri-cans killed at Santa Vsubc-i, '' is the personal message brought direct from (ieneral Francisco Villa to the American Ameri-can (ten pic bv M ajnv Teodoro Prieto, who arrived here 1 oday. The message was handed to him by (ieneral Villa at Ei ftucio, in western Chihuahua, five days fgo, he says. Since then he has been in the saddle dav and night. .V"t ordine to Major Prieto. Villa had nn k no wl edge oJ i lie t ra y.ci'iv until a week ago. when a co: rier .arrived from the scene of the ir.:u-ncre to apprise him of what had taken place. Villa was fu rious and ordered I he c mi rier placed ui dor arrest. Rides Two Days. "T have ridden hard five dav? from western Chihuahua to carry word to the Pnited States that. Ceneral Villa is innocfiir of the nut .-p-re, id ; he ofticer tuday. ' ' Furthermore, he tuld me to mi that he will eX''ntc the uu-ii -.vhii did it if ' 43 r inures them, even though thev b-l'in- to rrs own group of followers. V,',. a.Te then at i-1 Kucio. in western Chihuahua. "He i a I led fur a voii.utec r to i-a ny word to the b'ud-'r nf his innocence of 1 he me rder and a l-n his d-'Torminn rion to punish the murderers if he eateries them. I was chosen to carry the m.'s-age. m.'s-age. 1 run not re- en.l where 1 crossed the border, bn ause on mv journey I had to dodge several Carranza patriots, and I expect to rejoin Villa. "The general is gathering men about him in western Chihuahua and he will soon be strong enough to renew the war. "His old companions in the mountains moun-tains are flocking to his standard by hundreds. The rumor that be was captured cap-tured is false. Villa will never be caught by these clumsy Carranzistas. He knows the mountain country too well. If he is ever made prisoner it will be after he is dead." |