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Show MASSACRE STORY I OFFICIALLY TOLD I State Department Gives Out- ' line of Evidence of Mexican Outrage Obtained in H El Paso. PARTY HAD NO ESCORT H Chihuahua Authorities Told M Americans No Guard Was Necessary Watson Car- M ried General Passport. M Washington, Jan. 17. Evidence collected at El Paso by state depart- H ment agents indicates that Carranza authorities at Chihuahua assured C. 1 R. Watson, head of the party of Amer- H leans killed near Santa Ysabel, that H no escort was necessary. In that opln- H Ion, however, many of the Americans H agreed, although they had suggested H to the authorities the advisability of H sending troops with the party. H The state department gave out this H paraphrase of its official advices from H El Paso: 1 Party Felt Safe. Holmes, tho only survivor of the H massacre, has no knowledge as to H whether Watson and his companions H requested a military escort or guard H for their trip from Chihuahua to Cusi- H huirachlc. He states that if they did H so the authorities declined to furnish M an escort or guard. Holmes says that H all the members of the party felt safe M in making the trip. M 'It Is reported by a person connect- M ed with one of the companies operat- M ing In Chihuahua that on the day that M the American party started for the 1 works he had a conversation with H Watson and asked him if a Mexican H escort was to accompany his party . H Watson replied that such, an escort H would not go with them as he had M talked with the authorities and they M told him It was not necessary." J As to what assurances, if any, Wat M sou and his companions had received 1 from Mexican authorities that it would 1 be safe to resume operations at Cusi- M hulrachic. the department says: M Knowing that the Cusi mines wer 1 situated at Cusi and that the purpose JH of the return of Watson and compau M ions to Mexico was to resume the op- M oration of tehsemines, the immigra- 1 tlon authoritrernn Juarez upon tho (H application of the El Paso agent of tho H Cusi company gave a general pass- H port to the Watson party. The gov- H ernor ot Chihuahua also gave a per . 1 sonal passport to Watson, , M Watson Obtains Mexican Guard. , H "Watson went to Chihuahua and j was there on January 4 to ascertain iM if it would be safe to resume opera- M tions. While there he got the de facto !, government to send a garrison and M maintain it at Cusi On that day three trains of troops of twenty cars each. j fl supposed to carry a total force oi j H 1,000 men. in charge of General Joso Cavazos of the de facto governmen H left Chihuahua for Cusi at 9 a. m. and j H 1'30 and 4 p. m. respectively. Tho jH 1-30 train also carried the Mexican M civilians Lopez and Loweree. employ- H es of tho Cusi Mining company, Ed- j 'H uardo Enriquez, employe of the Cusi 1 Mexicana company and Pascual ' Aliagia, employo of the Minas San M Juany Anexes company, another M American owned company in the Cusi 1 camp. Enriquez is a brother of the j de facto governor of the state of Chi- I iB buahua. After being satisfied that a garrison was going to the camp and jl after tho second military train had left , H Chihuahua, Watson left El Paso at 1 ( H p. m. M "On January 6, the Chihuahua agent H of the Cusi company, with whom I H have just talked in my office, tele- H graphed Watson at EI Paso in refer- H once to the above mentioned civilian jM passengers on said second military H train, information received by him H from Cusi by telephone as follows: M " 'Boys arrived Cusi safely last M night. They found everything quiet H over there.' H Watson Wires For Assurance. B "As this telegram mentioned the B boys without mentioning the troops, Watson on the same day, to make cer- n tain that a garrison was established at Cusi, telegraphed the Chihuahua H agent: H " 'Wire if troops arrived Cusi and M train running Northwestern.' "-' 1 To which, the chihuahua agent ro- M on the same day: M " 'Troops arrived Cusi. Since yes m terday evening Northwestern trains B suspended indefinitely account no , H fuel.'" ' |
