The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-12-28
MEXICO'S REVOLUTION.
The True Story of the Late War
Of determination.
THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOOBNTs

the Walls ofa Church on DefenseIess wo-
men and Children because Their Hus-
bands and Fathers Fought for TheirFaith
CHICAGO, Dee 2S--Juan S. Hart, of FL
| Paso, Tex. editor of the FL Paso Times,
which has been prescribed by the Mexican
authorities because of news regarding the
| Chihuahua revolution which had appeared
| In its columns, is in Chicago and in an
| interview gave the causes Of and the de
velopments thus far in the revolution
now in progress in Chihuahua:
"The number of reyolutionists, said
| Mr. Hart, "is small, there not having
been over 1870 in the field at any time, but
| they have fought fiercely, and the gov
ernment troops have so far suffered to the
number of 600 soldiers and thirty officers.
while ninety of the revolutionists and
ninety-four Of their women and children
| have so far met death at the hands of the
| soldiers.
"The general impression that the revo-
| luton is a continuation of the border
! trouble along the Rio Grande, which
was led by CARA, is incorrect. The be
| ginning of the present outbreak took
place about two years ago in the central
part of the state.
"At the little village of Tomochic the
| villagers, who were all Catholics, desired
| to celebrate y certain saints day by carry
| ing the image OF their saint from their
| church to the mountains near by, where a
| day of religious festivity was to be spent.
| They knew that such an act was a viola
| tion of the laws of Mexico, and that by
paying a fine permits for such celebration
| could be had. They went to the town au-
| thority, called the presidente, who refused
| the permit. A meeting of the villagers
was held the presidente informed that
| the ,,.eoration would b e held despite his
refusal, and the festivities took place.
"The presidente became alarmed, and
notified the conductor OF the monthly bull
lion train, then en- route from th3 mining
camp that the men of Tomochic ha re-
volted and were going to rob the train.
| Officials of the City of Guerreo, with an
escort of soldiery, Immediately set out
for Tomochic, The villagers heard of the
approach of the government forces and
the men left for the mountains, leaving
the women and children at home. The
| latter barricaded the doors of their adobe
houses, but the soldiers fired through the
old man
After few days in the village the
| forces returned to Guerrero and the Tom
ochicans came back from the mountains
| They buried their dead with oaths of ven
geanoe, and thus began the revolution
What money they had was invested in
| Winchesters and ammunition, and for
months they quietly awaited revenge
president Diaz after a time declared
! them rebels and sent troops on an errand
of determination. At the first encounter
there were thirty-eight TOmiohms to meet
the federal troops, numbering over a hun
dred. In the encounter which followed
| twenty-four soldiers and four officers were
killed, while the villagers escaped with
out wound. Then on Sept. of last year
General Rangel, with 900 soldiers, ap-
peared before the little village. In the
engagement 100 men and nine officers fell
in the federal ranks and but one Tomoch-
lean was wounded. In November of that
year General Hernandez, with over a
thousand men and two Gatling guns, sue
Ceeded, in an engagement of ten days and
nights, in nearly eXterminating the revo-
lutionists. The latter had reinforced
themselves to the number of 103, and but
twelve or fourteen escaped on the eighth
night of the fight. The others were killed,
but not until they had almost annihilated
one regiment of the Mexican infantry and
strewn the bodies of the soldiers so thickly
on the ground that no effort was made to
bury them.
"On the tenth day the victorious sol
diers entered the village and commanded
the women and children, who had locked
themselves in a church, to surrender.
Upon their refusal the walls were tum-
bled in on their heads, and ninety-four
defenseless villagers died in the ruins 1t
was a massacre in every sense, bloody.
brutal and objectionable.
"The revolutionists have been prac-
bically wiped out, and it is probable that
little more will be heard of it, The men
are undoubtedly religious fanatics, or
they would not have attempted war under
such uneven conditions, but they have
fought bravely and well, with the fierce
ness of despair, and have caused Mexico
no little concern, despite the numerous
and sweeping denials of that government"