El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-16
INSIDE HISTORY OF
OROZCO-MADERO CLASH
Leading Up Attack
Juarez Madero and Charges OF Bad Faith
By E. Esquv 0bregon, Unofficial Peace Commissioner

Gen. Diaz naturally sympathized with
| our enterprise.
Personal Relations.
AS TO the antireelectionist group
| surrounding Mr.. Madero he himself
| can testify that our reception has been
| anything but cordial, and they refused
even our invitation to a conference IN
would follow DR.. Vasquez Gomez's
arrival
Mr.. Madero for his part, although at
tentive toward me, and without reveal
| ing through his acts any i'll will, has,
nevertheless. been sometimes reserved
and reticenr, without my considering
| that this would In any way influence
1 brought us here, because 1 recognize In
him something more elevated than
mere personal sentiments
! I will now deal with that which con-
Germs Gen. .Orozco. After the last arm
istice expired, Messrs. Braniff, Herman
! DEE and myself asked Mr.. Madero that
| we be heard in a final meeting to which
should concur both the civil and mill
! tary elements of the revolution Mr..
Madero acceeded to our request and
amongst others were present Gen.
Orozco. Col. Blanco and Col Villa. At
that meeting we each earnestly ex-
pounded our convictions in favor of
peace even as medium to preserve
even the revolution itself from the
abuses consequent to a possible definite
/ and complete armed triumph.
/ Messrs. Pine Suarez, Gonzalez, Cara
and Carranza answered to our conten-
lions in different forms, but the fact
| was that Immediately after the meet
! ing Messrs. OnpZco, Blanco and Villa
! expressed that our opinions were in ac-
cord witt. theirs; and that they also
desired peace inasmuch as the gov
! eminent stood ready to guarantee the
establishment of the revolutionary
! principles.
Orozco's Telegram.
That same evening on my return to
! Hotel Sheldon. one of Gen, Orozcos Of
| ficers showed up and asked to speak
! privately with me, and stated that his
chief sent me a telegram he proposed to
send TO Gen. Diaz, and asking for my.
advice. The proposed telegram liter
ally ran thus:
Gen. Porfirio Diaz, Mexico:
Viewing the difficulties that have
arisen to prevent peace, I pro-
! pose to you the following:
l. / will suspend all military move
Iaents throughout the state of
chihuahua if the federal troops
Will retire from Juarez within "a
hours; said town shall be oeeu-
pied by my troops, daily ex-
! Denses for your governments ac-
! count; while reestablishment is
obtained will do all on my part
(Signed) "P. Orozco.''
This telegram was no more, no less.
than the expression of what had con-
tinually and openly heard said by the
members of the party; that the troops
were impatient for lack of food and
from Foughing it on that desolate and
sun baked camping ground; that as the
/ peace negotiaTioEs would be handi-
iscaped if Mr.. Madero returned south
ward, he considered it would be a
/ great step forward in favor of the rev.
olution to obtain what Orozeo pro-
/ posed, and that the government would
no doubt look upon his proposition as
indicative of a probable peaceful un-
derstanding.
Advice to Orozco.
But it appeared to me imprudent for
! Orozco TO take a step that might be
misinterpreted, and, in order to avoid
! this and IN Orozco's own interest. I
told the envoy not to send the tele-
| gram. and that I would send the propo-
sition to Mexico, and did send 1t to-
/ gether with Mr.. Braniff. without mem
! tioning Orozco and presenting the
| proposition as coming from and recon-
| mended by ourselves
! it would be inferred that he either did
| not intend TO obey Mr. Madero or that
! they together had concerted this step
and that for special reasons Orozco
was to deal directly with the govern
| ment.
Calls at Camp.
On the following day we called at
/ Mr.. Maderos camp and found him and
! his followers getting ready to start
4 4
all Of them, Mr.. Sommerfeld approached
me and said that Orozco wanted to
! speak to me- and urged an answer
/ (evidently referring to the proposition
conveyed to Gen. Diaz); and further,
that he (Sommerfeld) had sent for him
| telling him that I was there. We
| waited a. while in company with Felix
| Martinez, ana as Orozco was not show
ing up and we were in a hurry, we
wrote note saying goodbye and CIV
| ing to him our respective addresses in
! Mexico and Leon cities. which we
! handed, without envelope, to Mr. Dosal.
I who is one of Orozco's officers who
| happened to be near by; then we again
shook hands all around and went home
/ expecting to return promptly to Mexico
City.
That game evening Gen. orozco called
me over the phone asking whether ]
had received a reply from Mexico and
on my answering negatively he said
that he intended to attack Juarez that
same evening.
This. surprised me as being
in open contradiction with the
orders for ..n1arching south. and so ]
stated to sOrozco. who insisted stating
further that on the very minute he was
receiving in camp the news that Gen.
Diazr had published a manifest in which
hesannounced his intention to retire as
soon as peace was insured, and asked
/ what l knew about it.
II Attack Postponed.
L I saw in this the opportunity TO pre-
went the attack on Juarez and told
him to wait until 1 could ascertain the
truth of this news. Casually, on coming
downstairs ran against an extra Herald
confirming the news. immediately ]
ran up to notify Orozce and as he was
not there I conveyed this confirmation
1 to Mr.. Madero himself, asking him tc
tell Orozco of it.
\ On the following morning while Mr.
FBraniff and myself were earnestly work
i ing towards a renewal of the negoti-
atoms of peace, the Juarez battle was
initiated, with all the details that the