Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-13
MENACED BY REBELS
Americans in Greater Danger
Than Ever Before.
0R0ZCO SNUBS CONSUL
Refuses to Recognize Official Status
of Marion Letcher.
VILLA ALSO MAKES THREATS
Vows Vengeance on All Uncle Sans
Subjects Found in Revolu-
tionary Army.
VILLA ALSO MAKES THREATS

| CHIHUAHUA, Mexico, April Blowing
to the bitter feeling which has arisen in
the breast of Gen. PascuaI Orozco, COM
mander Of the revolutionary forces in
Mexico, against Americans, and his open
refusal to recognize the official status of
United States Consul Marion ,Letcher.
stationed here, it is declared that Uncle
Sans subjects are in greater danger than
at any time during the present rebellion.
| Gen. Orozco has declared that as the
United States government does not recog-
nize the belligerency of the liberals, the
liberals cannot recognize Letcher as con-
sui. Orozco adds he does not like the tone
of certain communications from Mr..
Letcher.
"Mr Letcher is merely an American
citizen, and entitled only to the consid-
| GRAFTON we grant any foreigner" said
Gen. Orozco.
Mr.. Letcher was not perturbed visibly
when informed Of his official OStracism,
and will treat the general merely as
Mexican citizen.
| The official ostracism includes also
James /. Long, the United States con-
sular agent at Parral.
Letters Are Seized.
Less tnan week ago z reDel DanQ
| went through a Mexican Central train
bound from chihuahua to Juarez and
seized letters and documents carried by
passengers, among them being consider
able matter addressed by the consul to
the State Department at Washington.
Mr.. Letcher protested to Oroxco against
this act.
Orozco declared that the fact that the
letters were not intrusted to the mails
as conducted by the rebels was an insult
| to them.
Another thing which increased the ten
| sion between Orozco and Messrs. Letcher
and Long was the execution of Thomas
Fountain, an American soldier fighting
| under the leadership Of Gen. Pancho Villa
at Parral.
Fountain was not q spy, but soldier.
and was captured in uniform and under
arms. Notwithstanding this he was con-
demned and shot. American citizens at
tempted to intercede, and as a last resort
Consul Letcher and Consular Agent Long
delivered a request, saie to have been
signed by President Taft. for a stay of
execution until a more thorough investi-
gAtion could be made. This plea was re-
jected almost instantly.
Villa Vows to Kill.
| 1t is known here that Gen. Villa has
vowed to kill any and all Americans
that he catches fighting in the rebel
| ranks, because Of the murder of
Thomas Fountain. his machine gun OPP
erator, at Parfaf. Gen. Villa has named
Capt. Samuel Drebin and Tracy Rich
ardson as two Americans he will kill
on sight.
| Drebin and Richardson have been
working machine guns. cannon and
vte. 10
charged that the slaughter at Corralitos
was due mainly to their work.
MEXICO CITY, April IA passenger
train on the Guanajuato branch Of the
Mexican Central railroad was wrecked
between Silao and Marf1l by bandits,
who opened fire on the crew and pas
sengers from ambush. Conductor Kane,
an American, was shot in the mouth
and died shortly afterward- Engineer
McFarhn was wounded in the arm, and
six passengers were slightly wounded
The express car was robbed, as were
also the passengers. No other details
are available here.
Trains Are Held Up. Z
have become the principal pastime of
the rebels in various parts of Mexico.
according to official State Department
held up train on the Tehuantepec rail-
road near Santa Lucretia yesterday and
demanded arms. and the Pan-American
railroad has been interrupted near Juchi-
tan. The action of the YaQui Indians in
firing upon trains and the burning of a
bridge on the line southwark out OF
Gauymos, Sonora, has caused the COM
plete abandonment of service on that
line.
Zacariah Farmer, the American railroad
engineer, was not killed by rebels. A
train wreck at Irapuato. Guanajuato was
responsible for his death, according to Of
fetal reports. The wreck was due to
broken rail, but whether the rebels were
| in any way responsible for that has not
been determined.
Six Of the seven Americans who were
imprisoned about two weeks ago by the
federals at Altar. Sonora, on suspicion
that they were going to aid the rebel
is the man being held. The others are
now in Nogales. Ariz- The federals are
holding Jones for q further investigation
as to his Affiliations with the rebels.
Rebels Lose by Actions.
| BY their own acts the Mexican rebels
| are slowly but surely cutting them
| selves off from any official sympathy
! on the part OF this government. 1t is
declared that unless there Is a radi-
| cal change in their treatment Of Amer
| leans, private citizens as well as Of
| ficials, it is quite certain that they
will remain deprived Of the powerful
aid to their cause which might follow
a recognition OF their belligerency.
| II there is any intention on the part of
the rebels, made desperate by their fail
ure to secure the supplies necessary to