The Washington herald., 1913-11-17
OFFICER
Defends HUERTA
Mexican President Guiltless
Of Murder, Declares Maj.
c. E. Gillette.
HOLDS PLACE LEGALLY
Reins of Government Thrust Upon
Him. Says Retired Army
Officer.
HOLDS PLACE LEGALLY

Maj. Cassius E. Gillette, former en-
gineer officer OF the army who recently
has returned from several years sojourn
IN Mexico. In a statement yesterday
claimed that Gen. Huerta had nothing to
do with the murder of President Madero
Of Mexico.
1t is explained by Maj. Gillette that the
murderer-a major in charge of the re-
moval OF. Madero to penitentiary. fol-
lowing Huerta's assumption Of govern
ment-recently confessed that he mur-
dered Madero and attempted to conceal
his crime by planting evidence that the
escort had been attacked by rescuing
party.
Maj. Gillette has delivered several lee
lures on conditions in Mexico that have
attracted wide comment He stated. at
the first OF his lectures. that one reason
for his lectures is that he is a property
owner in Mexico.
Mai. GiIIette's Statement.
Maj Gillette said:
Gen. Huerta is called traitor, an
assassin, and a usurper, for which the
United States is about to go to war to
oust him. He is not any one of these.
He served loyalty for piaz for a life
time in the regular army. When Madero
became President, albeit illegally, Huerta
served him loyally-defeating the bloody
bandit, Zapota, till Madero called him
OF. Then he defeated orozco. where
the latter had been previously the victor
with essentially the same troops. Later
the people OF Mexico organized a plan
for bloodless revolution to replace
Madero by Gen. Reyes, With this plan
neither Gen Huerta or Felix Diaz had
the slightest connection.
The plan miscarried, and Gen. Reyes
was shot The planners had TO have a
leader. They sent TO the penitentiary for
Felix Diaz. He didn't know even where
he was going.
Finally Madero's Secretary of State
became afraid Intervention would come
and Mexico would lose her independence.
He got together majority Of the Senate
and they sent a delegation to Madero,
who declined to see them.
Then the Senators sent for Gen.
Huerta, and demanded that he arrest
Madero and take charge of the govern
ment Though this would make him
appear a traitor, he did his duty. and
two officers were sent with a message
to Madero that he must resign or be ar
rested. These innocent officers, doing
their sworn duty. were murdered in cold
blood by Madero and one OF his aids.
Gen. Banquet then arrested Madero and
his Cabinet Madero and the Vice Presi-
dent resigned. Their resignation and
the succeeding strictly legal changes that
made Gen. Huerta ad interim President
were approved in every detail by the
entire Congress, a purely Madero organ
izatlon. -
ReIns Forced on Huerta.
Gen. Huerta thus did not sieze the
him. He was legally President OF
and Madero a private citizen
Some one gave the order to take
to the penitentiary. the proper
place to keep him. and the same place
where he had kept Felix Diaz, who had
escaped. A Mai. Cordenas was in COM
mand of the guard that took him from
the palace. He recently confessed TO
my business partner, an absolutely re-
liable man, that he personally shot him,
beyond doubt carried away by the con-
victim that that was the only feasible dis
position to make of him. He then had
the auto shot up and reported an at
tempted rescue. There was absolutely
no way for the authorities to disprove
this, and in hundreds Of cases Of lynch
ings in our Southern States. not one in
has ever resulted in punish
ment. Surely we cannot expect more Of
Mexico than We do of Georgia, that has
no such awful menace of being destroyed
by savaGes. Mai. COrdenas, a few days
after this confession, was killed fight
ing bravely for his country. Is Gen.
Huerta an assassin? Is he a traitor? Is
he usurper? Surely not.
Now. as the people of the United
States have no quarrel with the people
of Mexico. who certainly have no quarrel
with us. why these threats of war to
oust Huerta?
why are our newspapers daily filled
with the Administrations plans to furnish
more arms to the bestial fiends that
have mistreated every girl over ten
years old within 125 miles of the center
Of the city of Durango"