The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-03-06
Commission STOPPED
At TEXAS BORDER
REBEL ORDER DELAYS INsPEC.
TON OF RENToN's BODY BY
STOPPING COMMISSION.
MUST DEAL WITH CARRANzA
Colonel AViia FiatIy Refused to Per,
NIT Committee to Leave Juarez
for Chihuahua-New Com
Pications at Hand.

eating committee Sunday was prevent.
ed from proceeding to Chihuahua to
examine the slain Briton's body by
rebel orders. Colonel Fidel AviIa, mil.
ltary commander at Juarez, declined
TO permit it to board the regular pas
senger train which was waiting.
The order surprised the commission
ers. Villa, at Chihuahua, repeatedly
has expressed his desire to hasten the
inquiry and his offer of a special train
to take the commission from Juarez
to Chihuahua, where Bentons body is
said to be buried, was formally accept
ed by Marion Letcher, the American
consul there.
George c. CarOthers, agent OF the
state department in many of its deal
ings with Villa, also delayed his de-
parture for Chihuahua.
The commissioners are Charles A.
S. PerCeVal, British consul at Calves
ton, and James Hambledon, a British
subject long a resident in Mexico;
K. &. Thomas, lawyer of Ell Paso,
who has made special study of inter
national and Mexican law; Dr. B. M.
Worsham of Ell Paso and Majors w. T.
Davidson and c. J. Manly Of the Unit
ed States army.
1t was learned that they were STOP
ped on instruction from Washington.
At Fort Bliss General Hugh l.. Scott,
who appointed Davidson and Manly to
assist in the examination of Benton's
body, said he had no information, fur
Their than that the medical men had
been notified to be at the train at 9
o'clock and that later they reported to
him that they were not going.
General Carranza's declaration that
Great Britain, instead of the United
States, should deal with him concern
ing the death Of British subject,
coupled with the broad intimation that
all communications on international
affairs first should be addressed to
him, instead of to General Villa or
any other subordinate, injected new
complication into the situation, and
the expedition to Chihuahua.
MISUNDERSTANDING Bryan Fri
day telegraphed Governor Golquitt of
Texas that the sending of the state
militia into Mexico to apprehend those
responsible for the hanging of Gle
mente Yergara, an American citizen,
would involve a responsibility which
the federal government alone was in
position to assume
The governor had inquired whether
the federal government had any OBJ
jections to the sending by the state
of force to arrest the slayers of Yer
CARA. Secretary Bryan replied that
the Washington government was do
ing all that it could do to obtain the
arrest and punishment of the offend
ers.
A similar situation arose in Texas
in February, 1912, and February "a,
1913, when border troubles caused
Governor Colquitt to declare he might
send Texas rangers into Mexico either
to prevent firing into American terri
tory or to protect Americans.
When, on February "a, 1918, Govern
or Colquitt ordered four companies of
militia to Brownsville the war de-
partment telegraphed General SteeVer,
then in command of the department of
Texas, under no circumstances to
permit their crossing the river except
under specific orders of the secretary
of war"
President Wilson Thursday took the
position that for the United States to
send marines or armed forces of any
kind into Mexico without the consent
of the governing authorities there
would be an act of war. He declared
emphatically that permission never
had been sought either of Generaf
Huerta or General Carranza, and indi-
Gated clearly no request of that char
acter would be made in the near flu
ture. The president announced, too,
that no change in the policy of the
American government toward Mexico
had been decided upon.
The president had been asked par
ticularly about reports that American
troops might be sent across the Dor
der to recover the body of William s.
Benton, and concerning published dis
matches that the United States con-
templated sending marines to the City
of Mexico to guard the American en-
bassy.
A supplementary conference be-
tween General Villa and American
Consul Marion Letcher was held
Thursday at Chihuahua about the ex-
animation of the body Of William 5.
Benton.
81 will provide special train for
the use of the committee and the ply
LII ho allowed tO make the