Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-02-24
All Eyes Are Turned Toward
Developments In Washing
ton Where State Depart
ment Is Investigating,
FEAR IS AGAIN FELT
FOR SAFETY OF BAUCH
No Word Comes From Several
Americans and One English
man Said 10 Have Been
Taken to chihuahua,

El PasO, Tex, Feb 23,-lnterest In
the execution of William S. Benton by
General villa last Tuesday continued
with little abatement today but all
eyes were on developments ut Wash
ington.
Tonight Consul Edwards at Juarc2
said that the state departments rec
quest-it was a request and not "a de-
mand--that Bentons body be turned
over TO the widow, had met with no
response from General villa. who IS
lat chihuahua. The request was tele-
graphed last saturday and IL is re-
ported that Consul Letehor at Chihua-
hua viii renew his plea.
While Washington may, for diplo-
matte reasons. accept the official ycr-
sion of d court martial which tho reh-
els allege tried Benton and found him
guilty Of attempting Villas life there
is still no disposition among Benton's
friends to change their own verdict
of murder"
Hunting for Witnesses.
They are working tirelessly and with
some hope of finding a witness TO the
shooting whose word can be relied
upon There Is said 10 be evidence that
an American witnessed the shooting.
but that his associations with the reb-
els make 1t unlikely that he VIII
speak unless unusual pressure is
brought TO bear upon him
The federal junta which has ener-
getic secret service agents at work,
rs Well as many sympathizers. is en-
gagged also in an attempt 60 ascertain
! the true facts for the purpose of dis
|crediting the constitutionaiists Rebel
agents are frequently to be met with
in public places, yotubly explaining
what a hot tempered man Benton was.
Their favOrite story today was that
+ in the Foreign club at Chihuahua,
Benton once asserted hotly that he
wished his skin were darker $50 that
he would not be mistaken for "a
damned Gringo.' This story is true.
1t occurred a year ago and resulted
+ in formal fist tight between Benton
and Phil Mclaughlin. newspaper
man. then resident In Chihuahua. The
pair returned from the field Of battle
on a friendly footing, nor did these
occasional outbursts OF the fiery
Scotchman ever effect the real friend
ship which the Americans felt for him
because Of his known integrity and
blunt honesty
Not Citizen of Mexico.
81 have lent Benton as high as
$4,000 without the scratch Of a pen, %
related an American we'll known In
Mexico, today, but now among the
refugees here At Chihuahua It is said
villa is attempting to find in the court
records something TO show that Ben
ton had become "a Mexican citizen but
his cousin. William Benton. in this
city, said today that Benton was very
careful TO maintain his status as a
British subject, and that in a number
Of legal papers he was scrupulous 10
have this fact set forth.
I Anxiety over the fate of Gustav
Bauch. the German-Amerioan. offic-
tally reported by villa 10 have been
removed to Chihuahua for review of
his case wherein he is charged with
being a spy, cropped out anew today
when il was reported that Consul
Letcher, who has been instructed by
tho state department to safeguard the
prisoners interests, had been unable
10 see him.
Legal documents setting forth
Bauchs birth of German parents I'm
New Iberia, La, were received here
today by Mrs. j. NJ Patterson. his
sister They viii be forwarded to Chi
huahua
Nothing Heard Of Missing Men.
There still Is no trace OF Harry
Compton, Roger Lawrence or the
Iranchman, Curtis, who have disap-
pearcd In Mexico, nor was there any
information as 70 the date OF arrival
of the special train on which villa
has promised to return fifteen rejected
American recruits among whom the
rebel leader suggested that the miss
ing Americans might be found.
An American employed on the rail-
road bridge said today that when
Villa departed with fifteen or cigh-
teen prisoners last Friday. he noticed
a tall man in a golf cap, and a short
cr one, who appeared To he an Eng
lishman
A rumor that villa took his prison
ers only a few miles south OF Juarc2
land tnen shot all of them, received
lsome circulation today. but its origin
could not be traced Rebel officials