Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-04-06
VILLA DRIVES OUIHI
HATED AWARDS
Six Hundred o,Leave Tor
reon at Once and Proper
ty Confiscated.
FEUD'CENTURIES OLD
Villa Exonerated Of Benton's Death
Major Fierro of Villas Staff, Pick
ed as Scapegoat for Execution.


April General Francisco Villa has
ordered that the 900 Spaniards of
this city be deported. He issued nj
structions that trains be provided at
once and that the exodus to Ell Paso
should begin without delay. Their
property will be confscated, tenn
Iporarily at least.
The deportation decree is the trag-
edy of Chihuahua over again, and IS
said to express the deep-rooted sus-
picion and even hatred with which
the native Mexican, and particularly
,the peon, looks upon the Spaniard.
Villa expelled the Dons from Chi
huahua four months ago, ard Stree
then has repeatedly stated that other
Spaniards would better get out Of
Mexico before he caught them. His:
abiding conviction that they we're
working as one man against the rev.
,olution found frequent expression
while he was in Juarez, at which
time he asserted he would execute
every one that he found in Torreon.
The Spanish Government was
aroused and Washington descended
on the Constitutionalist chiefs with
words of warning and admonition.
Mexican hatred of the Spanish,
the people say. is a tradition handed
down from the days ef the con-
quest.
1t has been a part Of their lives
FOR three centuries, they declare. In
Mexico the ranch overseer, the small
shcpkeeper the money lender-in
short, the butcher, the baker and
candestick maker of Mexican life
has been a Spaniard and is alleged
to have used his superior intelligence
to the disadvantage of the natives.
New York, April 6.-The Sun this
morning prints the following:
GEL Paso, April 6.-Carranza's IN
vestigatirg commission has decided
that William S. Benton, the British
rancher, was not murdered by Pan
cho Villa He was not executed by a
court-martial's order nor killed by a
knife stab. He was not even killed In
Juarez."
The report will say that Benton
was killed at Samalayuca, thirty
two miles south of JuareZ. Rodolfo
Fierro, late rebel major and superln-
tendent of railways for Pancho VIII
Ia, will be held responsible. The
body, it will be said, was first buried
in the soft sand at Samalayuca, but
was later taken up by Villa and
transported to Chihuahua and bur-
led.
Villa will be completely exonerated
and the killing will be laid entirely
at the door of Fierro, who IS now,
and has been for several weeks, IN
! Jail at Chihuahua. He was stripped
| of his authority as superintendent OF
i railways shortly after the Benton
incident, and a few days later was
placed in prison in chihuahua. At
THE time it was given out that his
arrest was in connection with the
ideath OF a woman at Chihuahua.
1t became known today positively
THAT the commission had completed
| its investigation, and is ready to re-
port.
/ The Sun correspondent who sends
this remarkable piece of news, says
What villa was persuaded to accept
the idea of a bogus court-martial for
J Benton by a lawyer, who insisted
i,that if a court-martial's report were
), oiven out the world would believe It
THE world refused to bel'eve 1t
Ehowever, and then Villa, alarmed
bturned the whole matter over. to Gar,
Iranza.
-0-