Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1914-02-27
BRITISH subject
SLAIN IN MEXICO
Executed by Villa Because lie
Resented Insult
CALLED RELELS BANDITS
Villa Cursed and Slapped Him and
When Benton Tried 10 Protect Him
self He Was FelIed With Revolver.

When Benton Tried 10 Protect Him
self He Was FeIIed With Revolver.
William S. Benton, the scotchman:
was executed by Pancho villa IN
Juarez, Me~ico, because he dared 10
resent an epithet hurled at him oy
Villa that has made red-blooded men
fight since the word came into eXlst
ence.
Benton, twenty years resident OF
Mexico, still a subject of Great Brl-
tain, went to Villa to protest at depre-
dations by Villas men on his Los
Remedies ranch, in southwestern Chi
huahua.
Villa cursed and slapped him, and
Benton drew back to strike villa III
resentment of the oath and blow, Wnen
Villa knocked him down with his re-
yolyer. Whether the man was shot Dy
Villa as he lay on the floor, or was
later executed by order of the rebel
court martial, as officially stated by
rebel officers, it is not positively
known.
A Mexican who was present with
several others in Villas offices When
the difficulty occurred between the
British citizen and the rebel chief tells
the story. For the same reason that
has made hundreds of others TO de-
cline to permit the use of their names
in matters Mexican, this man only re-
lated the story on promise that his
identity would be hidden.
He declared that Benton, after be-
ing admitted to Villas presence, be-
gan speaking rather heatedly, declar-
ing to Villa:
"You and your men are bandits pure
and simple. You have taken my
horses, destroyed my property nno
damaged me in every way, yet you
pose before the world as civilized war
riors, fighting for your country. You
are fighting for loot and power"
Villa, according to the man relating
the story, rose from behind a desk at
which he was sitting and, shaking his
finger at Benton, retorted: you are a
Federal sympathizer; you have allied
the assassins of Madero in every POS
sible way. | am going to drive you
out of the country" Then Villa applied
the epithet that has always made men
fight and slapped Benton in the face.
Damn you, Pancho Villa. am as
good a man as you are" Benton re-
torted, according to the Mexlcan's re-
port of the affair, and then threw him
self at the giant rebel leader Villa
struck him with his revolver and felled
him.
A woman who was present-the
Mexican relating the affair says he
does not know If it was Mrs. Villa or
some other woman-rushed at Villa
and begged him not to shoot. The
Mexican says she dashed out with 9TH
ers who were in the room at the time
and knows nothing more of the ira
gedy.
Villa himself related his version OF
the story to American Consul L. ID.
Edwards at conference held IN the
American consulate at Juarez, and
fe Whours later the rebel leader hur-
ried south to Chihuahua in special
train, carrying carload of ammunl-
ton which he had ust cleared through
an American house.
The fact that the alleged execution
took place on Tuesday night is now
thought to mean by many that Villas
court martial report was given out to
cover the fact that Villa personally
shot his visitor in the course of their
quarrel.
Gustav Bauch, the German, who Is
held in prison by Villa in Juarez, is
still undergoing investigation, the
rebels said. He is being tried on a
charge of being a Huerta spy.
Consul Edwards has accepted the
statement of the imprisoned mans Sis
ter that he is an American, born in
Louisiana, and has notified the rebels
that he must not be executed.
In FL Paso a mass meeting In a
theater in protest at the execution of
Benton was held and resolutions were
wired to Secretary OF State Bryan,
President Wilson and various con-
gressmen and senator. Former Gov
ernor George Curry, of New Mexico,
was the principal speaker. "If Theo-
dore oosevelt were president of the
United States such condition would
not now exist in Mexico" declared the
former governor and ex-congressman
from New Mexico.
"The time has long passed when
when the United States should have
taken steps to protect foreigners in
that lawless country to the SOUTH"
Curry declared.