El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-05
REBELS MAY
EXHUME BODY
Of BENTON
Commission Appointed by
Carranza Has Authority
to Examine Body.
INVESTIGATION TO
BE PRIVATE ONE
THE cARRANzA commission ap-

~ HE CARRANZA commission ap-
pointed to investigate the killing
Il Of William S. Benton in Juarez
two weeks ago will begin its investi-
cations this afternoon or Friday morn
ing in Juarez As a part Of the in
vestigation, Benton's body may be ex-
humed. Three men compose the board
of induiry-Gen. Ramon FauStO, Dr.
Miguel Silva and Lie. Miguel Lara
| They arrived in FL PasO Wednesday,
with full authority from Carranza to
take up the Benton case, Investigate it
and report their findings to the first
chief Of the "ConstitutiOnalist' move
ment, who will then make an official
statement regarding the facts in the
affair
Carrmza Wires Instructions.
Instructions to the commissioners
from Gen. CarranZa were received in 81
PasO Wednesday evening by telegraph.
They came from NOgales, Sonora, ad-
dressed to Gen. FaustO, and the sub
stance follows:
This general headquarters is pleased
to appoint a special commission, with
you as president, and with DR.. Miguel
Silva and Lie. Miguel Lara as members,
to investigate without further tnstruc-
tons, the cOurtmartial and execution
in Ciudad Juarez of William S Benton.
If you find any infractiOn Of the law
or irregularity that merits the issuance
2
this correspondence will be sufficient
to ask the chief of arms to exhume the
body for legal, medical examination.
Chief Of COnstitutiOnalist Army.
(Signed) 'VenustianO Carranza-"
Whether or not their investigation
VIII take them to Chihuahua, where
several witnesses in the case against
Benton are now resident; whether Gen.
Villa viii be asked to testify before the
commission; whether the body of Ben
ton viii be exhUmed; whether the
officers Of the cOUrtmartial shall be
repT1manded or punished in case it is
found that they did not conform to the
law governing the case-alI these are
questions which the commissioners are
not now In position to answer, they
declare.
Principal Witnesses in chihuahua.
All the officers who acted as judges
in the trial of Benton are attached to
the command of Col FTdel Avila in
Juarez, so it will be easy to secure
their testimony But the principal wit
nesses who testified against BentoR-
men who sWOre they saw the attack
made by the Scotchmau upon Villa
are in Chihuahua. 1t is probable that
they will be recalled to testify before
the court Of inquiry in JUarez. Copies
OF the court proceedings during the
trial viii be secured and the commits
siOners viii search them to see that
they cOnformed to the law.
VIII Be Private Investigation.
1t has been intimated that the board
or inquiry Will not consider as an in
fraction or irregularity of law any
minor technical errors that may be
found in the military court procedure
providing these errors were not of such
a nature as to prejudice the judges
against Benton. The Investigation will
be conducted in private and the find
ings will be reported TO Carranza alone.
No announcement has been made of
the place in which they will be held.
No definite idea of the length Of
time it viii take to complete the in
vestigaJiOn is available and it is pos
sible that Gen. Carranza will have ar
rived in Juarez from Sonora before the
labOrs Of the commission are ended.
In the meanwhile, Charles Arthur
Perceval, British consul at Galveston,
and chairman Of the Anglo-American
commission, appointed to go to Chihua-
hua and examine the body of Benton,
waits in FL PaSO, as do other members
of this commission. All idea of carry
ing out the mission has been aban-
dOned.