Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-02-26
L. s. NOT RESPONSIBLE.

Discussion of the case between the am
bassador and the secretary of state de
Neloped clearly the absence of any re.
sponsibility on the part of the Unite ed
States for the killing of the British sub.
Ject even though investigation prove il I,
have been unjusttiabc The United States
1t was asserted, had simply acted As a
friend and exerted every effort to save tn,
mans life, and the fact that through its
consular officers the American govern
ment might have virtually recogrized TIE
de facto control Of Villa over certain
in nowise increased its liability for the
actions of that individual
The British government through The
embassy was formally informed that the
state department is awaiting the mailed
report on the tragedy from American
consul Edwards which information it
mas passed along to the foreign Office
Enough the report referred to is not
Iikely TO reach here for few days, de-
tails of the incident began to filter into
the state department in brief dispatches
Tonight. The departure of General Villa
Tor the south was NOT rocked upon by
OFFICIALS here as having any connection
with the death of Benton. The informa-
uon which reached the state department
was 10 the effect that Villa had been
planning to move south for several DAYS
The resolution follows in part:
Whereas, Mr.. William s. Benton
highly respected ana honorod citizen of
the State of Chihuahua and a subject of
Great Britain. was brutaly murdered nj
6l1 J,tn
Villa, we. the citizens of lei Paso. Texas
and refugees from Mexico, at an ndigna-
ton meeting held in FL Paso February
20 1914, beg to submit to the world the
following brief statement of facts:
The cold blooded assassination of Mr.
Benton is hut another crime to be added
to the hundreds that already have been
committed against all foreigners living
in Mexico. They have been driven from
their homes, their property destroyed, in
many cases women have been outraged
and their protectors murdered. and for
no other reason than their nationality
I'VE believe that the state department
at Washington has persistently sup
pressed facts concerning the true condi-
tons In Mexico, and endeavored through
inspired newspaper articles and by other
means to mislead the American people
and form public opinion for political pur-
poses, in support of a policy that Is ruin
Gus to all foreign interests in Mexico and
to the Mexican people themselves.
1--WE recall in the last few months such
cases as the assassination of Mr. Burton
at Santa Rosalia; Mr. Hayes and Mr.
Thomas at MADEIRA, and Mr. Brooks in
northern Chihuahua. and in every one of
these cases they were most brutally muir
dered for no other reason than that they
We're American citizens,
Some months ago the State depart
ment officially declared in one of it's
messages to Mexico that it would hold
the Mexican leaders personally re-
sponsible for outrages committed
against American citizens. Al the
present moment our government is
harboring Gen. Ynez Salazar. who has
an unbroken record ever since he took
the field in Mexico of outrages COM
mitted against our citizens.
There are many citizens OF this cit
who were cruelty and brutality treated
by this man, many of them hell for
ransom and at least one, Mr. Foun-
tain. was shot by his order, and thus