Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-07-15
NOTHING FOR VILLA TO
DO. BUT KILL CAPTIVES I

.A0 ~ A0
and night come suddenly. Like an in
cendescent cannon ball the sun rolled
up on the rocky knol in the east. and
wicked "sput. sput." Of Mausers.
Wiling. wheep. Wiling, wheep." some-
think whispered overhead. and I real
lied that the huge white bulls Y sign
of the Mutual Movies" painted on our
car was the target of the hidden
In four tongues-English. Spanish,
Dutch. and Italian-as my sleepy COM
panions rolled out of their hunks and
snatched with clumsy fingers at the
pile of weapons on the center table.
Then, before more than a score of shots
had been fired, all mercifully going
nigh. n fusillade al as suddenly
a. 1t had begun.
Some boys who had gone out to
shoot j~ackrabbits came in out Of
breath n reported having seen IA
C%oiorados Sinking off behind the east
erly ridge. This same band fired at
Villas trains the following evening and
tore up a small piece of track before
they were captured n executed, with
In a few hundred yards of our car, by
men of Genera Robes.
1t may seem absur that Villa had
not put out thanking forces 10 protect
his trains: but the flank movement,
like other simple military tactics, is
almost unknown in exico. Therein is
the most salient reason why in battles
between large and cumbersome armies
the Mexicans would be easy prey for
the American regulars. Warfare in
Mexico. aside from the guerrilla variety
consists In finding out where the enemy
is and then marching straight up to
him. Villa was h man to defy the
tradition that only the daytime is
suitable for fighting. and he has also
Il H0lfhInQ0IV lnno0f nrnNnAo~tc {~ eGR@N
lowing up" his Victories instead of
sitting down and celebrating until the
enemy is ready to come back to take
him unawares: but even Villa has only
the crudest knowledge of accepted
military strategy.
"viIIa, The Man."
Villa has plenty of faults, but they
are the faults Of the man Of action. To
those whom he calls friends he shows
traits of justice. gentleness, and quizzi-
cal humor, wholly lovable. and belong
ing to the part in his repertoire called
"Pancho Villa. the Man." rather than
to his more celebrated role. francisco
villa, Conqueror and Man Of Destiny"
One torrid afternoon two or three of
us were seated in Villas private car,
which had stopped at a small lake to
aIIord men and women a chance to
bathe. Villa came in, ~dust-covered and
hot from his ride to Paredon and back
n began stripping for a swim. His
disrobing was Interrupted by a lieu
tenant who pushed ahead Of him two
soldiers that had been caught wasting
ammunition on pigeons, an offense
punishable by execution. The culprits
we'll set-up. but stupid, owl-faced fell
lows were visibly trembling in their
boots.
The lieutenant finished his charge,
Villa looked sternly at the offenders.
his lips half opened to pronounce sem
tence; then his yes wandered to the
milky waters of the laguna. irridescent
In the oblique rays of the sun.
His o lost It's cruelty and
screwed into the slanting. good-na-
days: his small. bullying eyes twinkled.
oh. pobrecitos (poor little fellow.
pobrecitos! Take them out and give
them q couple of sword slaps."
He looked at US: the fire in his eyes
went out. he became confidential and
reminiscent.
They call me "a unflattering
names-thief. assassin. and bandit, es-
pecially bandit-but yesterday. when I
was a poor 'sandalfoot' In Chihuahua.
no n bothered to call me anything;
they will say: Villa. the hero: Villa,
the liberator.' Pah! their tongues are
as soft as their brains. I guess TIM not
quite 80 a as I'm painted. Anyway,
FL Largo" said he. turning to me and
giving me the nickname hat struck
thereafter-'anyway you needn't fear
me. Your legs are SO long I could new
er catch o And. roaring at his own
Joke. he wound a bath towel around his
middle and slouched u of the al to