White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-01
THE HENNET COMPLICATION.
Enter william s. Benton into tn
Mexican situation.

Benton is no more. having been
executed at the hands of Villa, lead
er of the Mexican rebel forces. The
execution of Benton has made a bad
matter worse, and 1t is generally con-
coded that the situation of the rela-
tions between the United States and
Mexico is more critical than 1t has
beer at any time.
Benton was a Scotchman and a
British subject, residing at Ell Paso.
He went over into the land of war
and seeking IL Villa, with whom he
had been long acquainted, mad a
personal protest to the rebel leader
against depredations committed
against his ranch property at
Chihuahua.
That is one version of the story.
Villas version is that Benton after
entering his apartments, lost his
temper and drew a revolver. He was
overpowered, court martialed for the
o~ffense, and sentenced to death and
shot by a firing squad. his execution
being entirely legal.
The governments of the United
States and Great Britain, particular
~ the latter are investigating the in
cident and every effort will be made
to sift the facts from the otherwise.
President Wilson takes the posi-
ton that for the United Stats to send
marines or armed forces of any kind
into Mexico without the consent of
the governing authorities there
would be an act of war. He emphati-
cally asserted that permission never
had beer sought either of General
Huerta or of General Carranza, and
indicated no ~resquest Of that charac-
ter would he made in the near
future. The president announced,
too, that no change in the policy of
the American government toward
Mexico had been decided upon.
The president had been asked
about reports that American troops
might be sent across the border to
O the body of William s. BEN
ton, the British subject recently ex-
ecuted at Juarez, and concerning
published dispatches that the United
States contemplated sending marines
to Mexico City to- guard the Ameri-
can embassy.
One press dispatch, saying General
Huerta himself had stated that he
had refused permission to the United
States to send 1000 marines to Next
co City, was shown to President Will
son, who said ii was untrue that such
a request had been made. He added
that neither Charge O'Shaughnessy
nor anyone else had been authorized
to discuss with the Huerta govern
ment the landing of American ma
rines In Mexico.
Administration officials expressed
the opinion that General Huerta
probably inspired the statement
about American marines at this time
merely for effect upon the Mexican
people, whom he hoped to impress
with his antipathy 10 the American
government. as 1t is we'll known that
permission to land marines for lega-
ton guards has been freely accorded
by Huerta to other nations, includ-
ing Great Britain and Germany.
In London Thursday, Sir Edward
Grey. the British foreign secretary,
informed the house of commons oil
Secretary of State Bryan's proposal t.
send an American army surgeon ano
another responsible American will
Consul perceval of Galveston. to con
duct the examination of the body o
William S. Benton, the British ranch
man killed by Villa at Juarez. Th'
foreign secretary continued:
we are satisfied that the govern
. ment of the United States is showing
as much interest in this case and
doing as much to discover the fact
as If Benton had been an American
citizen. We cannot ourselves d
more at the present moment tina
send a consul to be present at what
ever Investigations may be made.
u will make a considered state
ment to the house of commons mex
week of the view of the British goA
eminent as to what can be done fun
Their. either to get at the truth
il is then in doubt or to secure wha
Justice may require.
1T is scarcely necessary to EN-
phasize what everybody knows--th
deep feeling which exists in tn
house and in the country in the ma
ter, which his majesty's governmer
fully shares, and which | hope II
l.