Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1914-06-05
PIONEER mEwsPAPeR Man
TELLS o. FAKE VILLA STORY


put one over on that reliable publi-
cation Review Of Reviews" said
Joseph II. Howard, pioneer news
paper man and correspondent Of Cali
fornia. 'Tn a story, Beginning OF
Villa" continued Mr.. Howard,
(which was recently published in the
publication mentioned the incident is
related that purported to be the rea-
son Villa turned bandit. The story
is a variant Of one which has been
often told since Villa came into
prominence. A man eloped with a
sister Of Villa, who pursued with n
body of his cowboys, the betrayer
and the girl, and killed the former.
after having compelled him to marry
his erring sister. The ceremony was
performed by priest that had been
taken along for that special purpose.
A brother of the doomed man was
digging his grave while the wedding
was under way.
'The story was an old one in Mex
leo long before Villa was born. 9th
er stories Of the Villa episode have
described member Of the great
Terrazas family ~ the beirayer of
the sister, while in the Adossides
account. the betrayer was n mere
sheriff. of whom there have never
been any in Mexico. There l. no
officer there whose duties correspond
To those of sheriff. though such
duties are merged into the much
larger ones of the perfect of a dist
rict.
I'm other respects the account of
this biographer Of Villa is so ridicu-
lous that one is surprised at it, APP
pearancc in a periodical of the stand
ing of the Review Of Reviews. Villa
is said in the story. to have been
left in charge of the Villa ranch. by
the death of his father, whence we
are to conclude that he was land .
ed proprietor. One sees with the .
minds eye, n magnificent domain .
upon whose thousand hills the Villa /
cattle roam. Ii is a well established 1
fact that Villa came from the peon /
class. Poems have no ranches.
"There is the statement that Raoul
Madero and Villa were warm friends
in their youth. The editor of the
Review of Reviews should have been
aware of the impossible chasm that
must have existed between the
wealthy. educated and aristocratic
Madero and the born and igno-
rant Villa. in a country where IN
those days cast counted for much.
In the early days of the Madero
revolution, Raoul's friend of his
youth was still bandit and was re-
cognized as such, even after the as
cendancy of Francisco |. Madero was |
established in the north. Villa was /
no more to the revolution than hun
ireds of bandits to whom the revo-
luton gave the opportunity to leave
heir mountain Businesses and engage
IN plundering with greater safety. At
the end of the Madero revolution.
though by that time Villas relations
Tith the movement were well cstab-
ished, he was of no greater promi-
hence and enjoyed no greater mark
# favor with the Madero family.
han scores of bandit generals with
whom northern Mexico abounded.
Is military figure he was not in the
'ublic eye until after his bloodless
eizure of Juarez and his bloody oc-
upation Of it, in the Carranza revo-
ntion. Villa does not appear to have
zen attracted the attention of Car
ANA. until after the Juarez episode.
Returning to the story of his
tartling revenge for the betrayal of
Is sister, it must be apparent in the
circumstances related by this Ados-
ides, that such an act committed BY
wealthy young landowner against
man of no position, guilty of be-
raging young girl, would have not
iade him an outlaw, especially in
iexico. Even in the United States
uch acts, perhaps a little less spec.
leular, have often been held justified !
y the unwritten law.
"The story in the Review of Re- =
Jews is evidently an indecent in the r
in which William J. Bryan H
GEMS to be "A participant, to manu-
ncture a record which will comport II
18th the fame Villa has attained n
rough-andready military genius,
hon the administration has some
ow adopted" III