Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-23
WILSON and BRYAN
CONFER ON MEXICAN
SITUATION SUNDAY.

Washington, Feb. 22-President Will
son and Secretary Bryan conferred
briefly late today on a various phases
of the Mexican situation. NO an
nouncements were made after the con-
ference, but II is understood thar
complete report on the execution al
Juares of william S. Benton is await
ed before the view of this government
toward the incident is made known.
Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British am
bassador. is said to have expressed
10 the British foreign Office his pleas
,,re at the promptness with which the
! American government has acted in
seeking TO ferret out the truth about
the killing of a British subject.
Gathering Details.
i Full details Of the execution are not
vet In the hands of state department
officials. but they are rapidly being
gathered. 1t is generally admitted
that the case hinges largely on
whether Benton went to General VII
las headquarters armed. That he was
high tempered and had previously diff
fculties with the Constitutionaiists Is
whether he had a revolver when he
sccosted Villa depends Judgement of
the whole affair Benton's friends de-
ny he carried weapons.
Government officials are impartial IN
their remarks about the incident, IN
sisfing that any judgement before all
facts are collected necessarily rests
nipon bias or prejudice. Upon the
Truth or faisity of Villas statement
shat Benton tried to kill him will de-
mend the view which both Great Brit
ain and the United States will take
of the affair. The prevalent belfef
I'm official circles is that in the ab-
sence of any satisfactory evidence to
the contrary, it will be difficult for this
government, at least, to reject Villas
story. To do so without satisfactory
proof to the contrary, it is pointed out
by some officials, would be unneces-
sarily to provoke unfriendly relations
with the Constitutionalist chief who
controls a vast territory wherein are
many foreigners about whose protec-
tion the United States Is solicitous.
In the meantime. the Constitutional
ist agency here is active in issuing
20 newspapers kilograms from General
Villa stating his reason for the act.
One Of these states that Villa still
has Benton's revolver. Other tele-
grams to the agency say that Benton's
record in Chihuahua was that of an
unreasonable man and the charge is
made that ne was guilty of having
''mistreated poems on his ranch to the
extent of taking their lives
No surprise was manifested officially
here at the landing of a squad of
German bluejackets for the protection
OF the German legation at Mexico City.
This is in line with the recent action
of the British government and is said
20 be in pursuance of an understand
ing with the American government on
this point.
Baueh Reported at Chihuahua.
The state department is active in
seeking to protect Gustav Bauch. a
German American who. it is reported.
bad been executed in Juarez with Ben
ton. Secretary Bryan received word
from Consul Edwards today that
Bauch had been removed to Chihua-
hua.
American Consul Leteher at Chihua-
hua has been instructed to see that
Bauch is protected A report has been
current that Bauch was a witness OF
the alteration which Benton had with
Villa and for that reason, was spirited
away.