Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-06-28
The KILLING Of
RANCnER BENTON
STORY OF THE MURDER OF
ENaLIsH Il BY
THE VILLA MEN.
RECEIVED Dis JUST DESERTS
villa q Crank on tho Temperance
Question; Mexican People
: Are Very l~literate.
RECEIVED bIS Just DESERTS

ton here with Milwaukee road a
switchman. Mr.. Powell was nearb.
at the time Of the killing o fBentol
on February ~, and states tina
Benton was stabbed by Villa
guards, but that II he had not beef
that he would have been shot OF
leaving the palace by Powell, Nc
Donald and the other Americans
who we're on the tops Of abode hous
70 around the palace with their Win
chesters in case the guards did no
get the Englishman.
The Real Story Of Benton.
Powell states that Benton was !
large man and a regular bull-dozine
bully, who got all his land in Chi
huahua by taking it away from the
pep1s and then turning around anl
hiring them to work for him at .
mere pittance per month. 1t Il
claimed that q man can start from
chihuahua and ride south on horse
back for four days without getting
of from the land formerly owned by
Benton.
His Last Trip.
"Benton's last trip to Juorez was
his fifth visit" said Powell. Every
time he went to General Villa he
would stir up the whole headquart.
ers staff 50 that there was no harm.
ony among them for a week after,
He would threaten and try to blufl
Villa to get out of the territory, and
throw everybody into a horrible
temper for the rest of the day.
"O1 February II he came to the
palace again. Mcdonald and l made
up our minds that that would be his
last visit there, and that il the
gurads did not get him we would.
Benton walked back and FORTH in
front of the palace for nearly an
hour before he was admitted. We
waited on the tops of the houses
nearby until we saw Benton's auto
drive away without him in 1t and
then We went over to the palace.
Where 10 eenton7
Il asked one Of the guards where
Benton was, and he told me that
there was 40 use looking for him
anymore. / later talked with one of
the generals body guards. and he
told me that Benton entered the
presence of the general with his hat
on his head, an objectionable offe1se
in that country.
AFTER clustering around awhile
Benton e1ded with the statement;
4, own the greater part Of Chihuahua
district, and l am going down there
and establish myself as governor. l
want you and your id men to
stay out Of there and If you don't do
1t ! will have the British army over
to clean you off the map
THAT is rs far as he got. The
guards stabbed him to death. l saw
the men carrying the body out on a
rug.
Price on Villas Head.
There was a price on Villas head
Of $4,000 at that time. the money
laying in a bank at Ell Paso for the
man that would pull the trick. This
and the fear that a man with Ben
toms wealth AID disposition could
easily organize an army of 5000 to
10000 poems AID attack us in the
e a on our march, were attendant
circumstances which prompted his
death. =
Just What He Needed.
Benton got just what he deserv-
ed. If any millionaire in the United
States who owned practically all Of
the land in n of the states should
60 into President Wilson, in time of
war, and talk like Benton did to vii
la, he would have been dealt with as
Benton was"
Powell has some very interesting
facts to relate in connection with
the many engagements he was in,
the true character of General Villa,
whom he greatly admires. the con-
stitutio1alist army and Mexico in
general.
Does Not Understand Villa.
"The world at large does not un-
derstand Villa or his motives,' went
on the speaker. "Villa Is a poor Mex
lean peon without an education 1ad
can neither read nor write. 1t is all
p%cppycock about his being a former
American soldier, as he was only in
this country on two occasions, and
can neither speak nor understand
English outside Of a few scattering
phrases. Despite his lack of educa-
ton, he IS a great leader, and is be-
loved by every man who ever served
with him. This popularity is shown
by the way the people at Jaurez cele-
brated the capture of Zacatee1s
Wednesday of this week /. Villas
heart is as big as his body, and he
is out to establish q government that
will stand by the following platform,
which is the slogan Of the constitu-
tio1alist army:
Board Ideas.
emo liquor to be manufactured or
sold in Mexico
".All churches regardless of de-
nomination can enter Mexico if they
will establish free schools which will
be maintained by the government