The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-05-06

struck the clippers trail Pushing
on, despite the darkness, "Pancho
and the priest came upon the couple
in a camp they had pitched in a
sheltered nook.
Villa said no word, but drew his
revolver. II was a dramatic scene
"Pancho" turned to the priest.
Marry them. he ordered sharply
Refusal was on the churchman's
lips. but a flourish of Villas revol'
yer caused him to comply.
There in the dark of night, in the
hills high above Torreon, the mar
rage was solemnized. 1t was a
marriage accompanied by no words
of congratulation, no smiles, no
kisses. Within ten minutes from
the time francesca Villas sister be-
came the young Magistrates bride
she became his widow.
Scarcely had the ceremony been
said. when villa stepped between his
sister and the Magistrate. Again he
turned to the priest.
Make ready a death warrant
he ordered grimly.
Again the churchman would have
refused, but young "Pancho's" re-
volver made him obey. Selling the
priests leather-bound book and
tearing the flyleaf from it, Villa
coolly wrote the words that spelled
death for his sisters abductor. At
the point of his pistol he made the
priest sign the paper.
A moment later shot rang out.
The offending Magistrate, a new
husband, fell dead.
Villa ordered the priest to take
his sister home. He galloped off
into the darkness. His career as a
bandit began.
For fourteen years after that
nights horror Villa was a hunted
man. He roamed the mountains
and desert, pursued by Diaz's re-
Ientless rurales. He had many mar
row escapes. He fought them back
fercely and was often wounded, but
ne always got away.
Even then he was a hero among
he poems. They gave him shelter
md food when they could
When it was too dangerous to
i've under a roof, he made his home
N the mountain caves When he
Jared not appear where food was |
he stole it, When he
needed money, he held up people |
who had it. When he needed meat. |
lie ran off steer.
And so the years passed until the
Nadero rebellion began. Villa want
I'd TO be rebel, and he did take
some part in the first revolution.
Once he was captured and was in
all for a time while Madero was |
President. Somehow he escaped.
But his fame as leader and Cen
,ral has all come within the past |
year. He was in FL Paso when HUI
,rta became dictator, and he deter
mined to take the field as guer-
lila chieftain against the usurping |
president.
With six companies he crossed in |
o Mexico. In week he had 100 |
men under him. In a month he had |
800. Then the dispatches in Amer
can papers began to tell about him |
about his raids in northern Mex
co and his defeat of attachments !
If federal troops.
Presently, rallying about him a |
treat number of rebels in addition !
o his troop of raiders, he began
series of open and concerted at
acks. He was uniformly successful |
Since his interjection of himself in |
Mexican affairs he has come to be
Known as great general-not "a |
rained fighter, it seems, but nat
lral one, and one who gains the 10y |
Atty of his men,
His first conspicuous success was
he capture of JuareZ. Ii was con-
ipicuous because Juarez. is across
he river from I'll Paso, Texas.
Quickly arranging the orderly
administration of Juarez as a rebel
city, he gathered his soldiers to-
gether and fell like thunderbolt
On superior force of federals who
were leisurely coming up to Juarez
10 hang him, and utterly routed