The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-25
VILLA IS STRONG
LEADER OF REBELS
Special Writer Believes President
Is Conducting Ncgotia-
tons With Him.
HE HAS NO HOSTILE INTENT
His Force Is Best Disciplined
Northern Mexico Has
Ever Known.
ny EDWIN II. HAMILTON.

III EDWIN hhMlsloN.
IL raso. April 2i.--Ifas President
Wilson turned on Ncnustiano Carranza
and gone into negotiations with Don
Pancho villa. the greatest soldier Mex
leo has produced in many a day 1t
looks 50 to me. Here Carranza rings
at Wilson ana bryan his demand that
tho United States get out of Vera Cruz.
and President Wilson makes TO him no
word Of reply.
But up To tho border comes Don
Paacho villa, the idol OF the Mexican
army in the north. and 1T once greets
George G. Carothers. President Will
sons special agent.
CarranzL threatens war and Wilson
pays no attention. Villa comes with
small hody@uard, putting himself
in danger OF capture In case Carranza
should fire the first offensive gun, and
he says he is for peace with his dear
friends of the United states and Is in
stanly hand in glove with Wilson'S
special envoy. More than that. no told
that envoy that with 100000 car
tridges ae could walk right down into
tine city Of Mexico in no time.
Now that pancho villa Is the strong
man or the Constitut!onalists. he could
put Carranzt aside with "A brush of his
elbow, and my guess is that that Is
the next move in the game of war and
diplomacy now playing The army is
Villas army and not Carranza's Ask
the soldier with his rife who he Il
fighting for and he replies: For Pan
clio villa"
asked Villas personal physician
to-day, q shrewd Austrian, how.
II any men villa could control. and n.
answered:
Close TO 10000 That does no, have
anything TO do with the men in indie
pendent commands Xix. those OF onrc-
son and those operating in the east.
Villa himself commands $1,000 TO 30
600"
When asked man close in the
council now being held if there was
any evidence Of a strain between Villa
and Carranza. he replied. without hest
tation: There could be no strain. il
things reached AN unpleasant differ
cnce If opinion. Villa would simply
brush Carranza aside. lie is q man Of
instant action. and the army Is with
him"
No Word for Cnrranza.
And President Wilson had uot sent
ono word to Special Agent Carothers
for transmission To- Carranza at Chi
huahua. iut Special Agent Carothers
goes 10 meet villa on his arrival, has
close conversation, with MIN, and then
Villa makes this statement:
"Pcrsonally, believe tile troubles
of Mexico are on the point Of settle
ment. 90 NOT want war"
Caroihers communicates with Prcsi :
lent Wilson the result Of hi stalk
nth Villa. ANA to-day goes back to
"iila for another long chat, while not
a "oi@ comes To him for Carranza, who
sits NJ chihuahua with HIS SASSY mes
sage tackled 4" = tree:
whoever dares these boots d!splace,
Must meet bombastes fact to face"
And certainly this Villa is Il MIC
'urcSiue iisure that belongs in an age
os adventurcrs. rather than in this
prosaic time. belongs with sword and
lance, rather than with tho war zero
plane ana machine gun.
He has the same disregard for the
rights OF life and property as the
nedivial free companion. lie kills
without wincing. and takes when he
has tho power
y few months AGO Huerta ordered
him shot. The youngest Madero got
him to Mexico City for trial. and there
he wa spermitted to escape. lie 20,
OLD Hotel Mexico in the Mexican quar-.
ter almost unnoticed. Some time AT.
forwards lie crossed the Rio Grande
between here ana Las Cruces and
started I campaign.
lie had with him just six men. some
bacon and coffee. lie financed Ills own
by looting. The silver bul.
''&4A 50 too'N iioIiI At treasure train Ga
carried about in an old coach and six
His forces grew like the SNOWFALL
IN its downward shoot. and the Ameri-
can officials ut Fort Bliss admit that
ne has organized the best disciplined
force that Northern Mexico has ever
known lie is a natural general. and
as ruthless ae the greatest lighter OF
nj times And as we'll rs being n born
lehter, he is a shrewd politician in
dealing with his men.
lie was not at all pleased with tho
way they were attacking Ojinaea, but
he did not tell them so, he merely said
At Juarez.
They are taking four days for what
should be done in four hours They
cannot seem to see that as many men
VIII killed IN the four days as we
would lose I'm four-hour dash. I'll
90 down and take Ojinaga I'm four
hours"
And he did. But then he gave all
the credit 10 the generals who had
been In command before lie came to
the scene. and let slip no word that
ne was net pleased with the way they
mad acted. 80 he holds his men. and
IS the one great power in all Northern
Mexico to-day
10 he sure, when you say "murder-
err there is nothing TO choose between
iiuerta and Villa. but negotiations are
all With the latter to-day. with Car
rama nowhere. And Villa evidently
has hostile intent Last night two
machine guns consigned to him were
stopped ut the United States CUSTOM
house OH Rio Grandc Bridge, for our
soldier boys viii not let you carry as
much as revolver across to Juarez
now. When Villa heard or this. he
turned to Carothers. with whom he
was in conference. and said with
shrug:
why do they fear mo? do not
need machine guns! Look htcrc," he
said. lie threw open door and show
ed stack Of machine guns that had
not been unpacked. There were many
of them. but our boys at Fort Bliss
have only six
As for FL Paso. we are now over
panic for fear of an assault by villa,
and are getting easy about the near
fear OF Il local race war.
The wy our soldiers went on duty
when the call came was IL revelation.
They wero silent, instant and inspir-
ing. And other soldiers are coming
I'm. and with men like Funston and