The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-02-25
GOVERNMENT WANTS DETAILS
WILL TAKE NO ACTION CNTTn
FURTHER INFORMATION Is
OBTAINED.
PRESIDENT and Secretary OF State Hold
conference ON Mexican Affairs -
Will Inquire into Villas Statement
That Benton Attacked Him.

conference ON Mexican Affairs -
Will Inquire into Villas Statement
That Benton Attacked Him,
Washinei n, Feb. 22.-Presfdent
Wilson and Secretary Bryan today
conferred briefly on the Mexican sit.
uation. No announcements wena
made after the conference but q com.
plete report Of the execution in Jaurez
of William Benton is awaited be.
fore the view Of the government to.
ward the incident il made known.
1t is understood Sir Cecil Spring.
Rice. British ambassador, has express
ed to the British foreign Office his
pleasure at the promptneas OF the
American government in seeking TO
ferret out the z,uth about the killing
of the British subject.
Full details of the execution are not
in the hands OF state department on
cials but they are being gathered
rapidly. it is generally admitted that
the case hinges largely on whether or
not Benton went to Gen. Villas head.
quarters armed. That he was high
tempered and had had previous dim
culties with constitutionalists is known
but on the single fact of whether he
had a revolver when he accosted villa,
depends to great extent Judgment
OF the whole aSfair. Bentons friends
deny he carried weapons.
Government officials here are i'm.
partial in their remarks about the In
cident, insisting that any Judgment
formed before all the facts are known
necessarily rests on bias or prejudice.
Upon the truth or falsity OF villas
statement that Eenton tried to kill
him will depend sae views both Great
Britain and the United States win
take Of the affair. In official cir.
cles the prevalent belief is that in abb
sence OF satisfactory evidence to the
contrary II will be difficult for this
government, at least, to reject villa'S
version. To do 20 without satisf2e-
tory proof to the contrary. it Is point
ed out by some officials, would be un.
necessarily to provoke unfriendiy ~
lations with the constitutionalist chief,
who is in control Of vast territory
adjacent to the { aited States in which
are many Foreigners about whose pro-
Itection the Un:a;ed States Il soiici.
tous.
! In the meantime the constitutional
ist agency here IS active in issuing to
the press telegranas from Villa stat.
ing his defense for the killing. They
are along the same lines as previous
messages, and Villa asserts in one OF
them that he still has Benton's pistol.
Other kilograms to the agency sAy
Benton's record In Chihuahua was
that Of a auarresome man ana the
charge Is made that he wae guilty Of
4 having "mistreated poems on he
ranch to the exsent OF taking their
4 livee'
\ No surprise WEB manifested o6l,
cially here at the landing OF q squad
Of German bluejackets for the protec.
ton OF the German legation at Mex.
leo City. This is in line with the
recent action OF the British govern
ment and is said to be in pursuance
OF an understanding with the Amer
ican government ON this point.
1 The state department is active In
seeking to protect Gustave Bauch. q
German-American who, it was re-
ported last night, had been executed
in Jaurez along with Benton. Sec
retary Bryan received word from
Consul Edwards today, saying that
Edwards was satisfied Bavch had
been removed to Chihuahua.
American Consul Letchner at Chi
huahua has been instructed to see that
Bauch is protected. There has been
a report current that Bauch was Q
witness of the alteration which Ben
ton had with Villa and for that rea-
son was spirited away.
State department officials thus far
have not learned that any witnesses
to the Benton affair have disap-
peared.