The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-23
"DETAILS Of BENTON
| EXECUTION NOT YET
SECURED BY THE j. S.
The British Ambassador Ex-
presses Pleasure at the
PrOmptness of Ameri-
can Investigation

Washington, February Pit Is UNDER
, stood Sir Cecil Spring Rice British am
bassador. has expressed to the British
foreign office his pleasure at the prompt
seeking to ferret out the truth about the
killing of the British subject.
Full details of the execution are not
in the hands OF state department Of
ficials, but they are being gathered rapid
ly 1t is generally admitted that the
case hinges largely on whether or not
Benton went to General Villas headquar-
ters here armed. That he was high tenn
pered and had previous difficulties with
oonstitutionalists is known, but on the
single fact OF whether he had a revolver
when he aocosted Villa depends to a great
extent judgment of the whole affair.
Benton's friends deny he carried weap-
| ons
Government officials here are impartial
| in their remarks about the incident, in
sisting that any judgment formed before
ali tne 1actS are cOlleCted necessarily
rests on bias or prejudice.
Upon the truth or falsity of villa
statement that Benton tried to kill him
will depend the views both Great Britain
and the United States Will take of the
affair. In official circles the prevalent
belief Is that in the absence of satisfac-
tory evidence to the contrary IL will be
difficult for this government at least. to
reject Villas version. To do so with
out satisfactory proof tc the contrary.
| 1t is pointed out by some officials. would
| be unnecessarily to provoke unfriendly
relations with the constitutionalists chief
who Is in control of a vast territory ada
cent to the United States, wherein are
many foreigners abou. whose protection
the United States is solctous.
COnstitutionalists Are Active
In the meantime the constitutionalists
agency here is active In issuing to the
rress kilograms from General Vala 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 quarrelsome
man and the charge is made that he was
guilty of having "mistreat ted poems on his
ranch to the extent of taking their lives.
| No surprise was manifested officially
| here at the landing of a squad of Ger
man 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 to be in
pursuance of an understanding with the
American government on this point.
The state department Is active in seek
ing to protect Gustave Bauch, a German
American who 1t was reported last had
been executed in JuareZ along with Ben
ton. Secretary Bryan received word from
| Consul Edwards today saying Mr.. Ed
wards was satisfied Bauch had been re-
moved to Chihuahua.
| American Consul Letcher at Chihuahua
has been instructed to see that Bauch is
protected. There has been a report cur
rent that Bauch was q witness of the
alteration which Benton had with Villa
and for that reason was spirited away.
State department officials thus far have
not learned that any witnesses to the
Benton affair have disappeared