The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1914-02-08
six AMERICANS
SUFFOCATFD IN
CUNDRE tunnel
Nearly Forty Mexicans Also Meet
the Same Fate in Death
Trap.
RESCUE TRAIN SENT TO
SCENE OF CASTILL0's CRIME
By Order Of Sec. Of State Bryan An.
other Train Bearing 800 Sol.
diers Escorts Train.

Juarez, Mex, Feb. THE six
Americans and forty or fifty Mexi-
cans whose fate has been a mystery,
since the destruction of Cumbre tun-
mel last Wednesday were suffocated.
This information was received this
evening at the headquarters OF the
Mexican Northwestern Railroad.
The tragedy Is laid at the door Of
Maxim, Castillo, the bandit leader.
Juarez, Mex, Feb. IA special
train carrying forty Americans ran
by w ]. Farragut of the Mexican
Northwestern Railroad, with fifty
coffins and rescue outfit, left here
tonight for the scene.
The exact number of persons on
the passenger train, which consisted
of one first class and two second
class coaches, express car and
freight car was not stated. First
reports put the number at 35, re-
quest for coffins asked for was rs.
This evidently was an estimate,
however. as the searching party.
led by DR.. f. C. Herr of MADEIRA, was
unable TO penetrate far enough into
the tunnel to count the dead. These.
it is expected will be found in the
fartherost reaches of the tunnel
where they fell in their attempts to
escape. DR.. Herr reached a body
within 800 feet OF the north en-
trance TO, the tunnel and 1t was
that of Juan Fernandez. rear brake
| man of the train. AS the passenger
train did not stop until within a
few hundred feet Of the freight train
| with which Castillo had set fire to
the tunnel seven hours before, Fer
nandez must have staggered nearly
three quarters of mile before lie
succumbed to the fumes of the
smoke. In his trail, IL is believed,
| the others will be found, unless there
was a stampede in the tunnel to es-
cape and some were crushed in the
attempt to crowd through the mar
row passage.
Railroad men here and In FL
Paso are furious at Castillo's action.
Tuesday twenty-five of his men were
captured and executed by the rebels
and the next day, apparently in re-
velge he captured the freight train,
ran it into the tunnel about three
hundred feet and there set fire to it.
The passenger train entered the
death trap and from indications
probably entered the tunnel at the
usual rate of speed about fifteen
miles an hour. When the engineer
discovered the trap it was too late.
Castillos failure to send back warn
ing of his act is regarded as the
most cruel and murderous act of MS
career of outlawry, and there is a
disposition here to criticize Gen,
Francisco Villa for not having crush
cd him long ago.
The missing Americans, employees
of the railroad are Marcus J. Gill
martin. superintendent of the
Juarez division; Superintendent
Scoheld, of the terminal at Juare9;
Lee Williams, assistant manager OF
the commissary; II. F. Marders,
agent Of the Wells Fargo Co; +. j.
McCutcheon, engineer and J. z.
Webster, conductor.
/ The Mexican cowboys are respcn-
sible for a report that all had es-
caped and that the Americans are
being held for ransom. There was
) rejoicing at this, but the jubilanoy
was cut short when the bulletins
from DR.. Herr began TO arrive.