The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1915-01-20
NORTHERN LEADER ACCUSES
FLEEING PRESIDENT AS A
TRAITOR TO THE CAUSE.
WILL Fight ALL FACTIONS
Villa Says He is Ready Now as Al
ways to Fight For Mexico and Her
Interests and Renounces All Pub.
lie Positions and offices.

El Paso Texas, Jan. 19.-General
villa. under date of today from
Aguas Cahentes, city north of the
capital, sent the following statement
to the Associated Press
"On the sixteenth instant coming
from Juarez where | had arranged
satisfactorily, and in decorous man
ner for the country and for our
cause, the conflict regarding the at
tacks made on Naco by the conven-
tion forces, ! was surprised on the
way south to learn that Eulalio Gu
tierrez, provisional president Of Mex
leo. elected by the convention, in
company with Generals j. Isabel Ro-
bles, Lucio Blanco and Mateo Al
mama, had fled during the early
morning Of that day from the capital
city without any permission from the
honorable assembly taking with
them ten million pesos from the ma
tional treasury and looting every
thing and leaving abandoned all in
terests, lives and honor of society en-
trusted TO Inelf care.
"Details contained in later tele-
grams informed me about conditions
and the alarm and panic existing
among the inhabitants of Mexico
City when they learned of the atti-
tude of the first magistrate of the
nation and his companions. l was
further surprised upon learning that
some forces belonging to the fugi-
tives intended abandoning the capital
to march in the streets in disorder
and permit all sorts of abuses and
outlaw acts.
Fortunately the forces under my
command in the city at once took up
the task of re-establishing order and
kept the soldiers who wanted to
leave believing in the hoax in some
of the barracks, and giving the peo-
pie ample guarantees. Therefore. |
have the honor to notify the republic
and the world that not a single act
was committed against life and inter-
ests of the inhabitants of Mexico
City and that the forces of the liber-
ating army (the zapata forcesl, to-
gether with those of the division of
the north, kept order.
This had hardly come to pass in
the capital when a message from an
other locality gave me new particu-
lars. Through this | learned that
Gutierrez had addressed the military
in an attempt to ignore
It, and turning against it, defrauding
the hopes of the country which had
been left with him, had turned traitor
10 the public aspirations and those Of
the revolution.
Contrary to all political questions
and having only the desire to do my
duty, | at once called a meetingNof all
with me and all those feS.
me, in order to take un
the matter. They, like me, resolved
to support the convention and to
fight the enemies OF the country until
we could establish in the country the
revolutionary principles which shall
save the republic. My opinion was
upheld by all of the northern divi-
sion, by the liberating army under
General e. Zapata and by the several
other we'll known revolutionary
chieftains. | can state that the
major part of the forces remain loyal
to the convention and are ready to
aid in the pacification of Mexico and
the re-establishment of constitutional
order.
Il believe it opportune to let the
Mexican people know that now, as
ever, | am ready TO fight for their
interests and honor and that | shall
fight the enemy, without seeing their
number or their power. On doing
my duty | have consulted no one.
only my conscience. which | protest
to be subject to all the reasons of the
convention. Again | renounee all
public positions. as my only aim is
the happiness of the country and its
people.
'FRANCGSCO VILLA,
General in Charge of Operations"