The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-12-23
One WHO DIES
IS MOTHER OF
Villas CHILD
STILL UNBORN

~ Il 1AA VI
Ell PASO, Tex, Dec. 23-All the world was
shocked numb by the execution of one English won,-
an by German firing squad.
What If Edith Cavcll had stood at the head of a
death line OF IA Women all sobbing prayers and COW
erlng their eyes with their shawls to shut out the
steel circles of the deathdealing rifles9
That Is what happened in the little Mexican town
or Casas Grandes, when IA terror stricken trembling
Mexican women were executed by order of Mexico's
modern Nero, Pancho Villa.
Sitting cross legged besides him in front of a
camp fire in the rebel camp, Villas newest par
amour had whispered to him of plot of the
hated Carranzistas to kill him as he ate.
She had heard the SOldaderas''-the slatterns OF
the camp-whispering of it they smoked their
black clgares squatting, beside their backened cof
Zee pots that dubbed the brush fires.
SO she whispered under the stars, that the plan
was to poison him with food which would be pre-
pared by Carranza spies.
A man of action always, Villa ordered these
women stripped and searched as Dolores, tho
dancer, pointed them out to him. Letters were
found.
"SHOOT EM LIKE DOGS'' Villa ordered tn
furnished remnants of his guard of gold which fol-
lows him everywhere.
Next morning Sunday-when the sun slipped
from behind the Sierra Madres pitiful procession
filed through the adobe lined street of Casas Grandes
to the PanteOn Municipal at the base of the noun
tain.
First came dancing girl from the cafes of
Juarez She wore the soiled satin dress with its
spanges sewn to the yoke and her slippers, the
high heels Of which turned as she walked across
the rocky ground. She was drunk on equilla As
she reeled she chanted favorite song Of the
camp
Following her walked little, red Tipped Lupe of the
mountains. Her Jose had Joined the revotosos and
she had followed him over Ojitos pass. She knew
nothing of the plot but had been found in the tent of
fho wo cr,oc audi had
with them
Behind came old women and young, wrinkled old
Indian women from Sonora and the Yaqui valley and
blue eyed, blond girls, illegtimate children of the
Spanish cotton growers of the Laguna country, and
squatty little peon women from the south AS they
walked they prayed.
Shamblng soldiers from the Villa army, grnning
like nothing human prodded them along.
AT the barren cemetery, with its forest of weather
beaten crosses, they were crowded into a waverng.
irregular line by the captain in command while the
executioners formed opposite them.
young girl wavered and had to be supported by
the old Indian woman beside her. Another pulled
her soled mantla her head to shut out the sight
of those rifle barrels, five feet away A third who
had lost boy at Torreon and another at the battle
of Ceeya shouted vile Spanish oaths at the officers
and at Villa in his camp The dancing girl weaved
from side to side in drunked stupor.
AS the young officer raised his sworn as sig
nal to fire, little Lupe fell in faint almost at his
feet. The sword flashed in the morning sun, the
rifles chuckled in glee Of death and IL women
crumpled to the ground and lay face downward,
as their life blood laved the thirst Of the rocky
desert ground.
Drawing his wicked blue-steel automatic, the Of
fcer placed its cold muzze against little Lupes tenn
pie, there was muffed explosion, the limbs tensed
and then relaxed and ths fourteenth victim Of Villa
lust slept.
The parish padre said prayers for the souls Of
15 not the IA Villa had ordered murdered Little
Lupe, castoff favorite of Villa, was bearing his
babe next to her broken heart when the mercy
shot ended two lives at one time
Villa had taken the life Of his own blood He
had killed his unborn son.
III VnrI nArANI x1rc