Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-03
Special Agent Carothers De-
clares He Was Near at
+. Time of Conference.
MERCHANTS ACCUSED
OF FOOD SPECULATION
Chihuahua Governors Protests
Ignored. So Northern Chief
Seizes Their Stocks.

Ell PASc. Tex. August 3-GeorEe E.
Carothers. special agent of the State
Department who arrived here early to-
day from Chihuahua City. denied Gen
Villa had declared "if the United States
does not like my actions it can go to
hell
IT was in room adjoining the con-
ference Saturday, he added. and ! am
positive that if Gen. Villa had used that
language / would have known it"
Gen. Villa since Saturday has modified
his order of confscation. Carothers
said. and now planned to station a rep
resentative of the Villa government in
each store. whose duty IT was to see
that profits did not exceed Is per cent.
Consuls of the United States. France.
Germany. Italy and Spain, Carothers
said had drawn up a list of questions
upon the status of the stock trade and
private property of their nationals
which Gen. Villa was to have answered
yesterday. Carothers said he left
chihuahua City before the answer was
received
Edward Wissbrun of Santa Barbara
and Parral, Chihuahua. stated that his
store business had been taken over by
the Villa government
Villa Coming to Juarez.
Gen Villa early today was reported
en- route to Juarez.
More than one hundred and fifty
merchants who say they have been eX
PEELED from Chihuahua city by the
edict of Gen Villa expected to arrive
here today and in dispatches forwarded
from them protesting TO the State De-
~ \
the entire population of the district is
starving because of the confiscation of
their stores by the edicts of Villa.
They declare the rates of exchange
fixed By villa between his paper cur
rency and gold have forced them from
business. This rate was decreed at 80
cents silver for one peso and at current
prices of the paper money across the
border it will buy goods at only cents
on the dollar.
Account of Villas TRADE.
According to the reports brought here
by merchants. Gen Villa stamped up
and down the room where foreign and
Mexican business men were assembled
Saturday in the governors palace and
shook his fist in the faces of the thirty
or forty present. Some of the foreign
ers were escorted to the meeting under
guard
I am going to take your business
for the benefit of the state" he de-
clared. Your employees will remain
here and conduct the business under
the direction of my agents-you have
been stealing from the people for your
selves.
Tomorrow at noon a train will be
ready to take you foreigners to the
border. We are poor here and l will
not send bread or water on the train
Meanwhile, you Americans and Ger
mans and Frenchmen, my telegraph
wires will be open to you and you can
protest to your governments.
IF the American government does
not like my action it can go to hell.
have been fighting for twenty years
and I am willing to fight as many
years more"
The TRADE ended, 1t was said. with
general order for the confisca ton of
all stores in Chihuahua by the Villa
government.
Some of Stores Seized.
Among the foreign firms affected is
the general supply store of ketelsen e.
Degatau, the hardware business of
Krakauer. Fork & Move, the jewelry
store of E. H. Booth, the merchandise
store of L. w. Thompson. the dry goods
house of William Bunzow and half a
dozen others.
The train which was toSarry the ex-
to leave Chihuahua city Sunday at II
am. 1t has not arrived at the border.
Among the other plants taken over
by the Villa government Is the Jabo-
nora Cottonseed Products Company.
said to be a British corporation, rep
resenting an investment of about
100000. This company is known to
have already paid quarter of mil
lion in loans to the Villa government.
The state treasurer of Chihua hua
was ordered to place the state seal on
the doors of all confiscated stores. &C
cording to merchants who arrived to-
day. and Gen. Villa is alleged to have
declared that if seal broken the
owner of the store would be shot
It was in the face of these events
that a second meeting of the mer-
chants with Gen. Villa was called for
yesterday, in the hope of securing a
modification of the wholesale confisca-
ton. The result of this meeting has
not reached the border.
Denies Villa Insolent.
A general denial that foreign mer-
chants were expelled by Gen. Villa.
that there We're any executions of
Mexican merchants Saturday It Chi
huahua city or that Gen. Villa used
any 'insolent" language toward the
United States government was made by
Gen. Ornelas, commander of Villa
forces at Juarez. Gen. Ornelas said he
had attended the conference between
Gen. Villa and the merchants Satur-
day
The general added that Gen. Fidel
Avila. military governor of Chhauhau
had received several complaints against
merchants of Chihuahua city regard =
ing the "eXorbitant speculation" they
were practicing with their goods. some
of which were out of reach of even the
well-to-do.
Ignores the Governor
The representations made by Gov
Avila, as we'll as the orders he dictated
In the premises" said the statement
"were not needed, especially by some
of the foreign merchants who were
shielded by their immunity as foreigners
and whose behavior was followed by
Mexican merchants. who insisted they
had the same rights as foreigners
Gen. Villa. after studying the condi-
lions, summoned meeting and stated
to the merchants that in view of their
resistance to the government measure!
smooth ONT bs