New-York tribune., 1915-08-13

sat. writing dispatches on top of a dry
goods box, with a blotter on il, and
never once during the shooting did he
even turn his head. He went on with
his work as If nothing was going on.
and when il was over he was sore be-
cause the cook had stopped 20 watch
the killing and did not have his dinner
ready.
After that don't know all the places
we went. We would be hustled aboard
n train and nobody would tell US where
we were going. | made notes of some
of the towns They were Jiminez. Du-
range and San Antonio. Mexico. AS
we went south there was lot of fight
ing Day after day we flew from line
to line carrying dispatches, but we
never dropped any bombs.
II was easy enough TO keep out Of the
way Of bullets by flying hign. AT 5000
feet they couldn't touch US. We got
used to seeing shells burst below us
and were not afraid.
1t was not long before we learned
that if we expected any food we would
have 20 steal it. Houses were looted
everywhere. The officers didn't care az
all. and the soldiers took whatever they
wanted. We could have stolen all
kinds of money and silverware If we
had wanted to do so. But we took only
what We NEEDED TO live on.
Before reaching San Antonio Mickey
and | were separated. | didn't know
where he was going, but we had talk
before he left and agreed that we were
not getting a square deal. Since the
first payment made to US IN New Or
leans there had been nothing doing.
Once in a while when he asked for
money we would be given SlOO, but we
wanted regular pay, as agreed.
That was how il was when Mickey left.
About the last thing he told me was,
III | don't get my dough I'm going to
quit" That was the way | felt, too.
We had lost all account of time-dldn't
even know what day Of the week it was
most of the time. think he went
about May Is.
Finds Mcclure Murdered.
Il must have been a couple of weeks
later maybe more e-when | heard of
him again. News was brought into
the camp that he had been killed in a
fall, sixty miles away. | couldn't get
the dope on it, and wanted to be taken
where | could attend the funeral and
see the body. After a half day of beg
ging | was taken in an automobile to
the place.
Mickey's body was in little tent,
guarded by three greasers. But while
Villa said | could attend the funeral
they wouldn't let me see the body. |
hung around. though, and after giving
bottle of whiskey to the guards final
ly was allowed to go in.
One look at Mickey told the story.
Then / examined his body closely. He
had been shot more than twenty times
in the face, neck. shoulders and back.
Most Of the bullets seemed to have
come from the rear or side. Not a
bone in hrs body was broken.
| cried like baby there beside him.
Then | went out, and the guards, who
had got ugh whiSkey to talk, told
me the story.
II seemed that Mickey had got sore
about the money and he went TO Cen
eral Villa and told him that he would
either have MS pa or quit-th-l and
therel Villa laughed al him. Mickey
argued for q while and then walked off
toward his machine. He hadn't gone
more than fifty feet when they got him.
About twenty Of Villas mon fired at
him toccthD, and as he half turned
when TIE fret shot hit him they gave
him scme more. But you can bet |
didn't say anything to Villa. Not me!
was meek a. a lamb even when Villa
personally read the burial service over
Mickey's grave the next day.
Sc I went back TO San Antonio, and
Mickeys machine was sent there, as
mine was in bad shape. Not a wire on
his plane was broken, which proved in
itself that there lad been no accident.
Then my own trouble came along. One
day was tinkering with my plane
when some photographs | lad picked
up fell out of the sp.ce between the
surfaces where | had hidden them.
They just grabbed ne and wouldn't
listen to any explanations. They said
| was up to something crooked.
Hears Own Death Notice.
I was locked up in stable, and an
officer, after asking me about three
questions, told the men to shoot me
the next day but one. find that the
date set was July II.
One day before | was to be shot the
news that | had been killed in fall
was sent out by Villa and got into the
papers in the states. You know about
that part.
Well. was in tight fix. ard | don't
say | was very brave about 1t, either.
But my mechanician, Jimmie Smith,
was busy. lie pulled the old stuff and
fed up one Of the guards on whlskey
until he was dead to the world. Then,
watching his chance, he slammed the
other with one of the big lumberJack
boots he was wearing and which he
took off for the purpose. Then he let
me out. and we took the guns away
from the guards and put them clean
out of business with the butts. | don't
know whether we killed them or not,
and don't care.
To make a long story short, we
walked and ran steadily for three
nights. During the daytime we crawled
under cactus plants or sagebrush and
kept quiet. Once, when we got so hum
cry we couldn't stand it, we sneaked
up to a house and asked for food They
turned us down; so we took 1t at the
point of gun and beat it.
On the fourth day we ran across
greaser who had two horses. He vas
riding one and leading the other. Smith
told him we had TO have them, but the
greaser showed fight, and sprang at
Smith with knife. Smith had lett ms
gun by the roadside, but | had NINE,
and-well, | used it. III take a chance
on being prosecuted for murder II
have to.
Anyway. we rode those horses for
two nights, and finally struck rail.
road. About two hours later train OF
empty supply cars came crawling along
going north, and We managed TO sneak
aboard. In the morning the tram
reached Juarez, and we slipped away.
AS soon as we made the streets we
mixed in with the people, and even
walked across the bridge TO American
soil without being stopped.
That's about all | have kept .quiest
for the last few days for the slmple
4N' r - -, - CbicaCo