The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-16
VAST CARNIVAL OF CRIME
NOW PREVAILS IN MEXICO
Investigator Calls Men of All Factions Bandits--Says
Carranza LOCALIZED Theft; Villa Placed Brig
andage on Scientific Basis.

Porfrio Diaz. slay him and then seize
ms property was "A process OF exceeding
simplicity. That CarranZa "A guar
anteed protection OF property rights when
Huerta stepped down and out was no
concern TO villa, for word came from
the south of Mexico that Carranza him
SELF and his chief civil associates, Man
uel Amlya and Luis Cabrera. had con-
hscated the rich III orc gold mines in
me states of Michoacan and Mexico.
owned by the Rothschilds of London /;
the EsperanDa mines In the same district
for which the American G~uggenhcims
paid sS,00O.O0O AS well az the nearby
DOS Estrellas mines. said Ia he the
greatest gold producers in the world and
owned by a French English syndicate.
villa Burns owns
Much booty and Dash had been secured
by Villa in 1918 from sacking the banks
and business houses of Chihuahua, Tor
reon, Durango. Saltillo. Monterey. Juarez
and other centres OF the States Of Chi
uahua, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila.
AFTER taking a town villa would
eNacuate 1t after applying the torch to
such buildings whose owners were under
his displeasure. lie also obtained ire
mendous financial returns from the
cattle and other live stock stolen from
the hacienda owners-hundreds of thou
sands of cattle were driven or shipped
a. ross the border and sold-but the pric.
OF munitions or war went up. due 10
the European war, and there wer. other
pressing demands and further consider
atoms.
Naturally villa, after pulling every
visible gold tooth among the Mexicans
ana SUCH Europeans as Spaniards from
"non no immediate comeback could he
expected, turned his attention to the
large corporations. American and Eng
lish, which up to that time had given
MS career some sanction. villa and his
associates saw the rich possibilities in
stealing from these concerns by placing
heavy export duties on their products.
also by hosting the war taxes against
the land they occupied and demanding
payment OF advance fricghts on the
strength of the villa control Of the main
railroad in operation IN the northern
border.
Villas recent assembling of the mer-
hants or Chihuahua. demanding that
thty contribute cash To his cause. Is "A
case In point, His remarks, The United
states can go to h" although denied
by his friend carothcrs. has been con.
hrmed by men at the meeting. The chal-
letge senses the real villa II expresses
the bandit mind, a slip of the tongue.
Warnings from Washington. via the
"grapev!ne'-that never was broken dur
ing Mr.. Bryan's incumbency Of the State
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ated the introduce.
ton of scientific methods In these newly
p~lanne' larcenies.
Presto The villa Government be-
came a business organization. n moth.
ing was hereafter lone until II had been
passed upon by certain legal gentlemen,
whose identities are known. From these
counsel issued the idea of establishing
legal c~onfisCation bureaus throughout
northern Mexico. whence all seizures
could be made upon formal documents.
with seals and notaries' signatures at
taChed. At the time Obrcgon gave villa
his first military ctbaCk there were
Villa conflscation bureaus running fun
blast at Aguascalient.s and I%rapuato. as
well as parral. Chihuahua and Tor
reon.
suppose, for instance. a Villa agent
would uncover a Mexican or Spaniard
, who by some miracle had managed To
| retain Il Fragment ~ his original prop
crty, He would go To the nearest con-
fiSCation bureau and denounCe the prop
er,y holder as M enemy Of the villa
Government. In "A twinkling an order
from the Mexican of The property IN
qurstion-land, personal goods or cash.
Within a week the Carranza forces
might arrive in tn" same town. and. |
have been credihly Informed, drag the