Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1916-04-05
VILLA WOUNDED,
SAYS REPORT TO
CARRANZA CHIEF
Bandit Shot During Fight Near
Guerrero.
MEXICAN TURNS ON OUTLAW
Villa Attacked and Nearly Stran-
gled to Death by Victim-Five
Men Slain After Being Tor
tured by VilIistas.

Ell Paso, Tex, March 31-Gen. Ca
briel Gavira, the Carranza commander,
received a telegram from General Ber-
TAM at MADEIRA, which said Francisco
Villa was wounded in the leg near
Guerrero in skirmish with Carran-
zistas.
The Carranzistas say Villa is near
Guerrero. This is 800 miles south of
the border at Columbus and 100 miles
west of Chihuahua City. The nearest
American troops are 20 miles north of
Providencia. Other detachments are
at Tepehuanes, Cruces, Colonia Chic
hupa, San Miguel ranch and Colonia
Dublan
Villa Escapes Death.
Field Headquarters, American Expe-
dictionary Forces, Colonia Dublan, Chi
huahua, Mexico, March 26, by motor
truck to Columbus, March Sit has
been learned here that Francisco Villa
nearly lost his life a few days ago on
the Corralitos ranch, short distance
from this place, where he tortured and
put to death five MeXicans.
One of his victims leaped upon him
and was strangling him when the Viii
lista officers beat him senseless with
the butts of their guns. Mucio Pc
lance was the name of the Mexican
who almost succeeded in ending Villas
career.
Murders Five as Warning.
The murder of five members of the
Polanco family was said to have been
intended as a warning to other Mexi-
cans against having dealings with
Americans. Investigations showed that
the Polanco family was involved with
no political faction in Mexico, but that
they had a record of uniform honesty
and reliability in dealing with the
American managers of the Corralitos
ranch, where they were born and
reared
When Villa, retreating from Colum-
bus, arrived at Corralitos ranch he had
list of all the Polancos-six men, the
mother and two daughters. He seized
the men and hunted for the daughters,
but the young women had hidden SO
we'll that he did not find them.
Victim Attacks Villa.
To five of the men, Gregorio and
his two sons and Mucio and his one
son, Villa said:
Il am going to kill you because you
are too Americanized. You are gringo
lovers"
But instead of killing them outright
ho6 rtl u ctrin nd
then beaten with the flats of heavy
swords. Mucio Polanco broke away
from his captors and got one hand
locked about Villas throat before he
was beaten off.
Next Villa ordered the five stood up
beneath huge archway where he
told them he would hang them. Ropes
were placed about their necks and
they were jerked into the air but were
not permitted to die.
Just when loss of consciousness ap-
preached they would be lowered to
earth with demands that they reveal
the hiding places of the horses said to
be hidden about the ranch. There
were no horses so far as investiga-
ton has disclosed The prisoners also
were offered their lives if they would
tell where money was hidden or point
out valuable documents.
After several mock hangings Villa
ordered the five men taken into the
garden, where each one was shot five
times.
To the residents of the ranch, all
Mexicans, Villa said:
you may bury them or not. as you
please"
They were all buried in one grave
after Villa left.
Before going Villa led one male
member of the family, Gregorio Jr.,
aged twenty-one, whose life had been
spared, back to the young mans moth
er, and to her he said:
81 am going to leave you this one
son to support you You ought to
thank me for leaving him"
San Antonio, Tex, March 81
Fighting three days ago between
Villa troops and a detachment of Car
ranzas forces near Guerrero was re-
ported by General Pershing to Gen
eral Funston. No details of the en-
gagement were given, but General
Pershing said Villas men were NOV
ing south. 1t was believed Villa was
with them