Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-10
WOMAN CAPTIVE OF
VILLA TELLS STORY
She Says Bandit Rules Men by Fear,
Using Flat of Sword on
Officers.
TO LAY WASTE ALL OF U. s.

COLUMBUS, ~ NJ, March 3
Mrs. Maude Hawkwright. an Ameri-
can woman. who said she was held
captive by Villa for nine days and
was liberated in the midst of today's
fighting, declared late today that
Villa announced March 1 his inten-
tion to attack Columbus and pro-
ceeded north under forced marches
to carry out his purpose.
His men, with scant supplies of
water and meat, suffered severely,
she said, and many dropped from
their horses on the march to the
Boca Grande. villa, she declared,
ruled them by fear and his officers
with the flats Of their swords beat
the soldiers into animation suffi-
cient to reach that point, where they
rested and prepared for the raid.
Tuesday, Mrs. Haw'-yright related,
villa bandits attacked employees of the
Palomas Cattle company engaged in
rounding up cattle, killing four Ameri-
cans.
HaxAto Give baby Away.
Mrs. Wright said her husband, Edward
John Wright, formerly OF Houston. Tex.
and Frank Hayden. youth employed at
the La Booker sawmill, were taken from
the Wright ranch March 1 and, pre-
sumably, killed. When she was taken
prisoner and forced to ride away with a
l,t % nndar COInnal
Nicholas Servantez, she said a bandit
ordered her to give her baby to MeN-
can family.
Mrs. Wright was cared for today at
the home of Mrs. Slocum, wife OF Colonel
II. s. Slocum, commanding the Thirteenth
cavalry. There she told the story of
her capture and experiences from the
time she was taken from the ranch at
Colonial Hernandez, west of Pearson,
where the de facto Mexican government
was reported to hav maintained a heavy
garrison for the protection OF Americans.
Up to yesterday she said villa wore civ
ilian clothing, queer little round straw
hat and rode a small mule, but just be
fore the fight this morning he appeared
clad in the trim military uniform he used
to wear at Juarez and rode one of three
handsome sorrel chargers. which had not
been hidden during the long march. Mrs.
Wright said Villa led nearly 1900 men
upon the sleeping American town. at
which were quartered less than 300 Amer
lean troopers.
story of Guard.
She said that some OF the men detailed
to guard her during the march north told
her that villa had 5000 men and 6OOO
horses.
1t appears to me as IL he had twice
that many men and horse" she added.
Just before she and her husband were
taken prisoners with the Hayden boy,
Mrs. Wright said. the villa men told her
they had raided Colonial Juarez, an
American Mormon settlement west OF
Pearson, looted all stores of flour and
provisions and had killed some of the for
eigners. She had learned nothing further
in corroboration of this story, she said
"Servantes, with twelve men, came to
the ranch the night Of March l." Mrs.
Wright said I'm her story. They pre-
tended to be Carranza soldiers and asked
me II had any food TO sell. My husband
and Frank Hayden had been to Pearson
buying supplies and We're not at home
l told them we had only a little flour and
meal-Just enough for our family and the
family OF Mexican employe l was cook
ing, i'm expectation of my husbands ar
rival home. and Servantes asked II he
might buy one for his men. | told him
would give him and his men something
to eat.
Just About Dark Then,
1T was just about dark then, and my
husband came into the yard with two
pack mules, which he unloaded As soon
90 'hat wns dome some Of the Mexicans
caught and saddled the animals My hus-
uana came into the house and said That
looks bad. / said We would have to put
up with II and do the best we could Ser
vantes became impatient about this time
and demanded to see our stores OF flour
and meal. As soon as ] opened the store
room he ordered some OF his men to take
all our supplies Then they called my hus-
band outside. The next / saw OF him his
hands had been tied behind his back
My husband called to Hayden, and he
also was tied Then / went with my
baby in my arms to Servantes and told
him that he had eaten our food, taken all
OF our floor and meal, leaving us nothing
with which TO prepare another meal and
that / did not think II was Just to make
a prisoner OF my husband. Meanwhile
the soldiers. evidently taking Servantcs'
order TO conhscate the flour as permis-
sion TO loot began stripping the house pf
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