The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-01-19

that the riders had inquired If there
were any soldiers on the train.
cat the point of the massacre our
train was stopped in cut so that the
last car was Just. outside of the cut.
We were stopped by another train
the front trucks Of one Of the coal
cars Of which was seen to be oi the
track. This was the first we knew
Of train preceding US. There was
nobody to be seen around the train
in front.
when our train was stopped New
man and I were sitting together and
Evans came up and looked out OF
our window. Evans, Newman, Mac
hatton and I then got Off the train.
Watson was either getting off or
about to do SO behind US WhensI look
ed back and saw. him
"Just after alighting I heard a
volIey Of rifle shots from point
on the other side Of the cut justS
above the train. Looking around
could see a bunch Of about twelve
or fifteen men standing in 3 solid
Gao shoulder to shoulder, shoot
+ ing directly at Us. They were fifty
or seVenty-fye feet array.
"The coach cut off my view so I
could not seeNhow many bandits there
were. The depth OF the cut on the
side near Santa Ysabel river at that
point was about two feet. On the
other side it was much greater. TO
the rear of the train was an embank-
ment declining towards the river.
Watson, after getting Off, ran to-
wards the river. Machatton and I
followed. Machatton fell. I do not
know whether he was killsl then or
tripped. Watson kept az ng and
they were stin shooting st Ism when
turned and ran down gra > where
fell in some brush prcbs oily, one
hundred feet from the rear Of the
train.
"I lay there perfectly quiet and
looked around and could see the Mex
leans shooting in the direction in
which Watson was running. saw
that they were not shooting at me,
and, thinking they believed me al
ready dead, I took a chance and
crawled into some thicker bushes.
"I crawled through the bushes un-
til reached the bank OF the stream.
I then made my way to point prob
ably one hundred yards from the
train. There I lay under the bank
for half an hour and heard shots by
ones, twos and threes. 7 Gid not hear
any sort Of groans or yells or cries
from our Americans, Then con-
tinued farther under the bank, wad-
ing the stream part of the time until
reached a point probably two hun
dred yards from the train. There /
remained half or three-qaarters Of an
hour.
Later after going to several ranch
houses and picking my way cautious
ly Cor several miles, met up with an
uni uown Mexican who directed me to
Chihuahua City. reached Chihua--
hua City Tuesday morning at about
seyen-thirty. The foregoing facts are
Of my personal knowledge"
Arrivals from Chihuahua City said
that a troop train Of twenty cars,
conveying between five hundred and
one thousand Carranza troops, had
preceded the mining company special
by about fifteen minutes. The en-
CINE and two cars of this train were
said to have been derailed by the
bandits in order to stop the passen-
ger train Of Americans. What be-
came Of the Carranza soldiers, II they
were in the military train, could not
be learned.
Reports Of those arriving from
Chihuahua were to the effect that
the body of each victim bears a bull
let wound in the forehead in addition
to other wounds. It was said that
the head of C. R.rWatson was COM
pletely blown off.
One Chihuahua passenge said the
mining comrany's train had been pre-
ceded by,a CarranZa troop train and
that the two trains were travelling
ten miles apart. At one p. NJ. Mon
day it was reported to Chihuahua
that the troop train was derailed in
q canyon and at four O'Clock reports
Of the holdup Of the passenger train
were received according TO this
story. At seven o'clock. this -oassen-
ger said, the passenger trass with
lumber Of MeXicans, women and chill
1ren, aboard returned to Chihuahua
City with the first news OF the mas
;acre.
, Other passengers are reported as
having said that when Yaqui indians
made a rush for MeXicans on the
mining special the bandits warded
off their attack and saved their fell
ow countrymen.
Besides the reported presen"e
among the bandits Of Gen. Pablo
lopez, the Yaqui chief, Gen. Reyna
vas reported by the conductor, OF the
rain as having placed him under
guard when he alghted 70 investi-
sate the dera;Inent of the tEoo2 train !.
ahead. The affidavit Of the conduc-,
or, J. Gaudelupe GardeE2, regard
ng the tragedy was given tie Brit
sh consul at chihuahua CITY and
elegraphed the Pritish consular
gent, II. c. Nyles, in El PaSo. In
ubstance it follows:
The train arrived at Santa 9sabel
t Cne-ffteen p. n. Arriving ct hllo-
aetre 68, eight kilometres beyond
'alta ISabei, we encounLefeu traln,
ngine No. 81 off the track. When
got off to see what had happened
be shooting started.
Afterwards Gen. Reyna came up
nd placed Us under guard. searching
8 and also searching the car. All
he money on the passengers and in
he car was taken. After this had
aknn place we left, the Americans
aving been killed.
some OF the foreigners were first
not on the train, and a number, in
uding one Mexican, who were
orrded in the car, were taken off
nd murdered. Some Of them jump
off the train and ran towards the
yer. These included Watson. They
ere followed and fred upon"