The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-03-25
ALMOST ESCAPES
on VILLAS HORSE
Woman Ready to Mount When
She Is Caught.
HEARS HUSBAND is SLAIN
Mrs. Wright Says Mexican Rebel Chief
Expected Help of Germany and
Japan in Trouble With the
United States.

FL Paso. Tex.-Mrs. Maud Hawk
Wright. the American woman who
rode nine days with the Villa troops
preceding the raid on Columbus, n.
M. learned that her baby. which had
been taken from her and given to
Mexican family. was safe at Pearson.
Mex, and that her husband had been
murdered by the soldiers a short dis
lance from their home. Mrs Wright
arrived in Fl Paso with Mrs. H. J.
Slocum. wife of the 18th cavalry COM
mander
81 want to go to my baby" Mrs.
Wright said. 1T would only take me
three days to walk to Pearson
She was informed that the child
probably would be brought to Juarez
on the train which is to bring the
Mormon colonists.
StoicaI, She Tells Story.
Dry-eyed and stoical after the terri
BILE experience in which she had suf-
fered hunger. thirst. exposure. facing
almost inevitable death, in addition to
the sorrow and worry over the loss
of her husband and child. Mrs. Wright
told her story to representative Of
the Associated Press as though it
were commonplace. She had suffered
so much she apparently had lost all
sense Of fear. Because she suffered
in silence, never complaining. and
holding herself aloof from the horde
of soldiers, fugitives. derelicts and
vagabonds on the border. she was
called La Reyna." queen of the vii
1istas. by the troops. Villa had told
one of the officers that he preferred to
have her die of exhaustion rather than
to kill her outright-and because she
proved to be able to withstand hard
ships better than his own men he
promised he would release her after
he had sacked Columbus He also
agreed to give her 800 gold and per-
NIT to travel unmolested through any
part of Villa territory.
Villa Expected German Aid.
villa only talked to me twice.. Mrs.
Wright said. Il avoided talking with
him because he would have thought l
admired him and would have forced
me to accompany him. He told his
officers how he would wipe out the
town of Columbus and when the Unit
ed States tried to invade the Mexican
territory Germany and japan would
step in to intervene. Villa believed
this firmly. I have overheard him
make such remarks from time to time.
Whether agents Of these two coun-
tries are making him believe this or
whether it is an idea which came to
him l do not know. But he is con-
WINGED that he will be assisted in the
fight he has started
How 1 wanted to escape to tell the
people of Columbus about the attack!
But / was watched ali the time. The
first night l was allowed to sleep in an
abandoned adobe hut which was pre-
pared for ne About thirty saddles
were piled in front of the door. The
guards slept with their heads to the
| door, and their feet to fire just be-
yond.
Tries to Flee on Villas Horse.
81 lay down, but not to sleep. About
midnight. heard the snoring of the
Mexican guards. / peered through the
opening of the saddles and spied Vii
las charger, a splendid steed, about
| fifty feet from the hut. One by one
removed the saddles and stepped over
the sleeping forms until reached the
horse.
1.-THE horse was tangled in his rope
began to untangle the horse and
then one of the Mexicans turned over
He saw something was wrong. / stood
behind the horse. But the horse re
fused to stand still and it kept me
busy keeping behind the animal. Final
| ly the guard came out to where the
horse was.
What are you doing here?' 1 asked.
What are you doing here? he asked.
'Untangling this horse. replied.
! Then he finished the task started
longed for q hatpin, a dagger. pen
knife. anything to kill the man. /
could have shot him had l had a gun.
But If I could have killed him | could
have escaped. since none OF the other
horses could have overtaken me.
Il returned to the hut From then
on I was watched constantly. For
three days and nights we were without
| fire in the frost-covered mountain
country of northern Chihuahua. For
thirty hours we were without water.
Eut the soldiers often did without
rather than see my canteen empty.
When we neared Columbus Major
Nicholas Hernandez, one of the mean
est men / have ever known, said /