American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-11-02
A MAN FROM MEXICAN BORDER.
What He Has Seen, Heard, Experienced and Knows About
Mexican Conditions.

S. H. Jones, whose home is in Provo. Utah. but who has
sPent the greater part of the last year and a half on the
mexican border, delivered a short address at Horse Is
land last Saturday night. His statements were so diff
1erent from what come over the wires, or from local peo-
pie VINO profess to know all about Mexican conditions, as
TO prove a revelation to his hearers. His information is
not limited to what is given below. He has a fund of it
detail after detail, incident after incdent-and all who
near are forced to believe. The following relating to the
Columbus massacre contains some information not given
to the public through press dispatches and will prove high
ly interesting:
81 have spent the greater part of the past eighteen
months on the Mexican border, most of the time at Ell
Paso and Columbus. know the leading Mexicans of that
part OF the border, both Villistas and Carranzistas, have
talked with them, and know their feeling toward Ameri-
cans and their government, and the causes that underlie
81 know Mr.. Garcia, Carranza's American minister, and
have talked with him many times. know L. de la Garcia,
the former general and close associate of Villa, and have
talked with him many times. l knew Huerta while lie
was imprisoned at Fort Bliss, and talked with him many
times. | know many MeXicans of all station, both high
and low, and the almost unfailing lack of respect for
Americans and their government. l do not have to rely
upon newspapers for my knowledge of border conditions.
L have seen, heard and experienced, and can instruct
rather than be instructed, by any newspaper not publish
ed on the border.
81 left the border only a few months ago in mid-sum-
mer, 1916, and many incidents and scenes are fresh in my
mind.
81 was in Ell Paso at the time of the Columbus raid last
March. | was one of the men who donated a car, volun-
teered to drive it, and was ready to start when Mr.. Cobb,
representative of the United States government at Ell
Paso, and Mr.. Hearst, prevailed upon the determined men
who were about setting out to capture Villa, to permit the
United States government to undertake the task. And
had it not been believed that immediate action would
be taken, that band of determined men would not have
been dissuaded and a menace not only to border peace,
but to the peace of Mexico, would have been removed.
81 know the story of the Columbus raid-received it
from the lips of an American woman whose husband had
been hung by Villa and his body riddled by bullets in the
very presence of his wife, while Villa was en- route to com
nit the more dastardly outrage he had in mind; a woman
who was forced to accompany this outlaw band to serve
Villas lustful desires, and who escaped while the attack
| was in progress.
"A few miles out of Columbus Villa halted his band and
delivered a powerful appeal to them, as is his custom be-
fore engaging in battle. He praised their courage, told
them he had no money to pay them for the great service
they were about to perform by wreaking vengeance upon
enemies of their country, but tina. they might have all the
loot secured, and all the women and girls as their personal
property. Villas plans were well laid and it is due to ali
accident that every soldier in Columbus and every other
person except women and girls of attractive appearance
was not slain.
about three weeks prior to the Columbus raid one of
the American soldiers had been shot in a drunken riot.
Col. Slocum, in charge of the camp, thereupon ordered that
the guns of Americans be locked up at night. Villa had
knowledge of this condition, and laid his plans accordingly.
The sentinels were to be noiselessly killed by having their
threats cut. This was done. The best of the American
horses were to be quietly taken to the outskirts of the
town to be ready for mounting in case of emergency, or
when the bloody work was finished. Men were to be sta
toned at the entrance to every tent, ready to begin the
slaughter of the unarmed soldiers at a given signal. The
soldiers dispatched, the residents of the town, the men
and children, were to be slain, the women carried away,
and the town looted and burned. Forty or fifty horses
had already been taken from the corral to the outskirts
of the town when some of the bandits d~isobeyed orders
and began lOoting the stores, thus spreading the alarm.
Within a few minutes every tent and every officers quar-
tiers would have had men in place to Stay all who appeared.
Captain Thompkins, aroused by the disturbance and
sensing the cause of it, rose to the occasion. To him and
not to his commanding officer, is due the heroic and sue
cessfuI defense that was made. Rushing from his quar-
tiers he aroused the soldiers, broke into the guard house
and secured the rms and fought the battle. He emptied
his revolver twice in reaching the soldiers quarters, and
every shot accounted for a bandit. The battle lasted thr-
ty minutes, and two hundred American soldiers routed
five hundred bandits.
Thompkins got down on his knees TO his superior, Slo-
cum, and begged to be allowed to take the troops and fol-