Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-01-13
Only SurUiUor Tells
/ Thrilling Tale of Killing
For State Department
Special to the TELEGRAPH

El Paso, Jan. 13. Thomas B..
Holmes, the sole foreign survivor of
the massacre, reached the border here
late yesterday afternoon in a state
of collapse.
Following is the statement of Mr..
Holmes, given to the State Depart
ment and press:
Our train left Chihuahua City
Monday morning, Jan. 10, at about
IL O'Clock The train was stopped at
or about the ranch Baeza. point
about five miles west of Santa Ysabel,
between 1870 and 2 O'Clock that after
noon. While the train was standing
at the station of Santa Ysabel two
armed MeXicans rode by and scrutin-
lied the train. The Mexican passen-
gers at Santa Ysabel told me after
ward that the riders had inquired
II there were any soldiers on the
train,
"At the point of the massacre. our
train was stopped in a cut so that
the last car was just inside of the cut.
We were stopped by another train
the front trucks of one of the coal
cars of which was seen to be off 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 | were sitting together and
Evans came up and looked out of
our window. Evans, Newman, Mac
Elatton and L then got off the train.
watson was either getting off or
about to do so behind us when |
looked back and saw him.
Firing Squad Fifty Feet Away. i.
Just after alighting l heard a vol
ley of rife shots from a point on the
other side of the cut and Just above
the train. Looking around, L could
see bunch of about twelve or fifteen
men standing in a solid line. should er
to shoulder, shooting directly at us.
They were so or rs feet away. The
smoke cut off my view so | could not
see how many bandits there We're.
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 embankment
declining toward the river.
Watson. after getting off ran to-
ward the river. MacHatton and I fol-
lowed. MacHatton fell, do not know
whether he was killed then or strip
ped. Watson kept running. and they
were still shooting at him when I
turned and ran down grade, where
l fell IN some brush, probably 100
feet from the rear of the train.
Reaches Stream
Lay there perfectly quiet and
looked around and could see the
Mexicans 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 through the bushes until /
reached the bank OF the stream.
al then made my way to a point
probably 100 yards from the train.
There I lay under the bank for half
an hour and heard shots by ones,
twos and threes. / did not hear any
sort of groans or yells or cries from
our Americans.
Then / continued further under
the bank, wading the stream part of
the time, until l reached point prob
ably 200 yards from the train. There
I remained half or three-quarters of
an hour. Later after going to several
ranches and picking my way cautious
ly for several miles, ] met ny with an
unknown Mexican who directed me
to Chihuahua City. | reached Chi
huahua City Tuesday morning at
about 7.30. The foregoing facts are
of my personal knowledge"