El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-13

THE following statement of Tom
Holmes, sole survivor of the
tragedy. was autographed the
state department Wednesday night
~Our train left chihuahua Monday
morning, January 10 at about II
o'clock The train was stopped at 81
about the ranch BaeZa, a point about
five miles west of Santa ISABEL, be-
tween 1870 and 2 o'clock that after
noon. While the train was standing
at the station Of Santa YsabeI two
armed Mexicans had ridden by and
studied the train. Mexican passengers
at santa Ysabel told me afterwards
the riders had inquired if 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 a
train being ahead Of US. There was
nobody standing or to be seen around
the front Of the train. It was evil
IDENTIFY placed there to stop and block
our train When our train was stopped.
Newman and were sitting to-
gether and Evans came up and was
Newman, Mediation and I were the
first to get off the train, stepping
off on the right hand side
Hears voHey Of shots.
Watson was either getting off or
about 10 get off the steps behind US
when looked back and saw him.
Just after alghting I heard a Volley
OF rifle shots from point on other side
Of cut and Just above the train. Look
ing around / could see a bunch Of
about Il or 8 men standing in solid
line shoulder TO shoulder. shooting
dir Of " at
between so and IS feet from US The
back end Of the coach cut off my
view so I could not see how many
bandits there were
'The back steps of the coach where |
We got off, was at the beginning OF /
the railroad cut The depth of the /
cut on the river side at that point was !
about = feet On the other side the /
bank was much higher The Santa !
1sabei river lay beyond To the back /
Of the train was q railroad embsnk-
ment that had a decline from the track 4
toward the river
Sees Mediation Fall.
Watson. after getting off. ran at
right angles 10 the train toward the
river Mediation and I were directly
behind Watson. right on the bank OF Z
the railroad cut Notation fell J
do not know whether he was killed !
then OF tripped- Watson kept run
ming and they were stin shooting at
ran diagonally backward from the
train. going dOWngrade where I fell
in some bushes probably loo feet from
the rear OF TIE train
Lay in COnceaIment.
lay there perfectly quiet and
looked around and could see the Next
cans shooting in the direction in !
which Watson was running when
last saw him. I could see that they
were not shooting at me and thinking I
they believed me already dead I took
q chance md crawled into some
thicker bushes I craWled through the
pushes until 1 reached the bank OF the
stream I made my way to a point
probably 100 yards from the train.
There I lay under the bank for half
IN hour and heard the shooting as
-ney were evidently finishing the ;
Americans. shots by ones twos and I
-hrees
Heard No GrORnE.
It did not hear any sort Of grOans I
" yells or cries from our Americans.
Then I continued farther under the I
bank. wading the stream part Of the ( ]
ime until I reached a point probably I {
100 yards from the train There re- ,
NAMED a half or three-quarters of an
iOur- Later after going tS several
anch houses and picking my way
auti0usly for several miles, I met up I
nth an unknown Mexican who di {
ected me to Chihuahua reached j
hihuahua Tuesday morning at about {