The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-10

forced me back, and I knew then I was a prisoner.
 We rode all that night and reached Jiminez, where we made camp for three hours. Three hours was the longest we ever stopped in any "A until we reached the Boca Grande river.
 q saw Villa at Jiminez, but he re- fused to talk to me. I am too busy he would always say. Talk to one Of my colonels-that Is what they are for Throughout all the nine days l was a prisoner I slept only in the sad- dle or the camp little while with my head against tree or stump The men guarding me treated me well and one of them told me that Villas men did not love him, but were ruled en- tirely by the fear he had instilled in them Villa was protected from as- sassins throughout the march by his officers-a score of colonels and gen. erals-and by a picked body. of men known as 'dorados,' who camped and rode by themselves"
 MEAT AND WATER GAVE OUT
 Mrs. Wright then told of how the meat supply and water gave out during the march northward through the desert region of Chihuahua and how men, their tongues swollen, eyes glazed and thoroughly exhausted, would drop from their horses, only to be beaten and prodded with swords by officers until they remounted and again Joined the column.
 From the first knew that Villa intended to attack Columbus" Mrs. Wright continued. Tt was freely dis cussed by the men and the officers. Some of the latter told me that Villa intended to kill every American they could find, but they pointed to me as an example of their decision not to harm women. Later, as we ap- preached the border from Boca Grande, these same officers told me that Villa his rage growing as he neared the boundary-had declared he would mak 6 torches of every woman and child, as well as every man in Columbus
 'He intended, they said. to kill everybody in the United States. and would be helped by Japan and Germany At Boca Grande I saw evidence of their determination. I did not see the three American cowboys named McKenney, Corbett and O'Neill slain. but I saw of ficers wearing their clothing. That was after Villa had sent out 20 men to break up the Palomas cattle roundup and SUD- ply the hungry column with meat
 T did see another American killed. He appeared in the road just ahead of the column and a squad took out after him. He was trampleo down by the horses of a score of men. Then Servantes dragged the American past the company with which I was marching, drew his revolver and shot him in the neck. The American ran about 40 feet and fell. The Mexicans stripped him of his clothing, which they divided. The whole column then rode xl- F., k1,z .,rkv av, fired a parting shot into his head. He was nothing more than pulp.
 ASKED TO BE RELEASED
 When we left Boca Grande, pleaded to be released' Mrs. Wright said, s.but Servantes, with smile, told me that in stead he intended to give me a 30-30 rifle and force me to fight with the Mexicans against the gringoes. I told him if he did that would throw the gun into the river.
 If you do,' he said, I will throw you in after it.
 q then told him I could die but once. and that the first one would fire upon would be him, and then I would try to shoot some other officers.
 "Servantes turned to some other officers and said, I really believe she would, and will not give her rifle Then turning to me he said, You are the hardest wom- an I ever saw I replied. This would make any woman hard
 Just before the march for the border began I spoke to General Villa, again asking him to set me free because I did not want my own countrymen, the Amer ican soldiers, firing upon me in the ranks of the Mexicans. But he laughed, and said that when we got to Columbus he would give me my papers in the office of the bank there He also said that the xry;tI l,te H. me fat Your cheeks are rosy and fat, he said 'Sunburnt and swollen I said
 PLANNED TO BURN TOWN
 We left Boca Grande yesterday and crossed the border west of Columbus be- fore o'clock. The officer in charge of the company l was with said: We will lay the town in waste,' and Villa said We are to make torches of every man, woman and child to be found
 "As we entered the ditch leading past the American army camp below Colum- bus, the captain of my company told me that he and 20 other officers had crossed the border yesterday as spies and found that only few American soldiers were in camp; that the others were farther west He added that everybody expected an easy time capturing and burning the town and destroying every American in 1t. The Mexican inhabitants, he told me, were to be spared.
 T was in the line Villa threw along the railroad tracks after his troops had swept eastward through the United States cavalry. bullet hit the saddle of my horse as stood dismounted behind it. Villa sent his men across the tracks into the town. Soon I saw buildings on fire, then the American troops apparently got into action and in little while the Mexicans came back.
 Villa rode among the men cursing and threatening to shoot any man who ran away. An old soldier named Manuel, who said he was too sick to fight, had