The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-05-11

iheusS iOrtuiieS ldiu away IN american
banks. But l don't believe that Il
think he has used it all up in supply
ing the army-and in feeling his graft
ing friends.
For time, everybody who could get
next to Villa rolled in money. Some
were very liberaly paid for services.
Some were literally paid for imagin-
ary services and some took the money
and hiked.
Three sub-secretaries or financial
men took big sums and hiked for
foreign lands The last got away with
$76,0O0-got Villas signature on a
check and filed in the amount of the
bank balance in FL Paso.
Merchants prohted greatly. Every
body seemed to be making money off
Villa for time. Then the bubble
burst
In his private car Villa had state
room that was his treasure house. A
safe of large size held the gold and
paper, but the silver was stacked
around like sacks of wheat and corn.
Nobody counted silver. If my friend
or any OF the suite needed some
change to carry out the Instructions
of Villa, he merely helped himself to
a hat full of silver pesos.
Villa paid liberal salaries. My
friend got $1,000 gold month. and
had other opportunities At one time
they had 10000 horses and mraes
rounded up preparing for a campaign.
They ordered in the u. S. carload of
horse shoes. But no one knew how to
shoe them well. So they imported
an Irishman to superintend the job.
He knew his business well, but had
to have an interpreter as he couldn't
speak the language. He didn't like
the country, stayed only three months
but got paid $4,000 gold for the job.
Ayiators got big money-all Ameri-
cans. But 1t was risky business. Two
Of them got killed by their own men.
The Mexicans couldn't resist the
temptation to shoot at the flying ma
chimes. Mechanics, of which there
were several from the L. s., got 5000
| Soiu uOHln-
Wasted Much Ammunition.
Il The army was always wasteful OF
ammunition. Whenever they left a
town they had habit OF shooting
salute into the air and using up all
the ammunition they had on them.
When they went into battle they vast
ed most of the ammunition before
they got in rifle range of the enemy
Villa thought no more of killing
man than farmers wife does of
wringing a chickens neck. He had
many people executed after being
captured. The old families who had
prohted greatly under the Diaz re.
gime were pretty apt to be lexecuted
If they fell into Villas hands. At
first many prisoners OF war were
shot. They were not shot at sunrise,
but the day they were brought in.
Villa said, I'VE are going TO kill
them anyway SO why waste food on
them?"
This chap says that he has seen
enough people executed-not killed in
battle-but executed in cold blood to
| fill the lobby of this hotel-and you
could just about put The Record
building in here by crumpllng 1T up
a little.
He recalls seeing 60 people execut-
ed one day in bunch. They were
trying some new rifles so villa direct.
ed them to have the men stood up In
twelve rows, five deep. Then the
firing squad fired into the rows. The
bullets went thru the five men with
perfect east. Villa was well pleased
with the test.
| Villa did not murder ruthlessly, but
killed freely whenever war or politics
seemed to suggest necessity.
| Many Wives Were His.
Villa had several wives and many
concubines and was liberal provider
for all. He found it to his advantage
occasionally to mary a chieftains
daughter and he never hesitated to
discard a wife IL he could attach a |
political ally by taking another No
reliable census has ever been taken
oI 'iiias wives, SO dehnite fnforma-
ton on this point is lacking.
Some OF the physicians with the
army were Americans. But the medi.
cal and relief work was very crude.
heard the statement made that II a
wounded soldier could be OF further
use to the army he was given some
attention, but If he seemed TO be bad.
iy wounded he was given dose from
the "black bottle" and put out OF his