Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-04-01
MURDERS A
GARRISON
Villa Located by His Trail
Of Blood and Venge-
ance.
l VICTIM THROTTLES HIM
But Is Beaten Off In the Nick
Of Time to Save
Him.

gan hilNOluOi NldlCll Of. -AlltI hlll-
ing every one of the 172 men in the
garrison at Guerrero, Francisco Villa
moved northward Wednesday and is
now somewhere near the headwaters
of the Santa Maria river, according to
unofficial information secured by Gen.
Funston last night.
AT the head Of a considerable force,
Villa was reported to be on the San
Geronimo ranch or the Quemada
ranch and troops Of both the United
States and Mexico were believed to
be closing in on him.
1t has been learned that Villa nearly
lost his life a few days ago on the
Corralitos ranch, a short distance from
Dublan, where he tortured and put to
death five MexiCans. One Of mis- vic
tins leaped upon him and was strang-
ling Villa when officers beat his
assailant senseless with the butts of
their guns.
Mucio Polanco was the name of the
Mexican who almost succeeded in
ending Villas career.
The murder of five members of the
Polanco family was said to have been
intended as warning to other Mexi-
cans against having dealings with
Americans. Investigation showed that
the Polanco family was involved with
no political faction in Mexico but they
had record of honesty and reliability
in dealing with the American mana
gers of the Corralitos ranch, where
they were born and reared.
COULD NOT FIND DAUGHTERS.
When Villa, retreating from Column
bus, arrived at the ranch, he had
list of all the Polancos, six men, the
mother and two daughters. He seized
the men and hunted for the daugh-
tiers, but the young women had been
hidden so well that he never found
them.
To five of the men, Gregorio and
his two sons, and Mucio and his one
son, Villa said: 81 am going to kill
you because you are too American
lied. You are gringO lovers"
But instead of killing them outright,
Villa had them partly stripped and
then beaten with the flats of heavy
swords. Mucio Polanco broke away
from his captors and got one hand
locked about Villas throat before he
was beaten off. Next Villa ordered
the five stood up beneath huge arch
way, where he told them he would
hang them. Ropes were placed about
their necks and they were jerked into
the air, but not permitted to die. Just
when loss of consciousness APPROACH
ed they would be lowered to earth
with demands that they reveal the
hiding place Of horses said to be hid
den about the ranch. There were no
horses, so far as investigation has dis
closed. The prisoners also were of
fered their lives if they would tell
where money was hidden or point
out valuable documents.
EACH ONE SHOT FIVE TIMES.
After several mock Aangings, Villa
ordered the five mon taken into the
garden, where each one was shot five
times.
To the residents of the ranch, all
Mexicans, Villa said: ''You may bury
them or not, as you please"
They were all buried in one grave
after Villa left
Before going Villa, led one male
member of the family, Gregorio, Jr.,
aged n, back to the young man S
mother and said to her:
Il am going to leave this one son
to support you. You ought to thank
me for leaving him."
Next the bandit imprisoned each of
the workmen on the ranch, placing
them in separate rooms. When he
had them all locked up, he went TO
each one in turn, warning him i'm
these words: Il am coming back and
II ! don't return some one will come
in my place. Whoever comes will
kill any one here whom he finds