The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-01-27
IS VILLA BANDITS
SLAIN IN MEXICO
All Participated in the Santa
ISABEL Massacre.
GEN. VILLA REPORTED SAFE
Leader Of Outlaws Had Narrow Es
cape From Being Captured, Ae-
cordlng to Dispatches From
the Border.

Ell Paso, Tex, Jan. 22.-Twenty-
three persons were killed near Puebla
recently when a passenger train was
blown up. supposedly by Zapata adher
ents, said A. J. Trumbo, wealthy mine
owner Of Oaxaca, who arrived in Ell
Paso.
Eighteen Villa Men Executed.
Eighteen Villa bandits were executed
at Chihuahua City. All were partici-
pcnts in the Santa Ysabel massacre
of Americans, say official Carranza
advices.
When these men were captured in
western Chihuahua 1t was reported
Gen. Francisco Villa had been cap
tured with them. Luis Herrera, new
Carranza commander at Chihuahua
City, however, denied Villa had been
taken.
Villa partisans in Ell Paso declared
that Villa himself was safe in the
Tarahumare mountains, west Of Guer-
zero, with several hundred followers.
Might Be Taken Asleep.
THE only way In which Villa could
be captured" said Perez Rul, his for
mer secretary, would be through
treachery Of some of his followers and
while he was asleep"
Gen. Jacinto Trevino has been trans
ferred from Chihuahua City to Torreon
to take command of the expedition
against the Argumedo revolutionists.
Ell Paso, Tex, Jan. 22.-Intense
excitement was caused on the border
for several hours by reports that
Francisco Villa had been captured by
Carranza soldiers and was being taken
to Chihuahua City for trial by court
martial.
1t was not until an official telegram
was received by the Mexican con-
sulate from Gen. Luis Herrera at
Chihuahua City that reports of Villa
capture were cleared up and found to
be untrue.
1t was explained that the reports
grew out of the capture Of five ban
dts by Col. Maximilliano Marquee
near Sap Geronimo ranch, in Chichua-
hua. These men are believed to have
taken part in the massacre Of Ameri.
cans near Santa Ysabel.
Had Marrow Escape.
However, Villa is believed to have
had a narrow escape from capture.
On Wednesday q detachment Of
Carranzista troops surrounded band
of about twenty bandits in noun.
tain pass, among them being Villa.
So sure was the Carranzista com.
manCer that none of the followers
of Villa could escape that he sent a
courier to the nearest telegraph post
to report to the garrison commander
in Chihuahua City chat a detachment
of bandits, among them Francisco Vii.
la, had been taken.
In the meantime the Carranzista sol.
diers closed in and found that all OF
the bandits, with the exception Of
five, had managed to get away. Among
those who escaped was Villa.
Doubt Japs Are In Mexico.
Los Angeles, Cal, Jan. 22.-Govern
ment officials said they placed no ere
dence in reports from Calexico, Mex
ShoL cCNCIo
had been seen in the Sierra Del PIMA
mountains of Lower California.
U. s. Keeps Facts Secret.
Washington. Jan. 22.-Some Of the
Information on Mexico which Presi
dent Wilson will send to the senate In
response to Senator Falls resolution
will be transmitted as confidential
All facts in possession of the state de
partmeHt will be disclosed to the sena
tors, but officials feel it would not be
wise to make public all of the infor
nation.
The state departments only infor
nation on the reported capture of Gen
eral Villa was in dispatches from
agents at Ell Paso conveying the early
unconfirmed reports that he was 9
prisoner