Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-07-06

! ulSlfleCtlnE plant Where tNeN We're
| fumiGated. Then they We're taken to
headquarters where the negroes were
put in a large room under guard and
| fed by order of General Gonzales. Spills
! bury was taken into another room,
| where he gave his story In an inter-
| view to an Associated Press representa-
tive The negroes refused to talk say
| ing they must first report to their
superior officers.
! Spillsbury was asked who. in his opin-
! ion. was responsible for the Carri2al
fight.
Il am hardly prepared to answer that
question: he said. IF captain Boyd had
| orders to go through Carrizal to Villa
! Ahumada. he demonstrated that he was
a very brave man and that he would make
every effort to carry out his orders IF
! he did not have orders to go through to
J villa Ahumada he behaved verv fool
ish"
Three hours later when Spillshurv had
crossed to the American side of the in
| ternational bridge he was asked;
I do you know the contents of the state
ment General Trcviuo ISSUED regarding
your claim that the Carrizal fight result
ed from Boyd's action"
| IL do" he answered.
"Do YOU still stick to that statement?"
II certainly do"
Were YOU coerced into making it?'
II was not"
"Nou will not change your story now
that you arc safe on American SOLE"
$50, ! certainly will not. But | refuse
to answer any more questions"
Spillsburv said that Immediately on
his arrival in Chihuahua City the COM
mander of the Mexican army corps of
the north sent for him and asked him
I to outline the Carrizal encounter as he
saw it. which he did. He said he was
unable to say who fired the first shot,
and added that the American command
engaged there numbered &c men. ten
OF the original Sc comprising the de-
tachmont having been sent back from
Santa Maria.
Spilsbury's description of the battle
| was practically the same as that pre-
! viously given out by other sources.
The scout said that after tho second
conference he had urged Captain Boyd
not to advance in the face of the con-
! trary orders of the Mexican leaders.
but was told that the officer should fol-
low instructions.
"Don't fire until you arc fired upon,
boys" | heard Captain Boyd shout as
he gave the order to advance over my
earnest protest" the scout added.
Spillsbury said he was surrounded by
band of MeNicans who forced him to
| surrender and threatened to shoot him
Immediately.
Spilsbury and the prisoners asserted
that they had received nothing but tho
most courteous treatment at the hands
of the Mexican sodicry pointing out
! that every effort was made to control
/ the nhamed civil population of several
! towns who offered them bodily harm
They were stoned. they said. at Villa
! Ahumada when they were put on the
/ train.
At three O'Clock in the afternoon
/ Andres Garcia. Mexican consul at FL
Paso, telephoned General Bell, who was
waiting in FL Paso that the Mexican
officials We're ready to transfer their
chargcs General Bell and his aides pro-
Cceded to the international bridge at
about the same time that the captives
We're marched out of the commandacla.
AS the Americans and their guards,
! headed by General Gonzales stepped on
! the Mexican end of the bridge. General
Bell and his STAFF advanced toward
them from the American side.
/ When the last name had been checked
General Bell signed receipt for tbs
troopers and they wore taken to the
/ United states immigration building.
where they were bathed in vinegar, given
clean, new suits of blue overals loaded
| in motor ambulances and taken through
a line of cheering citizens, through the
center of the city to Fort Bliss. The au-
/ thOrities, fearing to antagonize Juare2
and other MeXicans in the city, sought
| to put an end To the applause.
II was in the immigration station that
the negro troopers told their stories OF
the Carrzal fight and their experiences
at Villa Adumada and Chihuahua city
! William q. Gibson, & troop, New York
city, and other troopers were emphatic
| in their statements tnat the MeNcau'
shot the wounded Americans on the
| field At CarriZal.