Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-02

the common people of Mexico.
Some of the men who were with me in
the first days in the mountains around
Parral when we were stealing mules,
joined me again after l fed from Chi
huahua City, and l began to collect my
mountain band. In those days ! trav-
elled with about ten picked men. Among
them were Gen. Thomas Crbina, Gen
Rodriguez and Col. Baca Wales. all now
with the army of the revolution. Thomas
Urbina has been a compadre of mine for
years. and some call him the little Villa,
because he is the only man to dispute my
authority. But We are compadres. and
CompadreS are sworn companions ana
friends who stick together through
everything. Gen. Urbina is one of my
most valued men, and l trust him as no
other.
(Since the story was told. Gen. Villa
has personally seen to the execution OF
Gen. Thomas Urbina claiming that he
had taken much loot and deserted his
cause. Urbina slipped away to his ranch
with the section of the Villa army he
commanded. as. in that Mexican organi-
cation. each unit followed its leader.
Baca Wales. another compadre, was re-
Gently publicly executed in JuareZ by the
Carranzistas, and with Rodriguezs fate
/ am not familiar. So uncertain is life
in Mexico and brittle are friendships.
even those of compadres)
AS soon as | left Chihuahua City I be-
gan to gather men. From that date UNI
til | Joined the followers of Francisco
Madero | was in the hills. That was
really the beginning of my revolt against
the government, for | was gathering. al
ways gathering. men to build my force.
BY November 20 | had twenty-five men
and we Were hiding in the hills about
fifteen or eighteen miles from Chihuahua
City One day we saw coming a force
of about 900 federals. / know now they
were commanded by Gen. Navarro. Leav-
ing our horses. We Sneaked up behind
wall where this force would have to pass
We did not fire on any of Navarros
force until I saw an ambulance ap-
preaching. and | knew the general
must be in that. for federal generals
usually rode in that style in those days
Not that the commander was ILL., but he
was just lazy. He was not expecting
any attack so near Chihuahua City. but
had been sent out to suppress OroZco
in western Chihuahua. The federal SOL
diers were raw at fighting, too. so that
our attack completely surprised them.
My force was made up of good shots.
Navarros men were very poor. The
twenty-five of us fought 500 federals
and killed many of their men. because
we had good position. When I saw
we could not hold out against the gath
ering numbers any longer, I told my
followers to leave their hats sticking
where we had hid our horses in the
brush.
The federals, seeing only our hats.
believed we were waiting behind the
wall for them to charge and did not
dare take the risk, for they knew how
straight we shot. 1t was some time be-
fore they approached the empty hats,
but Pancho Villa and his men were far
on their way when the federals got up
courage enough to dare to attack the
wall. All they found were our hats,
and we did not mind doing without
them until we had a chance to get
more, for the weather was mild.
By this time / had passed the word
that l was going to revolt, and this
word spreads fast in Mexico. Follow
ers started to flock to me. and l went
back to Parral, where l made my old
hut my headquarters again. 1t was
then l had one of the nsrroweSt eS-
capes of my career, and it was only the
luck and cunning of Pancho Villa that
saved me.
By this time, when I slept. ! was al
ways restless, and ! could hear sounds
far off, it seeming that even the snap
ping of a twig would wake me, so light
did [ doze. My hearing and senses had
been SO trained that l had the instincts
of an animal and could hear and per-
ceive danger as quickly as deer. 1t
was a very high sense of feeling
can't explain it-and very keen hear
ing / guess you call it instinct.
was asleep and | heard a rumbling
noise I knew / had been betrayed
again. / shook my compadre. who was
asleep in this hut with me, and told him