El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-11
HEARS
Of TWO MURDERS
jill. Locke Tells of Killing
of Blankenburg and NC
Gregor at Minaca.
nv II. W. BLAKKEsLEE.
Associated Press Correspondent VII"
American Expedition.

Pershing's Camp at Front. April III
(bv afrplane TO Columbus, y. NJ. APi.
11)-The chez mess IN W4lCH las
VilIistas now hold human me
brought out poinJedly here TO-DAY Ds
7 II. Locke. an American, OF MinaC ,a;
who escaped from that city tue ~
of March 2S, when Herman blahAe-l
burg. a German, and David Bruce ~
American. were killed. Locke u
scribed to Gen. Pershing the 40
reclSlessness with which these wv
We're killed. 49, fr5i-
Gated that this was pen name wiz
he had adopted in Mexico While uy iu t
TO sell magazine stories and thaL Hl9
friends expected him to write so ld'5s
thing about Villa. The letters He
his right name as Don McGregoI,
was from Minneapolis and ChlcaBO
The night of March rs, SAID LoCno
in telling his story, we three IN
i'm my hotel where we lived. EaIly ~
the morning, before daylight, we nSd.1
shooting, and soon Carranza solul 81,
said that VilGstas were attacKlE6 ~
town. This was the same night ina
villa attacked Guerrero and %"
.Two soldiers remained behind
guarding the room where the CaI
rama commander resided in our MY
and which he left at the shoouhs 10
take command Of his troops tOIu
the other two, who came TO my rum,
that we must get away immedlat5ls
before daylight. Blankenburg SAD ne
would not leave; that he was ger
man and had nothing to fear. RI uc ce
seemed to be i'm fear. but decldeu HOt
to risk going out SO I started alOno
through the streets, up and QoWH
which the Nillstas were riding 1lBht-
ing CarranZa troops when they en-
countered them, and shooting wildly
the rest of the time The moon was
in its last quarter. so that there vs.
considerable light to see by 1 carried
my pistol ready, but never hau 70
use it, BY n freak of good fortune !
passed through the entire Danu OF
Nillistas without one of them calchlhh
sight of me. The next day mo QUIZ,
and two davs later a Mexican friend
brought me news OF the uedthS VI
Blankenburg and Bruce
BIankenburg's Head Split Open.
They had stayed together In my
office, which faced the street, until
about S o'clock in the morning me
Then Blankenburg decided that he
would go to the hotel kept by Rlchard
Heimple. another German. Taking MS
valise Blankenburg stepped into the
street Just at that moment Alllista,
mounted, was riding past. Without
warning, without a word Of question,
this Villista struck Blankenburg over
the head with his sword, splitting IL
half way TO the neck As Blankenburg
fell and rolled over upon his back, tho
"All this occurred before the door OF
my room had been closed, so that the
Villista after striking Blankenburg
looked up and saw Bruce sitting in my
room. The soldier raised his rifle
killing Bruce with two shots through
the breast
Mexieans Buried Bodies.
"The MeXicans were afraid to bury
either the foreigners while Villas men
remained in town. Meanwhile the pigs
in the street were threatening TO mu-
tilate Blankenburg's body beyond rec
ognitiOn. 4 Mexican who knew Blan-
kenburg told his little boy to sit on
the doorstep in front of the body with
a pile of rocks handy and to throw
the rocks to keep the pigs away. The
boy did this until the Villistas left
early I'm the forenoon. Then the MeXi-
cans buried the two hurriedly, but the
did not dare have any ceremony. TIL.
just tumbled both bodies into a trench
along with the dead Mexicans. I don't
know how many Mexican dead there
were"