Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-13


Watson was either getting off or about
to do SO behind US when I looked back
and saw him. Just after alighting !
heard a volley of rifle shots from a
just above the train. Looking around
l could see a bunch Of about twelve or
hffeen men standing in a solid line,
shoulder to shoulder. shooting directly
| feet away. The coach cut off my view
SO could not see how many bandits
| there were.
| ''The depth of the cut on the side near
| about two feet. On the other side it
was much greater. To the rear of the
train was an embankment declining
toward the river. Watson, after getting
of ran toward the river. Machatton
and I followed. Machatton fell. 1 do
not know whether he was killed then
or tripped. Watson kept running, and
| they were still shooting at him when 1
| turned and ran down grade, where 1
fell in some brush. probably 100 feet
from the rear of the train.
II lay there perfectly quiet and look
ed around and could see the Mexicans
shooting in the direction in which Wat
son was running. 1 saw that they were
not shooting at me. and. thinking they
believed me already dead, / took a
chance and crawled into some thicker
bushes. 1 crawled through the bushes
until reached the bank of the stream.
then made my way to point prob
ably 100 yards from the train. There
lay under the bank for half an hour
and heard shots by ones, twos and
threes
Did Not Hear Cries.
81 did not hear any sort of groans or
yells or cries from our Americans.
Then 1 continued farther under the
bank, wading the stream part of the
| time. until I reached a point probably
200 yards from the train. There I re-
manned half or three-quarters OF an
hour. Later. after going to several
tiously for several miles, l met up with
an unknown Mexican, who directed me
to Chihuahua City. 1 reached Chihua-
hua City Tuesday morning at about
1870. The foregoing facts are Of my
personal knowledge"
E. Ben Ottestad, who arrived here
with Holmes, stated that he had met
Holmes when he reached Chihuahua
City.
Holmes was badly scared" he said,
"and feared to. enter the city at first.
He had an old blanket over his
shoulders. and no hat. He thought the
bandits were laying for Watson, par
ticularly.
when the bodies reached the capt.
tai it was noted that each had been
shot through the forehead.
"All Americans in Chihuahua were
prepared to come to the border when
left, because it was uncertain wheth-
er the garrison was for or against
Carranza."
Americans Property Taken.
The previous stories of the foreign
ers being lined up naked and shot were
not confirmed by the version given by
Ha1 rix,;p
from Chihuahua City were responsible
for the statement that Lopez was the
leader of the bandits. All the property
of the Americans except one handbag
was taken, they said, and the car rid
died with bullets.
The name of Thomas Johnson late
yesterday was added to the list Of vic
Tins. making the total death list
nineteen. The name of Joseph Enders
of Hayden, Ariz., was substituted for
that of J. Adams.
Reports of those arriving from Chi
huahua were to the effect that the body
of each victim bears a bullet wound
in the forehead, in addition to other
wounds. 1t was said that the head of
c. r. Watson was completely blown
Off
officials of the Mexican Northwestern
railroad said that the Carranza gov
eminent was not attempting to pro-
tect the MADEIRA company's properties
at MADEIRA and Pearson. 1t was al
legged that troop train carrying forty
test these properties at $50 Tuesday,
and returned at $50 pm. The train
was still in the yards late yesterday.
Preceded by Troop Train.
One chihuahua passenger said the
mining company's train had been pre-
coded by a Carranza troop train and
that the two trains were travelling ten
miles apart. At l pm. Monday 1t was
reported to Chihuahua that the troop
train was derailed in a canyon and at
4 o'clock reports of the hold-up of the
passenger train were received, accord
ing to this story. At o'clock, this
passenger said, the passenger train,
with a number Of Mexicans, women and
children aboard, returned to Chihua-
hua City with the first news of the
massacre.
Other passengers are reported as hav-
ing said that when Yaqui Indians made
a rush for Mexicans on the mining spe-
cial. the bandits warded off their at
tack and saved their fellow country
men.
The affidavit of the conductor j.
Guadalupe Gardena. regarding the trag-
edy was given the British consul at
Chihuahua City and telegraphed the
British consular agent, H. C. Myles, in
Ell Paso. In substance 1t follows:
1.-The train arrived at Santa YsabeI at
1:15 pm. Arriving at Kilometer So,
eight kilometers beyond Santa Ysabel.
we encountered a train. engine No 81.
off the track. When l got off to see
what had happened the shooting
started.
"Afterward Gen. Reyna came up and
placed us under guard, searching us
and also searching the car. All the
money on the passengers and In the
car was taken. After this had taken
place we left, the Americans having
been killed.
Wounded Put to Death.
Some Of the foreigners were first
| shot on the train, and a number, in
GLIDING one Mexican, who were wound
ed in the car, were later taken Off and
| murdered. Some of them jumped off
the train and ran toward tho river
These included Watson They were
followed and fired upon"
Gen. Jose Ynez Salazar. former Mex
| lean army officer. is in hiding here,
fearing repTisal by American mining
men. 1t was reported that a party Of
| twenty Americans called at SalaZar's
hotel last night.
| Shortly after the arrival of the
Americans the chief of police and the
county sheriff appeared at the hotel
with a posse of policemen, deputy sher-
ifs and detectives. The Americans left