Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-13


some way or another.
After the shooting OF Pearce several OF
the Americans were roughly seized by
Nexicans. who began to dras them toward
the doors of the coach.
However, no resistance was oHereu.
uCome on. you gringos, get offr' was the
next command of the leader.
As the Americans left the train they
were surrounded by the armed band ana
held prisoners.
Apparently the Americans did not move
fast enough TO satisfy the Mexican pan
dit. for there was a volley of shots In the
car and the cries of pain which Followed
showed that some had been hit.
W. j. Wallace was just descending the
steps OF the car when a bullet struck him
IN the back of his head and he fell
eprawling in pool of blood Mexican
Cropped his rife, kicked the body out OF
the way and then started to rummage in
the pockets of his clothing.
Mexicans fell upon the other bodies ike
Wild animals, clawing at the faces with
their hands and tearing of the clothing
-Four or FIVE of the Americans were
killed In the coach or as they were
leaving II.
The Americans died bravely. Not one
OF them begged for mercy. Those who
had left the coach stood whitc-faced,
but erect. as they waited their turn. III
had been seen that escape was impossi-
BILE as c. r. Watson. leader of the party,
had been killed while trying to make his
way to safety in small ravine.
wATsoN's HEAD SEVERED.
Watson. against whom the bitterest
hatred of the Mexicans was directed, was
among the first to leave the car. As he
dropped to the ground on the east side of
the train, he started to run. The MeXi-
cans raised their rifles and fired vol
ley, but Watson did not fall, Another
salvo of shots rang out and Watson fell
to his face. his body sliding along the
ground for 10 or i2 feet. He had been
wounded three times Several Mexicans
ran UP to the body and one believing the
American still alive. slashed at the neck
with the bayonet of his rifle until the
head was severed.
J. w Woon tried TO take advantage OF
the opportunity while { Mexicans were
firing at Watson and he started to run.
He hadn't gone 100 yards before he fell
with four bullets in, his body. The Mex
leans profaney congratulated each other
on their craftsmanship.
The next to be killed was NJ. B. Romero.
with ghastly humor the Mexicans pre-
tended to give him a chance to escape.
He fell with his body riddled.
Four bullets were then fired into the
body OF r. p Mediation.
The other Americans. dazed by the orgy
of murder that they were witnessing, were
then lined up against the car Some of
the victims were shot after they had
fallen from the first volley of the firing
squad.
In the train the other passengers
crouched on the floor and some Mexicans
were shooting wildly by this time and
bullets were flying in every direction,
splintering the woodwork of the coaches
and smashing through the windows
The bodies of the Americans were
stripped OF their clothing for the most
part. Every garment was ransacked. If
a Mexican secured less toll from a corpse
than satisfied his greed he jabbed his
bayonet into the unoffending corpse.
When word was taken to Chihuahua
City of the massacre the Americans at
once formed a rescue squad of heavily
armed men. which set out posthaste for
the scene.
The corpses OF Watson. Romero. Nc
Hatton and Woon lay where they had |
fallen, apparently. Fourteen other bodies |
were found in a little gulley about four
feet from the railway tracks, where they
had been dumped by the bandits. It Is |
believed from stories told by passengers
on the massacre train" that none OF |
those killed carried any weapons If the |
victims had revolvers I'm their suitcases
they had no time to get them out for self
defense.
In additional to the personal belongings
OF the victims the bandits secured $4,000 |
which was being taken to the plant of the
Cusi Minins Company to pay off the
hands.
HOLMES MAKES ESCAPE.
Thomas b. Holmes. the only one of the |
iatended victims to make his escape. |
pwes his life to the efforts of Watson and |
iVoon to save themselves. In the con- |
siision attending the shooting of Watson |
and Woon. Holmes made his way toward |
the rear of the train and, although fired |
On. gained the shelter of a small ravine. |
Mexieans pursued him. but he maraged |
- hide beneath some brush and ultl- !
mately maGG his way to Chihuahua City. |
After the Slassacre and after the ban |
dts b:d obtained all the loot they could |
find. tney mounted their horses and rode |
away toward the Sierra Madre Mountains |
I'm the west.
The train was then backed toward Chi |
huahua City, arriving there about Q |
o'clock Monday night.
So great was the fear of the tranmen |
and passengers that they did not even |
wait TO pick up the corpses of the slain.
TRAIN SENT FOR BODIES.
A special train was made up by the
Northwestern Railway on Monday, con
sisting of three box cars. Early Tuesday |
morning 1t set out for the scene OF the !
massacre carrying IA Americans. headed !
by DIR. ]. %, Newby and 200 soldiers from
tho Carranzista garrison in Chihuahua
City that had been put at the disposal
OF the Americans by General Jacinto
Trevino.
Two of the membS s OF the American
squad were Roland and Joseph Ander-
son. father and brother of Maurice An
derson. one Of the American victims of |
the bandits. The others were Fred
Stevens. w. ". Fink E. II. Mckay, d. E.
Bell DIR. j. NJ. Smith, j. b. Barker. A. r.
Carson. Ray Harrell. j. NJ. Murray, w. L.
Churchill and NJ. j. Luna
On Tuesday afternoon about 9 o'clock
the boxear special arrived outside of
Santa Ysabel. where, Just "a hours be-
fore. the lives of the little American
party had been snuffed out.
The Mexican soldiers taking machine
guns with them. detrained TO reconnoiter
for some OF the bandits who might still
be lurking, In the rel .aborhood.
After a two-hour search no bandits
were seen and Doctor MacKay insisted
that the work of collecting the bodies
be commenced. The commander OF the
Mexican soldiers lent 10 OF his men TO
the American squad and supplied them
with two machine guns, while the re-
OF Mexican troops continued 10
scour the surrounding hills.
The special train began to move for
ward but had not gone very far before
two Mexicans tagged it and told the
engineer that band of villa followers
we're lying in the brush not Ear away.
se-eral mounted men could be seen In