The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-30
MEXICO REPLIES
Foreign Office Makes Long De-
NAL of q. s. Charges.
Not Definite Whether 1t Is OFF,
cial Answer.

Mexico City, June 30-The foreign
office this afternoon issued Il 5000
word statement in reply to the Lansing
note. The statement contains a
strenuous denial of many of the
charges made in this communication
with counter charges against the
United States, but does not contain
repetition of the demand for the
withdrawal of American troops.
(NOTE+The cable dispatch does
not make it clear whether the state
ment as given out by the Mexican
foreign office is the actual answer of
the Mexican government to the Amer
| lean note, or is simply an official COM
ment, preceding actual delivery of the
note.)
l. Replying to the charge that An1eri-
can citizens have been murdered in
Mexico the statement points out that
because of internatial disturbances
Mexican citizens have also suffered
from the depredations of bandits and
revolutionary forces. It declares il
| unreasonable to expect that foreigners
should be immune under such cir
| cumstances.
Mexicans Also Murdered.
| It is also asserted that in many
cases Mexicans have been murdered
on American soil and that their muir
derers have gone unpublished, though
| the attention of the American state
department has been called to these
\ crimes. The foreign office points out
| further that many of the outrages
| complained of by the American gov
eminent occurred before the United
| States recognized the CarranZa gov
eminent and adds that in view of this
| fact, it is not proper to bring these
| complaints to the attention of the de
| faCto government at this time.
The foreign office reiterates previ-
| Gus declarations that every effort has
| been made by the Constitutionalist
| government to punish persons guilty
of outrages against foreigners. The
statement declares that the American
victims of the San Ysbel massacre
were fully warned by the Constitution
alist military chiefs that the country
in which they were proceeding was
| infested by Villa bandits.
They insisted on entering the region
| of danger despite these protests. The
| foreign office further declares that
several days before Villas raid on
| Colum bus Mexican military authorities
notified the United States border Of
| ficials that Villa was moving toward
the border with his bandits, and that
ample time elapsed for the American
military commanders to safeguard
border towns.
Didn't Give Permission to Cross.
The foreign office resents the
| charge that constitutionalist troops
| have failed to cooperate with the
American troops in the hunt for villa
stating that after the raid on Coluff1
bus, Mexican force took the field
in pursuit of the Villistas, SCATTERING
| the bandits.
| The statement that the Carranza
government never gave permission for
American troops to enter Mexican ter
ritory is repeated, and the blame fol
the encounter at Parral is laid on the
commander of the American forces
who the statement declared, entered
the town without permission of the
Mexican authorities.
| American LIVER Decorated.
Paris, June 30.-Lieut. William
Thaw, American flyer with the
Franco-American corps, has beer
| decorated with the Legion of Honor
and Sert. Kiffin Rockwell and Corp
Bert Hall awarded the military media
for bravery in action. They were of.
ficially complimented for daring serv-
ices. William Barber of Toledo, Ohio
member of the American ambulance
| hc OF