The Washington times., 1916-01-13
BODIES Of BANDITS
VICTIMS IN FL PAS0
funeral Train Met BY Silent
~ Crowd of Relatives and
. Friends of Dead.

Ell PASO. Pan. 1S.-Carrying its dealt
cargo in eighteen black Mexican cask-
cts, the train with the eighteen victims
of the Santa Ysabel massacre arrived
here today.
4 silent crowd of several hundred
friends and relatives gathered at the
old Santa Fe station to meet the train,
sorrowfully watched the caskets trans
ferred to automobile trucks. piled two
and three high, covered with a tarpaulin
and taken to the morgue.
With the arrival of the victims
bodies Indignation here increased. A
great meeting of protest against the
policy and to demand Immediate in
tervention was being arranged,
Thousands plan to attend the
funerals of the murdered men. who
lived here.
GruesOme Story Told.
A gruesome story OF the massacre
was told by Mexican witnesses Of the
massacre to members OF the party
who accompanied the bodies to the
border.
American friends OF the mining men
risked their lives when they boldly
rode into the view OF the murderers
and recovered the dead bodiesS The
bandits still lurked in The vicinity as
the half dozen Americans, armed TO
the teeth, picked up the blood-cover-
ed nude bodies and placed them on
the rescue train
Soft-nosed bullets had been used.
making ragged holes in the heads OF
the wounded Americans when the
bandits gave them the mercy shot.
The skulls Of three men had oeen
shot away.
Each body had from two to live holes,
the blood soaking the dirt and cindcrs
along the railroad track.
Didn't Pursue Villistas.
The Americans in the restua rarty
were escorted by a small det 4chment C
Carranza troops, who insisted on stop
ping the train every few minutes and
reConnoiterng FOR bandits. when the
scene of the massacre was REACHED,
mounted NillistaS We're rot tl1re than
half mile away. The Carran",stas On
tho train, not being mounted. made no
attempt to pursue the suspected m1r-
Cerers.
AS soon as the bodies vac loaded
INTO box car the train hacked into
Chihuahua. where the entire populi!ce
net them.
When the train pulled INTO Juarez.
across the border from FL Pas,, it was
met by a committee of FL Paso officials
and citizens. and by Gen. Gabriel Ga
Nira, Carranza commander. \ troop )f
Mexican cavalry clipped their ilags in
salute
Jose Maria Sanchez, Mexican miner
employed by the murdered Americans,
was an eyewitness of the massacre. and
returned here with the train.
We were in two coaches" said San
chez, "one occupied by the Americans
and the other by twenty Of US Mexican
employees.
NO sooner had the train been
brought to standstill by the wreck the
bandits caused ahead than they began
to board the coaches: They swarmed
into our car. poked Mausers into our
fnl6 n t0 lo,
or they would kill us.
Pockets Rifled BY Bandits.
They rifed our pockets. took our
blankets and baggage, and even our
lunches"
Then Col. Pablo Lopez, in charge
OF the looting in our car said: Tf YOU
want to see some fun watch us Kill
these gringoes. Come on boys he
shouted to his hearers
They ran from our coach CRYING.
viva villa and death to the gringoes'
| heard volley of rifle shots and
looked out of the window.
Nj Msnsser tss WATSON was running, to-
distance away. Four other Americans
We're running in other directions, the
\illistas shooting at them. Some of
the soldiers dropped to their knees for
ninS. about 100 yards. He got up
limping. but went on a short dis
tance further. when he threw up his
arms and fell forward. his body roll
ing down the bank into the river.
'Of two others running for the
river. one fell midway. l learned lat
er this was Romero. Four bullets
penetrated his body Tho other man
FELLOW later identified as Mediation
got forty. yards from the train when
he was shot.
Crowdad Info Coach
While this was going on other
Niilistas crowded into the Americans
coach. | could not see what hap
pened in there, as a frightful panic
broke out in our car. Later | learned
that the Americans were unarmed.
Pearce was shot as he sat in the
each. ! saw Wallaces body on the
Sround at the car step. He had been
shot through the back. Another body
was on Top of Wallace's.
he other Americans were herded
10 the side OF the coach and lined up.
soldiers as executioners ard this
nearly precipitated a fight among the
bandits over who should have the
PRIVILEGE of shooting the Americans.
several of the Americans in line
mad been wounded when the Villistas
shot into the coach
The two eXecutioners used Mauser
rifles; One would shoot his victim
ana then the other solaier you'd take
the next in line.
within a few moments the execu-
TONERS had gone completely down
the line. The americans lay on the
ground. some gaspins and writhine
in the sand and cinders.
THE suffering OF the Americans
seemed TO drive the bandits into a
frenzy. Viva Villa they cried, and
Death to the gringoes.'
''Tire de Gracia" Given.
Colonel Lopez ordered the tire de
gracia' given to those who were still !