The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-04-14
MAGAZINE WRITER
ESCAPES BANDITS
VILLAS MEN KILL TWO CONIPAN-
IONS, But j. II. LOCKE
STEALS AWAY.

Pershing's Camp at Front. April
10 (by aeroplane to Columbus, N. NJ,
April 11.)-The cheapness in which
the Villa forces hold human life was
brought out pointedly here to-day by
]. III. Locke, an American, of Minaca,
who escaped from that city the night
of March 2S, when Herman Blanken-
burg, German, and David Bruce, an
American, were killed by the bandits.
Locke described to Gen. Pershing the
utter recklessness with which these
two were slain.
Letters found on Bruce indicated
that he had adopted a pen-name in
Mexico while trying to sell magazine
stories, and that his friends expected
him to write something about Villa.
The letters gave his right name as
Don McGregor. He was from Min
neapolis, Chicago and Denver.
1.-The night of March 2S," said
Locke in, telling his story, 1--WE three
were in my hotel. Early in the
morning, before daylight, we heard
shooting. told the other two, who
came to my room, that we must get
away Immediately before daylight.
Blankenburg said he would not leave,
that he was a German with nothing
to fear. Bruce seemed to be in fear,
but decided not to risk going out. So
l started alone.
1.-The next day hid out and two
days later a Mexican friend brought
me news of the deaths of Blanken-
burg and Bruce.
"They had stayed together in my
Office, which faced the street, until
about in the morning. Then
Blankenburg decided that he would
go to the hotel kept by Richard
Heimple, another German. Just at
that moment Villa bandit rode past.
without warning this bandit struck
Blankenburg over the head with his
sword, splitting it half way to the
neck. AS Blankenburg fell the ban
dit shot him in the face.
"All this occurred before the door
of my room had been closed, so that
the Villa bandit, after striking Blan-
kenburg, looked up and saw Bruce
sitting in my ROOM The bandit rails
ed his rifle and fired. killing Bruce
with two shots through the breast.
1.-The Villa bandits left early in
the forenoon. Then the Mexicans
buried the two hurriedly, but they
did not dare have any ceremony.
They Just tumbled both bodies into
trench along with some dead Mex
leans. 1 do not know how many
Mexican dead were there"
The Don McGregor referred to in
the letters found on Bruce is believ-
ed to be one of the men who served
with the Federal Industrial Relations
Commission under Frank Walsh, of
Kansas City. He was also said to
have been formerly city editor of the
Minneapolis News. Some of Bruce's
letters were from ]. r. Walker, Of
Denver. Another was from w. M.
Leisessor, of Chicago. Some of the
letters referred to walsh and the
commission" ~
They did not disclose why Bruce
was in Mexico. They made reference
to magazine stories which had been
refused. No 4rfr
J.. H. Locke said he was gradu-
ate of the University of Minnesota.
He came to Mexico in 1891 with a
New York expedition on natural his
tory. Afterward he remained in
Mexico, where he keeps a hotel.
Locke was once Minneapolis re-
porter. h
Worked In Colorado.
Denver, Col. April 11.-Don Nc
Gregor, a newspaper reporter in Den
yer in 1918, went to the Southern
Colorado coal fields during the mi
ners' strike later cast his lot with the
strikers and went to live at one Of
the tent colonies. In April, 1914,
McGregor led force of strikers in
a battle with militia near Walsen-
burg during which Maj. p. p. Lester,
of the hospital corps. was killed
McGregor came to Denver after the
fighting ceased and then left for the
East. Subsequently McGregor was
charged with murder in an informa-
ton filed by Fred Farrar. Attorney
General. The case has not been
tried.