El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-21

/ the Mexican Central and the Mexic
North Western railroads should b.
! Communicated and the cOmmandinl
! officer given q free hand in the mat
! ter of searching houses and whole com
munities when he has reason to be-
| lieve Villa or a friend of villa is be.
/ ing hidden and from which raids upOT
/ lines Of communication may be di
reCted.
Drastic Measures Necessary.
This may sound drastic and not in
keeping with the spirit which is sup
posed to animate this expedition. It
{ is drastic but only drastic measures
Will avail in a campaign against a
, man like Villa, who is banking upon
the race hatred Of the people Of Mexico
as a whole to protect him from COM
mon enemy.
Free hand or failure That is the
whole story in a nutshell There is
but one side to it.
PnrraI Thorn in Pershing's Side.
The Parral situation continues the
principal topic Of conversation in army
circles, though Gen Pershing and mem
bers Of his staff refuse TO discuss it
for publication in any OF It's phases.
The next move to be made, If known
to the military authorities in the field
is kept a profound secret.
\ While the first version Of the affair
led those who heard the story Of the
handful of men to believe that Gen
Lozano, jefe de las armas Of Parral,
was in the plot to bring about a de-
struction Of the American forces
through drawing il into trap from
which no man would be permitted to
escape with his life, it is now thought
he acted in good faith and did his best
To cause those soldiers in the mob to
return to their barracks. He is said
to have gone to the extent of emptying
his pistol into the ranks Of the mutt
neers. wounding a number of them in
a VAIN endeavor to stop the attack
upon the Americans.
who Ordered Attack:
BE that as it may. there is n strong
belief that the attack was favored, il
not really ordered by the Carrancista
officers high in command and there
is a disposition to demand that the
most drastic action be taken to catch
those who participated in the anti
American demonstration or those who
gave il countenaHce in any manner, "a
lesson which they will remember 20
the end Of time
In Justice TO Gen. Pershing it mus;
be said that he is having no part in
this declaration Of intentions and is
maintaining a most dignified silence
so far as this camps public is con-
cerned. contenting himself with dis
cussing the affair in all its PHASES with
his superiOrs in San Antonio. Wash
ington or wherever they may be in
the United States.
Attnck il InexplicabIe.
As the facts Of the affair become
known in their entirety. the more in
explicable the attack seems TO be. ex-
cept upon the hypothesis THAI there
was a gigantic plot on the part of re-
sponsible officers of the Parral gar
rison TO indulge in a wholesale mas
sacre of American soldiers, which would
make the world gasp.
It is among the possibilities that the
plans might have succeeded had lit not
been for the undue haste exhibited in
the matter Of beginning the orgy of
death, by some members OF the mob.
The throwing Of stones and the fir
ing of pistols and the wild shouts of
"muerte a los gringOes" ("death to
the Americans") put the Americans on |
notice that they had enemies in the /
crowd which gathered to take them as
they waited for their commanding off |
Ger to conclude his conference with /
the various chiefs. military and politi- /
cal in the jefatura ON the central plaza /
Of the city.
TOmpkins Takes Warning.
These manifestations also had the 1
effect of making Mai Tompkins aware !
that he was not in the hands of friends |
and to make him wary Of taking the !
advice given him as to the place I'm 1
which he should camp. 1t seems GER /
tain, too, that had he followed the I
advice given him, he and his men would !
be numbered among the martyrs to n /
iesire to punish the man responsible !
'or the Columbus massacre other than !
merely having suffered the loss of two |
killed and q number wounded and |
himself nursing n wound in the
shoulder.
The place selected by the Parral au-
horities as the camping ground for
he Americans was near the packing
rouse. Ideally located for its CONVEX
ZION into a pit of death if the leaders
# the military garrison Of the town
10 willed IL, and, in the opinion Of those
amiliar with the situation. Maj. Tomp-
1ins was wise to refuse to occupv ii.
Natural Fortiflcations.
Parral is naturally a fortress and
Mould be held for an indefinite length
Il time by n comparatively sman force
gainst a force OF attackers MANY