The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-08
PanchO Agreed to Conduct BOr-
der Raids for S25O,OOO.
MEANWHILE URGED CARRANzA
First Chiefs Anti-AIIies Note
Was One Result.
Agents Swarm in Mexico to
Stir Anti-U. s. Intrigue.
BY WEBB MILLER.

Laredo, TEX, March S.-Germany is
playing Villa against Carranza. Great
sums of German money are pouring
into the bandit leaders hands, melting
him TO activity against the United
States and against Carranza, while at
the same time the Germans work thru
officials of the Carranza government,
seeking to align that side against the
United States.
Just back from a trip into the in
terror of Mexico, 1 can state these
facts on the highest authority:
Agents of the German government
in Mexico approached Francisco Villa
at his headquarters at Bustillos ranch,
about February II, with a proposition
to renew his raids on the border in
case of a declaration of war between
the United States and Germany Two
German agents reached the bandit
! leader. The conference extended over
two days.
At first Villa demurred against any
attack on the border. in force, under
any circumstances, but at length an
agreement was reached that IN case
of war Villa would send small bands.
! as unattached bandits, to operate at
widely separated points along the in
ternationaltline and to make sporadic
forays to harasS American troops.
Quarter Million in Gold.
Under the terms of agreement the
German agents promised to pay Villa
100000 pesos (($250,OOO) in gold at
once to seal the compact. He refused
to enter into the plot until the first
payment was handed over. They
agreed to pay large amount each
month thereafter in case of war, to en-
enable Villa to pay his men secuream-
munition and build up his shattered
forces for a campaign.
After orders from Foreign SAcEetary
Zimmerman reached Mexico City for
an attempt to arrange an alliance with
Mexico and Japan, the Villa scheme
| was one of the first moves. One Sc
cret agent was sent north from the
ca pital to San Luis Potosi where he
| met another From Parral, both
travelled by horseback to Bustillo S
ranch, about forty miles west of Chi
huahua City. At this point Villa was
making his headquarters at that time.
Villa Was Second Choice.
| The Villa plan was to be used chief
| w in the event of failure to induce
| Carranza to enter an intrigue against
! the United States and as a possible
means of bringing pressure to bear on
Carranza 1t was hoped to involve
the de facto government and the Unit
ed States in new, serious conpnca-
lions making the retention of a large
part of the army along the border
necessary.
! That friction between Carranza and
the United States would tend to weak
en- the de facto power was pointed
out to Villa by the German agents
Already the German cabal in the
/ Mexican capital had set active under
I ground influences to work upon the
| first chief and his advisers to induce
| them to consent to an alliance The
| famous note sent by Carranza to the
| neutral powers, asking them to unite
in refusing to furnish supplies to bel
| ligerent countries was engineered by
the German propagand1sts.
! 1t was the original intention to lead
the first chief to order the oil fields
| of Tampico to be closed to export.
J This was later modified to the form
/ in which it was sent because most of
/ the fields are owned by English com
! panies and a large amount of the oil
| is used by the English fleets and such
action therefore, would have brought
| complications between England and
Mexico.
| Germans Plot Openly.
Among officials in Mexico City
stories are afioat that two government
officials in the first chiefs immediate
circle of influential men were cooper
| ating directly with German agents.
One of the newspapers in the cap
| ital is said to be under subsidy to the
Germans to print news from the Ger
man angle. In other ways German
j money and influence are at work to
sway the actions of the de facto gov
| eminent Such efforts are rendered
comparatively easy by the cross-cur-
rents of jealousy and ambition of the
different military and political lead
erS.
/ Strongest military censorship at all
the cable and telegraph offices in
Mexico prevents the sending of any
dispatch not approved by the govern
ment.
| Lieutenant Fay Now in Mexico.
New York, March S-Lieutenant
Robert Fay, who plotted to destroy
munition ships, was convicted and es-
capped from the Atlanta prison, is now
in Mexico. according to information
received by the district attorneys Of
flee here. Agents of the department
of justice traced him to Mexico and
| found he was engaged in a plot to
stir Villa to new attacks on the Car
rama government, according to an
nouncement here