New-York tribune., 1919-04-12
''Atilla of the South Cor.
nered in Mountains by
Federal Troops; Colonel
in Command Is Promoted
Laid Vast Tracts Waste
Indian Followers Cut Up
Canvas of F a m ou S
Paintings for Clothing

| Special Correspondence
MEXICO CITY, April lit is an
nounced by the government that Emili-
ano Zapata, known as the worst bandit
IN Mexico, who for q long time was in
control of the state of Morelos, was
killed yesterday by Federal troops.
Zapata, who has been called the
"Attila of the South,' laid Morelos
waste and ruined many great sugar
plantations. Cuernavaca, the capital
] of the state, wellknown to tourists,
was the summer home of Emperor
Macmillan. In the large church at
Cuernavaca Zapata destroyed famous
paintings by Velasquez and other Span
ish masters. The pictures were dis
tributed among the bandit chiefs In
dian followers, who cut the canvas up
for clothing. Some of the finest ex-
amplcs of Spanish art were thus de-
stroyed.
General Pablo Gonzalez, in a mes
sage to the War Department, states
that the body Of Zapata will be sent to
Mexico city, to remove any doubt OF
his death.
MEXICO CITY, April 10 BY The
Associated Press.-An announcement
that General Emiliano Zapata had been
killed by government troops confirmed
an earlier newspaper report OF the
rebel leaders death from Cuautla, in
the state of Morelos.
The message says that part of the
b0th Regiment serving under General
Pablo Gonzales, Of the Carranza army
returned to Cuautla, General Gon2ales's
headquarters, tonight with the body
of the rebel chief.
Advices from Morelos say that the
death Of Zapata was brought about by
strategy Zapata with his followers had
been hiding in an inaccessible noun
tain region since the government
troops had pacifed the State of Nor
clos, which was the stronghold of Zap
alta after he began his revolt in 1909.
The rebel chief is said to have been
killed in an uRlamed part of the noun
tans of Southern Morelos by troops
under command of Colonel Guajardo.
The War Department has promoted the
colonel to general for his feat.
Had Controlled Capital
At the. height of his power several
years ago General Zapata figured as
the possible head of the Mexican gov
ernment At three different times dur
ing the last ten years his followers
were in controN of Mexico City for
brief periods.
Since the downfall of Porfirio Daz,
Two
southern and northern Mexico respec-
lively have been the sources of un-
ending trouble for the various govern
ments of Mexico. Zapata, the first to
raise the standard of revolt, is the first
to fall. Villa still is active in the
North, although not on as an extensive
scale as formerly.
Ten days ago when General Aurelio
Banquet began campaign in south
ern Mexico against President Carranza
it was announced that General Blan-
quet expected to cooperate with Ia
pata in his revolutionary movement.
For ten years Zapata had ravaged
southern Mexico. Starting with
small force in 1909 he was able by 1911
to defeat government forces sent
against him, and during the Huerta
regime held sway over several states
in addition to Morelos, where he began
anu cIluCQ HIS SdIccI ICI Il SuOEJ Ll1nc
in 1914 Zapata and Villa worked to-
gether against Huerta, but the south
ern leader soon disagreed with the
northern rebel chief and withdrew
again to the mountains south of Mexico
City.
Had Personal Leadership
Fear of the revenge of Zapata added
greatly to the success of the. bandit
leader because, as many reports Testify,
he was ruthless against those who op-
posed him. Poor and uneducuted. IA
pata was the leader Of the Indians If
Mexico as opposed to the Spanish and
half-Spanish ruling class. His wes q
personal leadership When he was sue
cessful his followers lived on the best
that could be found in captured cities
and towns. When reverses came his
followers scattered. His plan for
government Of Mexico was to place the
power in the hands Of the Indians.
The presence Of Zapata in Morelos
was constant threat to Mexico Citv.
and since 1916 the Carranza govern
ment has been campaigning against the
rebel chief. On March II it was re-
ported that Zapata's stronghold had
been captured by the government
forces, that his followers were sur
rendering and that he had fled TO the