The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-11-29
TWO A|ME R|CANS
SLAIN IN MEXICO
ADD To TROUBLE
Soldier of Carranza Trof <
Shoots James Wallace :
LUND STARVED TO DEATH
Since July %, Eight United States
Citizens Have Lost Their Lives
in Mexico

Washington, Nov 2S.-The murder
of James Wallace, an agent of the
Gulf Refining Company, by a Carran-
"a soldier at Potraro del Liano in. the
Tampico district on Wednesday was
added to Mexicos account today with
the report Of the crime by the State
Department. A few hours later ad-
vices were received that Otto Lund
naturalized American Of Swedish
birth, had been starved to death by
bandits holding him for ransom in the
State of Mavarit and that Lund's wife
and child were without aid in the
town of Tepic. The State Department
gave out only the briefest statements.
Wallace's death so infiamed Sena-
tor Ashurst (Arizona) that he demand
ed Mexico be served with twenty-four
hours notice to make amends and to
release Consular Agent jenkins. If
Mexico still refused he said the ma
tion's military forces should be en-
ployed without delay. The stubborn
note sent yesterday by Carranza dis
claiming responsibility for the deten-
tion of Jenkins he termed another
miserable piece of bluffing,' and he
asserted that he assumed every one
knew the State Department was try
ing to match bluff with more bluff.
During the day Secretary Lansing
received the Mexican Ambassador,
Ignacio Bonillas. They went over
the jenkins case, and Mr. Lansing
laid before the envoy the message an
nouncing the death of Wallace. Moth
ing was. given out after the confer
ence, but 1t J, is said the Secretary
made it clear the Federal Government
was not satisfied with the explanation
given for the detention of jenkins i'll
a Puebla Jail, 1t was. said on the
best authority mat the Mexican Off
cial was informed Of the inevitable
consequences that would follow con-
timed molestation OF American citi-
zeIls.
SThe death of Wallace is the eighth
in the death roll Of Americans at the
hands of Mexicans since July %, 1919
when the State Department warned
the CarranZa Government that more
killing of Americans would not be
tolerated. The report received by
the State Department attempted to
place the blame for the death of Wal
lace on the Americans own actions,
but when the message was made pub
lie it was with the memorandum that
the State Department regarded the
murder as unwarranted.
Wallace was riding to his work on
mulebacA when the animal SHE'D in
passing party of Carranza soldiers,
The mules heels kicked over ma
chine gun and raced madly off. The
State Department advices were that
a Carranza soldier Immediately seiz-
ed his rifle and began firing. One Of
the bullets struck the oil man in the
neck, causing instant death Wallace
vas one of the best known agents of
the Gulf Refining Company and had
been in Mexico several years.
Although the second death report
ed, that of Lund, could not be traced
to the Carranza Government, its un-
vanished brutality has aroused con-
siderable heat. Lund has been held
five months for ransom, according to
the State Department report. When
repeated demands on the Federal
Government had met with no re-
sponse his captors chopped off one
of his fingers and wrapped it with
sheet of paper containing another de.
mand for money. This demand wa
addressed to Lund's friends in Topic.
Before they could act, word of his
death from blood poisoning was re-
ceived
Jenkins is still in Jail at Puebla.
The prospect of hearing anything
mora fror, tba Curra,,yo Governn,npt
Immediately seems to be remote in
view of the turmoil reported from
Mexico city.