Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-16
TELLS OF BANDIT
CRIMES AGAINST
AMERICAN GIRLS
Woman Testifying at Investi-
CATION Relates Stories of
Cruelties and Outrages
FACE STRIPPED OF SKIN
Two Others Carried to Hills;
Feet Shaved Until So Ten
der They Cannot Escape

Washington, Sept. 16. - With a
number of persons subpoenaed and
waiting TO be heard, further angles
of the Mexican situation were eX-
pected to be laid to-day before the
Senate Foreign Relations Subcom-
mittee investigating relations be-
tween this country and Mexico.
The subcommittee last night held
its first night session and heard its
first woman witness.
Miss Agnes Laut, who recently re-
turned from Mexico, in advising
against intervention in Mexico. laid
before the committee last night a
solution of the Mexican problem
which she characterized as the
"beneficent pacification" of Mexico.
In corroboration of her assertion
that widespread corruption had in
flicted on Mexico nine years of
crucifiXion" and that "ninety-five
per cent. of the population is calling
for help" Miss Laut said. She told
the committee of two girls who had
been dubbed to death, of two Ameri-
can women who were carried into
forced to remain by their captors,
who shaved the soles of their feet
to the quick to make simpler the
I task OF guarding them.
Now a Captive
An American girl from Nebraska,
she said, now is somewhere in the
hills, the captive of Mexicans, who
dragged her from her home near
the gulf coast. When the band ap-
peared they roped her father and
, mother and when she, Is years old,
threw herself before the Mexicans,
they declared they. would kill her
parents. She tainted and when re-
vived she found herself alone in the
hills with her assailants.
An English woman in the State of
Zacatecas was more fortunate. ac-
cording to Miss Laut. In this case
bandit who was struggling with her,
and then killed two ether bandits
who held her two daughters.
Another story she related was
that of a woman whose skin was
stripped from her face, the Mexi-
can cutting from the center of the
forehead circularly about the face
then tearing the covering loose.
Driven Insane
A Kansas farmer was the victim
of the Cedillo brothers in the State
of San Luis Potosi, according to her
testimony. His wife and daughter
| were gone the Mexicans raided the
place. hanged him to a tree, altern-
ately raising and lowering him and
jabbing him with bayonets. The
man became insane and afterwards
died.
30 Women Captured
Another example of the treatment
of women which she cited was the
taking into the hills of more than
80 women and girls from a train
the Mexicans had captured.
No attempt was made by the wit
ness to shield the Carranza soldiery.
She admitted that a fal- part of the
crimes were committed by bandits.
but intimated that a number of the
so-called bandits were in reality
Mexican Federal troops.
Federal Troops Implicated
Regarding reports that the rebels
have been getting arms and ammu-
milton from the United States, she
said that through an American Army
officer who had made the investiga-
tion for her she found that the
rifles of many of the followers of
Felix Diaz were of the same pat
tern used by the Mexican Army, and
that they had been acquired both
by capture and by purchase from
the Mexican Army.