The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-08-21

Maria. Texas, Aug. 17-Letters pur-
porting to be from Lieuts. Paul H
Davis and Harold G. Peterson, Amer
lean army aviators, missing since last
Sunday, were received here today al
military headquarters. The letters
stated that the avitors were being
held by bandits for $4,000 ransom
somewhere in Mexico and were
threatened with death unless the ran
sam was paid.
Ransom Will Be Paid.
Ell Paso, Texas, Aug. 17-An Off
cial statement was issued at military
headquarters here tonight signed by
Brig. Gen. James B. Erwin, district
commander, announcing that Major
l.. A. Walton, commander of the areo
unit at Fort Bliss, had received a mes
sage from the two missing aviators
saying they had been captured by
Mexicans and were being held for
$4,000 ransom. The ransom must be
paid by August Is, according to the
message.
Arrangements were being made
here tonight to obtain $4,000 gold
coin and to send it to Maria early
tomorrow for payment of the ransom.
This action was deemed advisable to
protect the men.
The demand for the ransom was
received here today and report made
at once to Major Gen. Dickman, COM
mander of the Southern Department
An unconfirmed report also was re-
ceived here that the aviators were
being held at a point close to the
American border and that Hico Cano,
famous bandit of the Big Bend
Ojinaga district, was the leader of
the band holding the aviators.
According to the demand, the ran
som must be paid tomorrow. 1t is to
be delivered in gold to an American
supposed to be an agent of the ban
dts at Candelaria, Texas, on the Rio
Grande, sixty miles south of Valen-
tine, Texas.
Aviators Peterson and Davis are a
part of the personnel of the Fort Bliss
aviation corps, but were on detached
duty with the Big Bend district mill
tary headquarters at Maria, Texas,
when they disappeared. They left
Maria last Sunday morning for the
usual patrol of the border, planning to
follow the north bank of the Rio
Grande to the end of the district.
1t is believed by aviation officers
here that they confused the Conchos
river, which flows into the Rio Grande
near Presidio, Texas, with the Rio
Grande, and followed the course Of
this river into interior of Mexico. An
other theory advanced here by fellow
aviators is that they were forced to
land, either on the American or Mex
ican side of the border in the wild
country of the Big Bend district, and
were made prisoners by the Mexican
bandits who make marauding trips
across the border at frequent intervals
in search of cattle and other property
which they carry off to Mexico.
When it became known at Fort Bliss
tonight that the aviators were held
by Mexican bandits there was much
discussion among army officers of the
possibility of American troops cross
ing the border in search Of the ban
dts. This was discredited by higher
officers for two reasons. The princi-
pal one advanced was that the Amer
lean aviators would be killed'if an eX-
pedition crossed in pursuit. The other
was thatorde for expeditions to cross
the border in the Big Bend district
apply only to the pursuit of bandits
who have stolen property on the
American side and then only to fol-
low a hot trail.'
Washington, Aug. II - Secretary
Baker tonight, after Associated Press
dispatches telling of the holding for
ransom by Mexican bandits of two
American aviators had been read to
him, said that he could make no COM
ment. The secretary did not indicate
whether advices as to the plight OF
the aviators had reached the War De-
partment. The State Department, is
was said by officials there, had re-
ceived no information on the affair.
News of the holding of the aviators
by Mexican bandits coming on the
neelS OF the warning nOle W lue CdI-
rama government that unless protec-
tion was afforded American property
and life in Mexico, radical change
in the policy of this government to-
ward Mexico would result, intensified
interest in official circles here.
1t was pointed out that the incident
reported from the border tonight was
the second of the kind within less
than two months. However, in the
present case those being held and
threatened with death are American
military officers and thus, it was said,
there could be no claim Of mistaken
identity as might have been possible
in he two previous instances.
Confirmed by Johnston.
San Antonio, Texas, Aug. 17-Col.
w. T. Johnston, chief of staff of the
Southern department, tonight con-
firmed the statement that report
had been sent to the department the
effect that Lieutenants Davis and
Peterson are prisoners of Mexican
bandits. Col. Johnston declined TO dis