The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-11-22
AMERICANS PLEAD
FOR ANGELES
His Execution By Carranza Might
Cause Intervention BY United States
In Behalf of Villas Cause.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22.-The Mex
lean government is being bombarded !
with kilograms, coming from private
sources in the United States, warning
it not to execute General Filipe An
geles, chief lieutenant of Francisco Vii |
la, who was captured recently by the
Carranzistas near Parral and was said
to be on trial by courtmartial in Chi
hauhua City yesterday. These des-
patches, which set forth that to take
vengeance on Angeles would almost GER
tainly result in intervention by the
United States, are going to members of
the Mexican congress and to official and
personal friends of President Carran-
"a; and the efforts of the Americans to
save the life of Angeles may be sec
onded i'll an influential manner by rep
resentatives of French interests. An
geles is not only a great soldier but the
leading intellectual of the Villa faction,
and is one of the warmest friends of
the United States among Mexicans of
prominence. The mere shooting of An
geles as a rebel by the Mexican govern
ment might not of itself provoke inter
vention by the United States, but it
would Immediately launch Villa on a
career of reprisals which would stir his
well equipped forces into activity and
probably result in the summary execu-
ton of every enemy officer captured by
his troops.
The result might be to precipitate a
situation in which no one 5 life or pro-
| pertv would be safe, and to compel mil
/ tary action by the United States gov
crnment, which hitherto has confined it
| self to writing notes, the last of which
| was despatched Nov. 90, 1919 and in
| formed Carranza that further molesta-
! ton of the American consular agent
| ". o. Jenkins, twill seriously affect
! the relations between the United States
and Mexico, for which the government
of Mexico must assume the sole respon-
sibility.' 1t is not. TO be expected in
any ease, should the United States en-
ter Mexico with n military force, that
! operations would be directed against
| the Villa forces, nor, in fact, need it be
anticipated according to trustworthy
information, that Villa and his sympa-
thizers in northern Mexico would resist
14hc invasion as they did when General
Pershing went across the border with
troops and Villa himself was the OBJ.
iect of their search. Notwithstanding
the continuance of a state of hostil.
ity between Villa and the federal gov
crnment, the rebel chief has kept order
in the territory he controls and Ameri
can interests have been protected:
For months villa has been busy or
ganizing his forces, not to give battl,
to American troops but to use them fol
he final overthrow of the Carranz;
, government. at which he long has beer
aiming. 1t has been expected tina
; should the rebel plan succeed. Genera
Angeles would be the choice of the vie
torious forces for president of the re
!, public. To shoot him at this time
2 therefore, would be master strok
/, from the point of view of the Car
| rama government but it might precipi
tate situation which would hasten tn
| last eventuality the Carranzistas de
) sire, viz, military intervention by tn
United States, and this possibility wit
t the passive aequiescence if not the &C
live cooperation of the enemies of Car
rama in Mexico.