Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-06-12
BORDER TOO HOT;
WITNESS SAYS He
MOVED To IDAHO
After Looting of His Store,
His Own Capture and Res
cue By Troopers, Deemer
Sought Quieter Cline,
tav AoEs,so JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wrsrl


Mount Clemens. Mich, June ll.--A
romantic episode of the border MS re-
lated by Jesse Deemer, now of Bull,
Ida, from the witness stanG held the
close attention of counsel and spec
tators in Judge fuckers court today,
where Henry Ford is suing the Chi-
cago Daily Tribune for $1,000 900 on
charge of libel.
Deener spent many years in Mexico
and along the border as telegrapher
and railroad man, rancher and store
! keeper, but after his capture ~ han
dts. the looting of his general store
at Bouqllas Tex. on the border. and
( his thrilling rescue by American
troopers, he exchanged his sombrero
for derby hat and retired to the
comparative quiet of Idaho.
Norman Walker. correspondent OF
the Associated Press at FL Paso; Mr..
Dcemer, Oscar G. Compton of San
Antonio, Tex, formerly of Glen
Springs, Tex, and Orin c, Dove a
customs inspector at Preside, Tex
were the days other witnesses.
Attorney Elliott G. Stevenson OF
Tribune counsel sought TO question
Walker as to the reports of u new
threat of fighting al JuareZ, Mexico,
but the testimony was not permitted,
Mr.. Stevenson argued to the court
that the new developments should go
into the evidence as showing that the
situation in Mexico in 1916, when the
Tribune called Mr.. Ford an anarchist,
continued even now, but Judge Tucker
| held as the witness had the informa-
| ton only from newspapers and in tel
| egrams il was not admissible.
Official Statements.
| Mr. Walker was the medium
which two official statements. one
from President Wilson and the other
! from Secretary of State Lansing, were
! introduced
Attorney Alfred Lucking for Mr.,
! Ford read an appeal to the press by
! President Wilson IN March, 1915,
shortly after the Columbus, n. NJ
raid by II villa band in which Ameril-
can citizens We're slain. In this letter
| the president appealed TO the press
! to avoid referring TO the troop move
ment in Mexico rs war or to publish
sensational rumorS or otherwise TO
i aggravate a situation which might
| become serious. The letter warned
that powerful influences were at
work to embroi the two nations and
terested in eXaggerating the facts.
Attorney Weymouth kirkland of
counsel for the Tribune, countered
with Mr.. Lansing's scath'ng indict-
ment three months later of the Mexi-
can federal government contained in
letter to President Carranza after
| Carranza had insisted that General
| Pershing's troops, still in pursuit of
! the Columbus raiders. be Withdrawn.
! In this letter Mr. Lansing reCtted q
long list of raids into American ter
ritory; of murder and looting and
l"unciviliZed mutilation."
Big Bend Incidents.
Compton, Deemer and Dove test
fled as to incidents in he Big Bend
country of Texas Compton and
| Deemer suffered from a raid made
| by MeXicans in the middle of May,
1915. At Glen Springs there was a
detachment of nine American sol
ders whose duty it was to guard
thirty or forty miles of border. They
were attacked during the night by
/ Mexicans and Compton's 4-year-old
son was killed Another son witness
ed the killing.
Deemer, during his captivity, gained
somewhat dubious version of the
Kllllng OF tHe DdDy, ~ Ddnu-t, ieJolH-
ing the party which had Deemer. told
him that he mistook the child for a
man and fired and that he was sorry.
! Compton himself escaped by hiding
| in a gully
The Mexicans who captured Deemer
first looted his store. securing $4,000
| in cash.
"They told me that they hated the
Americans because President Wilson
had permitted Carranza troops to pass
through United States territory to
operate against Villa" related Deem
er. They said they liked the Ger
mans, though. and right then | decid-
ed to change my citizenship. l told
them l was German"