The sun., 1919-04-20
VILLAS ARMY the MARCH
Self-Preservatlon Imposes Silence While
Murder, Looting and Graft Flourish
and Starvation Stalks Abroad

guard. Some of the windows OF the
primern cldse are broken and a single
lamp is all that is available 10 mark
spot in the darkness II the journey
| is not completed before night.
Rail travel in northern Mexico takes
place IN daylight, barring accidents,
travel by night being too risky.
Travellers 90 Armed.
The appearance Of travellers has
changed with the coaches. Those who
| Journey in Mexico now bear the look
Of resigned necessity. The men are
all armed. The absence Of cartridge
belt and pistol is as noticeable as that
/ OF collar or hat.
1t was on such train left Juarez
on the goth Of last September. Creep
ing UP out OF the sand hills. we came
to the floor OF the great elevated val
ley that extends southwark TO Chi
huahua 1t was a sea of grass, still
! green from the summer rains and
we'll watered, especially as one pro-
ceeds south, by springs, lagoons and
streams. No finer cattle range lies
out OF doors. But we never saw an
animal except few mich cows closely
herded about the stations.
| Before reaching Ortiz We passed the
spot where Villa had held up train
not long ago. He had planned to dy-
Mantle Il, but the explosion came a
few seconds late and its effect was
merely to detacIl the first class coach
and leave II behind. the rest OF the
train escaping. There were eighteen
! first class passengers in the coach.
They were shot down one after the
other and their clothes and belongings
looted.
Ortiz Is in tho valley OF the Conchas
River. Fields of corn fiourished in Its
rich bottom lands. At the station men,
women and children passed along out
side the cars selling milk boiled ears
of corn, cheese. tortillas. tamales. en-
chilladas. frjoles and every other va
riety of Mexican food. Cleanliness as
we understand II was lacking, but the
food was palatable and hunger salts
flying and, it seemed, in profusion.
The immediate impression was that
Mexico was in no danger OF starvation
But the Impression was as erroneous
as the old one that two swallows
make n spring" After two months In
| Mexico learned tlht many Hdu Oleu
of starvation and the bulk OF the popr
ulation was on the verge OF 1t con-
stantly.
The crops OF grain. like the herds OF
cattle. were the prey OF the Villistas
as also the Carranzistas, with choice
II any. in favor OF the former 1t was
told me repeatedly by both Mexlcans
and Americans long resident In the
country that many OF the Carranza
Generals had grown rich from whole
sale loot of crops and live stock. The
General In chief for this northern zone
was repeatedly cited as an example OF
such illegal profit. 1t was said before
entering the army he had been a little
! photographer and was now rated a
multi millionaire. that to a confiscated
hacienda In HAcatecas he had shipped
trainloads OF cattle he had seized In
! tho north, and had even comman
deered the wheat crops and shipped
them TO Texas. leaving a starving and
detected population TO live as best II
! could.
j The second night brought us &c
Jimenez. We put up at the adobe no.
J tel across from the station. AS with
many hsxssan towns, Jimenez Is abou,