Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-07-24
SAYS AMERICANS
WERE |MPRUOENT
Official Mexican Explanation of
the Attack and Robbery of
U. S. Sailors on the Tamesi
River
ENTERED REBEL DOMAIN
Official Statement Il Made That Letter
VIII Show Tint vflln Was Offered
a Visit by Senator Fall to Discus,
Revolutionary Campaign

Mexico City, July %. fBy the Associated
press).-Oficial accounts Of the robbing
Of American sailors from the U. s. s
Cheyenne on July 6. and Of the deaths
or American were given out to-day by
General Juan Barragan. chief Of the
presidential staff in the form of govern
mental dispatches. One of these stated
that the sailors went up the river Tames
into rebel territory.
General Ricardo Gonzalez chief of the
Fampico garrison. I'm a despatch report
ing on the murder Of John w. Correll
near Tampico on June 1G stated the
the murder was committed by Tamesi
bandits and that he had ordered a pursuit
or the outlaws and that four Of the
bandits had been killed and twenty horses
recovered in fight at the bandits head
quarters.
other official dispatches on deaths of
americans placed the responsibility for
the incidents in some cases upon the men
killed
General Barragan also announced that
Tomorrow there would be made public
various dispatches belonging to the
archlves Of the bandit Villa" recovered
In Juarez and including "a letter ad-
dressed to Villa by Colonel Charles F.
Hunt ohering Villa a VISIT by Senator
tall and other persons in an effort to
aid Villas campaign
Among the dispatches furnished bv
General Barragan to the Associated
Press was one from General Gonzalez,
regarding the Cheyenne case, in which
| 81 of nf
says:
This was due to their american
sailors) imprudence. for without ad-
Vising with Mexican military head
quarters where they could have
learned how far they could have
passed safely up the river, Tamesi
they ventured beyond the last out
post into rebel territory and were
robbed of one watch. a little money
and their shoes"
General Gonzales reports that he
has called the attention of the Amer
lean consul to this fact. and also that
he has given orders that nobody shall
pass the last Mexican outposts in the
future.
The killing of Hiram Hughes an
American, near Tampico July A.
occurred, according to the Gonzales
dispatches. after Hughes. while in
toxicated, had tnsulted passersby and
had been arrested Asked If he car
ried arms, Hughes is alleged to have
replied in the negative, but gen.
darme found a pistol in his pocket
Hughes is then declared to have shot
the gendarme in the hand and was.
himself mortally wounded in the en-
suing struggle.
The death of Peter Catron, on or about
July T. is blamed by General Gonzale.
on Catrons neighbors, who robbed hm
of cattle. The names OF the slayers are
known and Gonzales has promised their
early capture.
The statement given out by Genera
Barragan concludes follows:
Tomorrow there will be made public
various documents belonging to the
archives of the bandit, Francisco Villa,
which We're recovered in Juarez in the
last fight in that city Among these
documents appears a letter addressed to
villa by Charles F. Hunt offering Villa
visit by Senator Fall and other per-
sons to confer with him CVllla) for the
purpose of helping TO push to success
the campaign against the present MeXi-
can government, and the reply given by
Villa.
"These documents very important,
, for Senator Fall is of those who have
been working the hardest against our
government in the American Senate"
Washington, July 23-"They are liars Of
course as usual" said Senator Fall of
New Mexico tonight when shown Mexico
City dispatches announcing that a letter
purporting to offer overtures to Francisco
Villa through the senator was to be made
public in the Mexican capital
The New Mexico senator said that with
out his consent or approval the letter was
written TO Villa by Col Charles F. Hunt.
When he learned of It, Senator Fall said.
he sent on March II. 1917 copies of the cor
respondence along with a letter of trans
initial to the state department for its in
formation and files. On May 26, 1917 he
said New York morning newspaper pub
lished a Mexico City despatch giving the
text of this letter which he asserted is
the same one that General Barragan has
announced would be made public,
Washington. July 23-Closely following
announcements from Mexico that villa
and Angeles had disbanded their revolu-
tionary forces. the Mexican embassy to-
day received word that Felix Diaz, am
other revolutionist, had abandoned his
campaign against the Carranza govern
ment and that Luis Gutierrez, another
leader has surrendered with his forces.
The acting secretary of foreign affairs
reported that federal troops pursuing
the perpetrators of the Correll murder
lyil lInd nf fhAr,