Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-01-15
Stories of Unredressed Mur-
ders and Devastation of
Property Given Senate Sub
Committee Probing Situation.
TAMPICG LAWYER TELLS
OF TWO RECENT DEATHS
Seems Confident That Roney
And BoIes Were Murdered
BY Carranza Soldiers and
Not by Bandits.
Hourly temperatures

San Antonio, Tex. Jan. IA
Stories of terrible cruelty. uare
dressed murders and devastation Of
property were given the senate sub,
committee investigating the Mex
ican situation by men in close touch
with conditions in Mexico #. NJ.
McBee. cattleman from border
town; James J. Britt, lawyer from
Tampico, and George E. Blalock,
once head of what was the largest
colony of American farmers in Mex
leo, and who now is operating a
small grocery store here, were some
of he witnesses. The effect of their
testimony strengthened the claims
that were made in Washington that
the insecurity of American life and
property in Mexico is growing
greater.
Britt, who reminded the committee.
that he is not employed by an oil
company, asserted that American
life was worth more during the war
than it is today in the country about
Tampico."
Cared for Murdered Bodies.
He entered the United States only
two days ago. He is one of the meE
who assisted in caring for the bodies
of E. J. Roney and Earl Bolcs, who
were killed in the oil fields Decem- Z
Der 81. They had dined together
Christmas day.
Britt appeared confident that the
men were killed by Carranza sol
diers.
"They were killed within the Car
rama lines he said, "and the bull
lets we took from their bodies were
those used by the government sol
diers and>pot by the bandits. More
over Boles, after he had been throw:
to the ground by bullet in hisI
ankle. had been attacked from bel
hind by man with hatchet. The|
blade had been thrust far into hisl
body, turned downward and then ur|
again. The bandits in that part oil
the country do not carry machetes.
The soldiers do.
Theory of Killing Supported,
y The theory that the killing was
done BY soldiers was further sup
ported by telling how the paymastesl
of one of the oil companies, who
resembled Roney, received permis-
sion about the same time the two
had left to carry certain amount
of money into the oil fields. This in
formation was transmitted to the
Carranzatas, Britt said, and those
who killed Roney and Bow1es be-
lieved they were killing the payn,as-
ter
He told the committee til. Amer
leans stood guard over the bodies
until IN autopsy could be held.
"We had one experience of ne
glecting that phase of such case
when Wallace was shot. know for
fact he was not drinking man.
and yet the claim set up by the
Mexicans was that he was drunk.
And this is what happened. They
poured tequila into his mouth, and
over his face after he was dead III
order that the odor might support
their claims
Want Support of u. S.
Britt, who was a soldier in the
tank corps of the American army
in France, confirmed to the COM
mittee the recommendation that was
attributed to Secretary of Finance
Luis Cabrera that members of the
American Legion in Tampico should
be deported. The membership, he
said. was nearly 400
What are you going to dor
asked the chairman, ARE you going
to get out?"
I'VE won't get out if-.he United
! Continued on Page Two Column Two.,l