Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-03-05
VILLA DOOMED /
BY HOME GUARD
"Defensa Social" to Run Mexican
Bandits to Earth.
SIMILAR TO The VIGILANTES
Organization Is One Of Most Important
Manifestations Of Average Mexican's
Sincere Desire for the Return Of
Peace-ls Proving Buwark Of Civil
Government In Many Distriets-viIIa
10 Chief Victim.


Government In Many Distriets-viIIa
10 Chief Victim.
The doom of villa and other noto-
rious Mexican bandits appears to have
been sealed by the formation Of the
Defensa Social.
The Defensa Social Is similar to the
famous vigilantes Of California who
restored that state to comparative
peace after wild orgy of banditry and
crime following the rush for gold.
Organization for the Defensa Social
marks one Of the significant extensions
of civil government. Indeed, II Is per-
haps one of. the most important mani
festatiOns of the average Mexican's
sincere desire for the return of peace
after the excuses that were a natural
by-product Of revolution.
The Defensa Social is practically
home guard. Carranza has encouraged
the arming Of the individual ranch
owner and peon in order that these
people could suppress effectively pure,
ly local activities of the bandits who
thinly masked their thieving propensi.
ties with the title of revOlutionists.
This home guard Is proving bull.
wark Of civil government in many dis
tricts and has been able in many com.
munities to suppress bandit gangs.
In the Rio Verde district of south.
eastern portion Of San Luis Potosi
and In that section Of the state Of Que.
reterO which joins II the Defensa So.
cial has $1,000 men,'ers. The strength
of this organization is known.
Villa Is a Victim.
That fact in itself has restored peace
and insured the farmers and workers
and merchants Of more peace than they
have enjoyed for long time. No one
no matter what their tendencies. has
the audacity to modest the populace
and government and state troops have
heen relieved for police duty else.
where as result.
villa has been the most conspicuous
victim Of the Defensa Social movement
10 date. Through its strong organiza
ton In Chihuahua. the state that Wills
dominated for so long a time, the home
guarders have cleaned up the bandits
to a remarkable extent In the last few
weeks.
With Its advent Villas star began to
set. The death of Martin Lopez, VII
las right-hand bandit; Juan Urbina
General Gonzales and finally General
Angeles. robbed him o. his chief aids
His so-caiied revolutionary movement
cannot re perate, because the people
Of Chihuahua no longer fear him.
A matter Of information that Is
new to the United States. Is that II
was the Defensa Social which captured
General Angeles and turned him ovei
to Carranza military officials at Chi
huahua for court martial and execu
ton.
So II finally looks as though the De
fensa Social was the agency through
which the people of Mexico would CO
operatively put down the comparative
ly small bandit leaders and their small
bands which have done so much to i'm,
pede the thorough establishment Of
representative government.
Sparseness Of population plus rough
country lending itself to the bandit
business has enabled such bandit lead.
ers as Eulalio Gutierrez, Dona Juanits
and Peleaz, as well as villa. to keeD
up their harassing raids on railroads
ranches and towns. ',
Butcher Becomes Bandit.
Gutierrez was butcher who turned
to banditry when the revolution ruined
the butcher business. He has operat
ed In the hill mountains through which
the railroad from Saltillo to San Luis
Potosi runs.
The fortunes Of the revolution which
followed the murder Of Madero BY
Huerta made Gutierrez president foi
90 days. He was wholly Incompetent
but has kept up his outlawry IN the
hope that he might again seize the
reins Of government. His band scat
tiers In the mountains after each raid
and is hard for organized troops ia
find.
The Defensa Social is after him,
however. and in true vigilnnte style
will no doubt get him as II has been
getting the villa leaders.
Juan Juanita operates along the
Tsmpico-San Luis railroad Here again
the widest and most beautiful country
E in Mexico offers ideal protection for
bandits. And here again the home
guard organization Is the only one Civ.
Ing promise of enforcing peaceful civil
government.
Peleaz has held sway In the oil
fields because troops from other sec
lions cannot stand the climate Of the
tropics Defensa Social members, made
up as they are Of natives Of that re-
gion, are not heir to any such danger.
and are expected In the long run to
destroy Peleaz power.