The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-07-17

QUIT Being
AN OUTLAW
Life vaIueless Except as a
Bandit, Says American
Business Agent
BY HERBERT COREY

BY HERBERT COREY
Ell PASo. July iT.-'Pancho wants
60 quit being a bandit" said Villas
friend But how can he duit', To
quit would be Just the same ms com.
hitting suicide. His hide would be
drying on the fence within 10 days
After he had dishanded HIS army
Nothing In the whole Mexican stu.
alton Is more hopelessiy 18th cen.
fury than the Villa complication.
The leaders on both sides are gov.
erned by a code OF ethics that passed
out OF fashion along with rapiers and
trunk hose. Ransom. bribery and as
sassinauon are among its common
places. No cne seems TO hate any
ol0ne -particulariy-for the bust.
ness In hand is too eminently mat.
ter OF fact TO be complicated by emo.
ton. No one particularly trusts any
one else.
BUSINESS NAN
VILLAS AGENT
A very respectable and well liked
usaness mabn here IL acting as inter
mediary between villa and tho pres
ent administration. Senior Elias Tor
rcs has been spoken OF rs the inter.
mediary. but Senior Torres is what a
person addicted to horse racing would
call an added starter" He saw n
chance TO get a piece Of the pie which
his delicate senses told him WIS
about ready 20 so into the oven. But
he returned from a visit to the Villa
country unsuccessful villa did not
offer TO trade thru hln.
The intermediary Is an American.
No ono seems to have asked him to
b. an intermediary. He Is a type Of
the livewire American business man.
Who can see an opportunity before
y gets above the horizon He knew
that villa wsntS TO quit being q
bandit. in consideration OF q fat sum
Of golden pesos-say a million or no
Ito him In hand. well and duly paid
He knows that the Mexican govern.
mcnt would leap at the chance 10
buy villa off for a million pesos or
%. II only remained TO fix the
terms
VILLA STANDS WELL
WITH PEOPLE
So he has been on the phone inter.
1attentiy during the past rcek., That
may seem surprising. villa. II L.
we'll understood. Ia a bandit and
bandits are not supposed TO be pcs
sessed Of the telephone ana mailing
privileges. But the fact 10 tina, villa.
~ . bandit. stands out A. well with
Mlcst people who know him a. do the
Guiy constituted aushor.tieA This
1nn't q SUBSCRIPTIONS rap 1t the de Ia
1uerta administration or obr~gon.
0nly the CarranxistA authorities.
NAo were the last authorities OF rec
- IN Mexico before Orebxon gained
potrul treated their victims quite
- unpieasantiy a. villa did The
u<1udpl difference was that Villas
0ord was worth o1e hundred cents
~ the dollar.
Sure. III quit. n vina's state-
- to Be shown how can quit nfe
~
VIVA knows perfectly well that he
yin be killed the very day that he
can be killed safely. No word OF
honor given by the present admins.
txaton would bind a succeeding ad.
ministration- II might not even bind
the present administration. That Is
not the way the game II played In
Mexico. Even Villas word has rusty
spots on IL When he promises pro
lection and Ia paid for II he delivers
the goods, but there Is many q man
dead In the Mexican sands who would
be alive today II Villa had played
4air. His ungovernabie temper has
made him break many a compact.
cause he was able to kid" villa on.
Of murder.
ORDERED
OBREGON SHOT
Obregon had visited Villas camp
~ an emissary from Carranxa. That
was back in the days when Obregon
was ms anti.American as Carranza
two ambitions had forced Obregon 20
see his duty as a patriot in a new
light, villa had assured Obregon Of
safe conduct. and the big man from
Sonora had ridden into Villas camp
unarned- No one ever suggested
that Oregon Is anything less than
400 per cent brave. The two could
not agree on terms. villa fell into
one Of his black RACES:
Take him out and shoot him. he
yelled
You can do that, Of cour-e.. said
Obregon calmly. But IT viii not BE-
20 your credit
villa reflected and assented But
Il was not because the deed Itself
~uas dishonorable. but because others
Gbuld cali II dishonorabie. Now he
declines TO put himself in the power
u Obregon and de In Huerta and
Gales. for he reasons they would kill
him with the best win In the world
5ust as soon a. they can get an as
oassin in shooting distance. That
offer of 100000 pesos for vflla, dead
or alive. which was made some time
ago. still sticks In his craw. II stiil