Arizona republican., 1921-04-29

there, knew they were on American soil and were there on their own will They were professional bandits. Ac- qulttal would mean. he said. that fl, the future Mexican bandits may raid American towns and go free on. tis by their leaoer.
 The 16 prisoners on trial wers forced to serve under Villa. R. F. Hamilton, attorney for the viIlistas declared to the jury. This constitute ed their principal defense. He said the evidence did not show they had participated actively in the raid on Columbus and that whatever pa.t they had in the raid was forced up- on them by the fear of the conse~ quences of disobedience to the orders of Villa or his officers.
 Says Villas Capture Prevented.
 The indictment on which the me. were tried, charging them with aid ing and abetung in the death of William T. Ritchie, one of the vic nms of the raid. requires the state ta prove only that Ritchie was killed by an unknown person and that the Nlllista prisoners were present and participated in the crime On thif point the instructions to the jurors stated that if they believed from the evidence that the defendants did not come to Columbus of their own freq Will. did not actively aid or encour- age the slayer Of Ritchie and had ns part or knowledge of the planning oi the crime, they should be found nor guilty The mere fact that they were under duress or members of a dis ciplined military organization. how ever, the instructions stated, does not relieve the 16 Villistas of guilty of murder under the law of aiding and abetting.
 Asserting that the capture of Fran cisco Villa by the American troops of the punitive expedition was pre- vented by orders from Washington was made on the witness stand by Major N. W. Campanole, chief intel ligence officer with General Persh- ings expedition into Mexico.
 There is no doubt in my mind. and am speaking from knowledge I obtained in charge of the secret serv- ice of the army, that Villa would have been captured if the troops of the punitive expedition had been per mitted to operate" Major Campauole testified.
 After the battle at Parral. Mai Campanole said, differences arose be- tween the punitive expedition and
 
 were presumably cooperating with the Americans in the pursuit of NiI- ! la and his raiders Conferences were held al which efforts were made to ! adjust the strained relations between the United States and the Carranza government. according to Major Cam panole, and following these the ex- petition received orders from the government to cease its recon naisances in the vicinity which he said it was known that Villa was in hiding. In a statement to the Associated Press, Major Campanole declared one of the columns of the punitive expedition had passed with in a thousand yards of the house where Villa was hiding in the village of San Juan Del Sitio. This was on April II and the rebel chief had fled after having been wounded on March 27 in an engagement with the Car ranza troops. according to Major Campanole's statement. Sometime after passing Villas hiding place, | Major Campanole said. it became known to the intelligence division of the expedition that he was there. On April 21. he said, the battle was | fought at Parral and immediately ! afterwards the expedition was or dered to cease recounaisances in Eil- i las territory and later ordered to re- turn northwards. Fifteen thousand men were sent into Mexico with the punitive expedition, Major Campa- ] mole estimated, the cost of the expe- ditiou. he said. has been variously es- timated at between S20. 1000. 900 and S25000.000. The advance Into Mex ico was began few days after the