South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-03-13
Gen. Villa Supreme OUer His 400 900 Acre Domain
~ d a. nTIEII-DTR.

i talked long with the reformed
Mexican bandit and revoiutionisi.
rode for hours over the estate which
the Mexican government presented
20 him as n peace token. ate az his
table, slept under his roof end got
well acquainted with him.
villa f. conducting an immense
colonization schame on his 100000
acres of land In Durango. IN addi-
ton 70 400 81 his former soldiers.
probabl 500 other Meucans-ne en-,
women and chilG~en-are living un-
der his direct rule fin his new do
main
Here Vnla is supreme.
He has been supplied by the Mex
fcan government with tractors, bind
err, mowers. Rang-plows and every
kind OF modern American farming
machinery.
He has planted 5000 acres Of win
ter wheat and g. breaking up ground
for 5000 acres OF corn.
His wife is teaching the young
Mexican women home economics and
English.
villa f. forcing education upon his
people. The little public school runs
full blast day and night
The irrigation works on Villas
land is a model Of efficiency. It
would be q credit in any irrigated
region tn the United states
Favors Teaching Bible.
He IS constructing sanitation
works and putting bath rooms in
houses He compels cleanliness
OF religion. villa admits q mini
mum into the fife Of his colonists
However. twice a year a clergy
man may come TO baptize children.
marry couples and preach SERMONS.
And villa favors Bible teaching in
the public schools.
The old church I'm the hamlet ad-
Joining Villas realm is used by him
as a storehOuse.
Whether there is a God or not
villa says. "Bible study will tend
10 make people see The difference
between right and wrong. to be fair
with their fellcwmen, tell tho truth
and keep their word.
But ne stiH places more reliance
in gunpowder than In religion. His
constant companion is "a six-shOOter
in his belt with &c I saw him hit
a mark so yards away, at the first
shot.
with all his farming activity ana
numerous other projects that require
his personal supervision, villa finds
time for his daily diversion-train-
ing fighting cocks.
Every morning the general-the
title was confirmed by the govern
h
mcnt-personally takes the birds
out to the patio Of his personal quar-
tiers and ties each 20 a tree.
He frees "a pair and enjoys the
fight meanwhile observing with an
expert and critical eye which bird
strikes the harder. They practice
without metal spurs. so the sport OF
training them is not as bloody as a
match.
Shortly after 7 was introduced TO
villa he proposed that we ride over
his ranch. The two big things
learned on that long ride in the
saddle were:
villa has learned much about
pure bred livestock. modern farm
ing and irrigation.
Villa has the best cavalry horses
have ever seen, horses with phe-
nomenal powers Of endurance.
The general pointed out the horse
was TO ride as the attendants led
out q number Of animals from the
stables for our party.
Villa himself rode a big bay, with
powerful legs and chest that de-
noted enormous heart and lung ca
pacity.
villa Tmps slightly with his right
leg from a snipers wound In one OF
his raids on Mexican towns. "a wound
that caused him 20 hide in cave
for many days.
The limp. however. did not inter
fere with his lifting his bulk of zoe
pounds Of solid bone and muscle ia
the saddle. And his horse was Off al
smart gallOp-
We saw the water works the gov
ernment is constructing for villa
We saw the four tent colonies OF
workers-living i'm the fields neal
their work.
The 100 soldiers assigned TO Villas
farm bv the federal government are
not acting as a garrison. Instead
they are working with picks and
sbovels. Their guns are locked uT
in the warehouse.
Makes Ranch Pay.
villa arrived on the ranch only
last september. The place was
dilapidated. The buildings were ir
poor repair and unclean. 1t had
been the headquarters of ricf
Spaniard ousted by the revolutions
villa had forced the government
TO promise as the price Of his ceas
ing guerrilla warfare it would install
wator works. sewerage. electic hght
and even telephones. And he's sec
ing that this is done.
we got back from the ride aftcl
nfghtfaU and went in for the suppel
which Mrs. Villa had prepared fo
as
Mrs. Villa lived fin san Antonio
Tex. for number of years. while
villa was az war
Now with villa at peace. she hal
returned TO him with their four chill
dren
Mrs. villa is fair. speaks Englisl
without a trace of accent. and set
sn An1trican cable for her husband
D1TJ Heads n