Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-04-29
VILLISTAS ACQUITTED
IN TRIAL AT DEFINING
Continued from Page ons3

/
attorney contended. were just as
guilty as those VINO fired and par
! ticipated in other active manner in
the raid Many Of the defendants
claimed to have held horses while
the raid was in progress. That
was the valuable assistance to the
raiders, Mr., Fielder declared.
Were Forced to Attack.
The sixteen prisoners on trial
were forced to serve under Villa,
r. f. Hamilton, attorney for the
Villistas, declared to the jury. This
constituted their principal defense.
He said that the evidence did not
show they had participated actively
in the raid on Columbus and that
whatever part they had in the raid
was forced upon them by the fear
of the consequences of disobedi-
cree to the orders of Villa or his
officers. t....
villa Was Responsible.
"Villa, the man responsible for
the raid. is free today 4 enjoying
wealth and honor in Mexico and
you should not hang these men for
doing what he forced them to do,
Mr.. Hamilton said. .t.
The indictment on which the
men We're tried, charging them
with aiding and abetting in the
death of William I. RitChie, one
of the victims of the raid. REQUIRES
the state to prove only that Richie
was killed by an unknown person
and that the Yillista prisoners We're
present and participated in the
crime On this point the instruc-
tons Of the court to the jurors
state that if they believed from the
evidence that the defendants did
not come to Columbus of their own
free will did not actively aid or
encourage the slayer of Richie
and had no part or knowledge OF
the planning Of the crime, they
should be found not guilty, The
mere fact that they We're under
duress or members of a disciplined
n ilitary organization. however the
instructions stated, did not, relieve
the sixteen Villistas Of guilt OF
murder under the law of aiding
and abetting. .s.... 1. .s.t. -
Washington Blocked Capture?
Assertion that the capture or
Francisco. Villa by the American
troops Of the punitive expedition
was prevented by. orders from
Washington, was made on the wit
ness stand by Mai. n. w. Campo
mole, chief intelligence officer with
General Pershing's expedition into
Mexico.
There is no doubt in my mind,
and I am speaking from knowledge
/ obtained in charge " the secret
service Of the army, that viva
have been captured if the troop
of the punitive expedition had been
permitted to operate" Major Cam
panole testified. .-...-r|
After the battle at Parral, Major
Campanole said, differences arose
between the punitive expedition
and the Carranza dc facto troops
which were presumably co-operat-
ing with the Americans in the pur-
suit of Villa and his raiders. Con-
forences at which efforts We're
made to adjust the strained rela-
lions between the United States
and the Carranza government To
cease it's reconnaissance in the vi
entity in which he said Villa was
known to be in hiding. >-..
villa Could Have Been Taken.
Then orders were received from
the government to withdraw north
ward and in following out these
instructions the army moved away
from Villas refuge, Major Cam
panole stated. Had the punitive
expedition been left Tree to oper-
ate, according to the information
gathered by the intelligence de-
partment, Villa could readily have
been captured, he testified.
In a statement to the Associat-
ed Press, Major Campanole de-
clared that one of the columns of
the punitive expedition passed
within a thousand yards of the
house where Villa was hiding in
the village of San Juan Del Sitio.
This was on April IL, and the rebel
chief had fled there after having
been wounded on March 81 in an
engagement with Carranza troops,
according to Major Campanole's
statement. s...... .-..,. ..
Learned of His Whereabouts.
Some time after passing Villas
hiding place, Major Campanole
said it became known to the intel
ligence division of the expedition
that he was there. On April 81
he said the. battle was fought at
Parral, and Immediately after
wards the expedition was ordered
to cease "Reminiscences in Villas
territory and later ordered to re-
turn northwards. ....
With the exception of a few
periods, according to Major Cam
panole, Villas movements were
known to the expedition leaders
He was traced, he said, from Co.
lumbus to the village of San Juan
Del Sitio, where he remained two
days" and then becoming fearful
OF capture, moved to the outskirts
of the village, where he remained
until he had recovered from his
wounds.
Expedition Cost $4,000. 900.
Fifteen thousand men were sent
into Mexico with the punitive expe-
dition, Major Campanole estimated,
the cost of the expedition, he said,
has been variously estimated be-
tween twenty and twenty-five mill
lion dollars. The advance into
Mexico was begun few days after
the raid on Columbus, on March 8,
1916, and the withdrawal was COM
pleted the following February, he
said.
During that time. according to
Major Campanole's report to Gen
eral Pershing as intelligence Off
GER, about sixty American soldiers
were killed or wounded. The ex-
petition brought back twenty-one
prisoners, including fifteen Of the
sixteen on trial here. Two died in
Jail at Silver City, after being turned
over to the state authorities by
General Pershing. The others we're
released for lack Of evidence.
What the Yanks Accomplished.