Arizona republican., 1921-04-27
ARMY OFFICER WILL TESTIFY MEN ON TRIAL CONFESSEDTO
 BORDER RAID
Taking of Testimony Starts In Deming Trial of 16 Villistas Charged With Columbus Raid
TRepubrIcan A. P. Leased Wfrel

1 DEMING, N. M., April 26-"Maten los gringos." Okill the gringoes), .Viva l Villa 0ong live Villa) were the I shouts of the Mexican soldiers who | raided the American town of Colum- l bus, N. NJ, in March, 1916, according l to testimony of three witnesses in 1 the district court here this after noon at the trial of the 16 alleged members of Villas band, charged 1 with murder in connection with the 1 raid.
 | Selection of the jury ended sudden ly at 2:30 this afternoon at a time l when it appeared improba ble that 1 jury could be obtained in this coun- | ty. Counsel for the defense and state l reached an agreement after more l than 50 men had been examined and ] rejected and subsequent eXamina tions 1 were less strenuous. In all, 5S were examined before the jury box was l filled Presentation of testimony be- gan immediately.
 | Evidence showing that the raid on Columbus was by Villista soldiers, I and that American civilians were shot down and stores robbed and burned | and women brutaliy treated and
 rings stripped from the hand of
 young girls was gwen at the aft
 
 examination of state witnesses ex- cept by the defense attorney, R. F.. 1 Hamilton of Deming, to point out 1 the fact that none of the Is men on l trial had been shooting during the | raid
 1 A. Hulzy of Naco, Ariz.. town mar | shal at Columbus at the time of the
 raid. was the first witness and de-
 scribed the raid as he saw it from
 hole he had dug in his yard in i which to plant a tree but which had
 served to protect him from flying
 bullets during the raiu. He saw one l American shot down and after the
 Mexicans had withdrawn he found
 the body of W. T. Ritchie, proprietor
 of Columbus hotel, for whose mur-
 der of 16 prisoners are being tried
 Mrs. w. T. Ritchie, widow of the
 murdered man, described how the
 invaders had battered down the doors;
 of their hotel and had entered every
 room. Her husband was torn from her side and shot and left to die on
 the sidewalk in front of the hotel.
 The Mexicans were shouting
 "Gringo" and Viva Villa she said
 Shouts of "Maten los Ciringos'' had
 awakened him in his hotel room at 1 Columbus the morning of the raid
 Benjamin S. Aguirre of Fl Paso tes- tified. He described his escape from the hotel where four Americans were
 killed
 Arthur Rave1 of Columbus, r years
 old at the titne of the raid. was res
 cued from his Mexican captors by
 American soldiers after Ritchie had been shot down at his side, he said .. q do not intend to stultify myself . by trying to explain or condone such | ATr- Ia appointed by the court to defend ths Villistas, but I expect to show that
 these 16 men were in Columbus
 against their will and that they took
 no part in the firing"
 Evidence will be introduced during
 the trial as to alleged confession by
 all of the men on trial, District At
 torney Forrest Fielder stated tonight = Mai N w Campanole a member oi General Pershing's staff during the
 punitive expedition, will testify as tC
 alleged confessions made to him by f the men at the time of their capture MT. Fielder said. It is possible the
 defense may spring a surprise in the 5 testimony of Maria Rodriguez, wife oi one of the defendants and the sister of another She came here from ,, Juarez, Mexico, to attend the tria | and her name was presented by MT
  l' not make a statement sts to the na- e ture of her testimony.
 Following is the personnel of the 2 jury:
 p w. E. Berry. farmer. Deming: Will T liam E. Lefflar, railroad worker n Deming: George R. Maisel. farmer e Hondale; w. P Carson, plasterer = farmer, Deming; Alexander M
 Thompson, painter, Deming: A. J
 Tidmore, merchant. Deming: C. c = Sage. garage owner. Deming: Franl 'f Dunnigan, carpenter. Deming; Waltel e C. Curtis, jewelers Deming; Franl
 Torres. laborer, Dem!ng: William e Caste. hotel owner, Demng. d George R. Maisel, father of Georg' . R. Maisel, Jr., served on the jury tha : convicted the six raiders hanged il $ 1916. Frank Torres is of Spanish = American blood.
 u Alleged confessions by the 16 Vii : listas to United States army officer
 were denied by them this morning il a conference with their attorney, R IT F. Hamilton.
 e Without exception it was learne, e the men claimed to have been con
 scripted by Villas officers unde il threat of death. Only a few of then a admitted that they had even seen tn y rebel chief
 'r Most of the Villistas claim to hav e been conscripted by Colonel Ger
 vantes, one of Villas leaders. One O
 them declared he was struck acros er the back d dozen times with the edg n of a sword when he refused to serve Id The men claim they pleaded guilt. er on advice of a deputy sheriff at Sil L yer City jail, who, they say, told then
 they would receive a sentence of iron
 three to four yeare.'