The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-06-29
MEXICANS DENY
AMERICANS ARE
HELD CAPTIVE
But One of the Victims
of Banditry Reached
Mexico City After Es-
cape From His Captors
In the Nearby Noun
tains

Mexico City, June 29.-(By the AS
sociated Press. ss.l-kscaping from his
bandit captors after four days of cap
tivity A. Bruce Bielaski, former head
of the American department of jus
tees investigation bureau, has re.
turned to Mexico City.
Covered with dust. unshaven and
showing plainly the marks of his i'm
prisonment in the mountains of More
los. Bielaski was taken to his apart
ment where his wife and half dozen
friends greeted him. His friends de-
clared the former American official
had escaped from his captors at Tete-
cal, walking the thirty miles to Cuer-
navaca, near which he was captured
last Sunday while motoring.
Jules DaCaud, head of the Mexico
City banking firm which is understood
to have furnished the $4,000 for the
ransom on the order of Mr.. BielaS-
ki's New York company. said he had
been authorized to state that Mr..
Bielaski eluded his captors before the
money was paid. Belaski suffered no
more ill effects than might be ex-
pected from four days of roughing it
in the mountains.
Dozens OF automobiles carrying
Americans who since Sunday have
tried to get in contact with the ban
dts, returned to the capital last
night, each person telling Il different
version of the affair and ascribng
credit for Bielaski's safe return to
several sources.
Press dispatches from Tampico
quote w. p Taylor, manager of the
Tampico branch of the Cortez Oil Co.
as confirming the capture of forty EN-
ployes at the companys Aguada
camp by the Bandit, GorOzave, but do
not state whether the ransom had
been paid.
Denial Is Issued
San Francisco, Cal, June 29.-Presi-
dent Alvero Obregon, of Mexico, in
telegram to the San Francisco ChrOn-
icle, asserted that news from Tam
pico of Americans held captive by
bandits was "absolutely ba5eless." He
characterized the dispatch as only
enc of the malicious deeds to create
IN unfavorable impression between
| the two nations"
The Chronicle telegraphed to Pres
ident Obregon, asking for statement
as to conditions at Tampico and the
| truth of reports of Americans held
for ransom.
His answer read:
LAS chief executive, when | received
your dispatch | knew that the news
to which you allude is absolutely
baseless and is only one of the many
malicious deeds of persons, whose
intentions are inimical to the inter
ests of Mexico However, to satisfy
public opinion, | telegraphed to the
chief of operations at Huasteca for
full information | herewith submit
the telegraphic communications:
Gen. Guadalupe Sanchez, Chin
clio.
- see that newspapers in the
United States publish in scandalous
form report from Tampico an
nouncing that forty Americans have
been taken captives and held for ran
som from the camps at Aguada de la
Cortez Oil Company by the bandit,
GoroZave, and although | feel posi-
tive that this report is one Of the
many painful means used by the enc
mics OF Mexico to bring about diff
culties between the two governments
and to create an animosity between
the two nations, | want your official
advices for submission to the press.
"'ALVARO O'BREGON.'
His reply:
"Chinconcillo, June 2S, 1922.
"'The president of the Republic:
cup to the present time no agency
of any oil company has presented COM
plant in regard to the taking of pris-
oners of forty Americans. | made in
quiries of Gen. Juan Casiano. at the
Cortez Oil Company, who was in the
barracks yesterday afternoon. He
informed me that rebels had been
near the Aguada, La Puma and El
Rosillo camps.
81 Immediately ordered Gen. POr-
tas to proceed to the vicinity of those
camps with orders to pursue and run
down the enemy. | am sorry that ow-
ing to the long distance from the
camps | haven't the knowledge that
other individuals who are in the
neighborhood may have.
GUADALUPE SANCHEX.'
"A later communication follows:
"'President of the Republic:
81 have the honor to inform you
that there has just arrived here from
Ozuluama an automobile containing
Gen. Panuncio, two officers and three
troopers, having passed through La
Aguada, La Puma and El Rosillo.
They report everything is normal.
GUADALUPE Sanchez
"The above replies from the chief
of operations tend to certify once
more that there are powerful opera
tions at work to create unfavorable
Opinion and animosity between the
1.-TWO nations with no other object than
to satisfy their own interests"
"(Signed) A. OBREGON."