The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-04-21
Survivors Describe. Horror
Caused by Bullets and
Flames.
AMERICAN COUPLE SAFE
Believe Fatalities Reached
100 Mark.

vivors, including Americans, of the
massacre of passengers on a Guada-
lajara-Mexico City train at La Barca
arrived today so unnerved and
shaken by their terrifying expert
ence that they were unable to give
wholly coherent accounts of the
shambles.
Mr.. and Mrs. n. Dockwith, Ameri-
can resident of Guadalajara, and Mr..
and Mrs. Watson and the latters
laughter were among the survivors
who reached here today. The Wat
sons are British.
1T was horrible beyond words"
Dockwith said. Statements of sur
vivors indicated that the attackers
did not deliberately burn passengers
aboard the train but that some
wounded persons were unable to
leave the cars when the raiders
ordered all out before setting them
afire.
Believe 100 Killed
The Dockwiths and Watsons said
there was crash of rife fire toward
the front of the train and that they
plainly could hear the cries of the
wounded. Their group was badly
shocked, but agreed that about 100
persons had been killed.
Other eyewitnesses said that after
the shooting ceased, the raiders en-
farad +Io t,.oip Iooti,o, a0J robh;ro.
and then ordered all passengers off.
Coaches were fired Immediately and
some of the wounded persons were
believed by the survivors to have
been unable to escape.
Most of the Pullman passengers
saved some of their luggage, but
many surrendered their valuables to
the raiders, who also sacked the ex-
press car, obtaining 100000 pesos in
gold destined for the Bank of Mon.
treal and the Bank of Mexico. After
firing the train, survivors said the
raiders rode away crying, viva,
Cristo Rey" Uong live Christ, the
King). The raiders were white
frocked men of the peon class, sur
vivors said led by the famous bandit
known as lei Catorce," who once
was a member of Chavez Garcia'3
band which terrorized the state of
Michoacan during the Villa revolu-
ton. Some of the survivors said
priests accompanied the raiders.
None of the ten foreigners aboard
the train was wounded. The for
eigners included Americans, Brit
ishers and German woman. Mrs.
Curt Levin, who was suffering from
severe heart attack when the re-
lief train with some of the dead and
the survivors arrived at 2:2O a. m.
today.
Young Soldiers Story
First Sergeant F'ilberto CABRERA. a
22-year-old soldier wounded during
the engagement. told the United
Press the following story:
when the firing started, Captain
Banuet ordered the soldiers to reply
Immediately. We started firing at
the flashes of the rebels rifles at
distance of from fifty to seventy
yards. Lights in the second of the
second-class cars were extinguished
so that the rebels would not have
such a good target.
Our ammunition began TO run
low and several of the men were or.
dered to the ground outside the cars.
After three hours all our ammuni.
ton was gone. Then the rebels. CRY.
ing Viva Cristo Rey,' surrounded
the train, shooting and stabbing SOL
diers to death.
Hides Under Corpse
Only four of us escaped two in
civilian clothing, one who iay be.
meath the corpse of Captain Banuet,
and myself I told the rebels that
was only a chauffeur.
They poured oil on the coaches
and fired them, leaving the wounded
to burn alive. They carried me to
their camp a kilometer (f1ve.eighths
of mile) away, and finally l was
released. Most of the rebels were
mounted. 1 rode with a priest in a
Ford"
Federal troops put up an heroic
defense, one passenger said. MANY
of them took shelter behind the
toppled engine and fired until they
were shot or stabbed when the raid
ers surrounded the train 1t was
a useless defense. The raiders mad
plenty of ammunition and were pro-
tected by a stone wall along the
right-of-way. They carried their re-
serve ammunition in two automo-
biles and frequently repaired to
them for fresh supplies.
Down With Gales"
1.-THE rebels were strong and
healthy and mostly young men.
They carried no banners, but COM
PEELED all the passengers TO cry
Viva Cristo Rey,' and also to shout
Down with Gales
Several of the rebels explained"
this passenger said. that President
Gales was the cause of all their
trouble because he has tried to de-
prive us of our religion"
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