Richmond times-dispatch. [volume], June 25, 1916, Image 49

About Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
ROOM FROM WHICH TfRRAZAS
WATCHED FOR. AUTOMOBILES
AND H0R$F?
1
V/INOOW'THROUGH WHICH
TERRAZAS SAWED HIS
V/AV TO LIBERTY
* Diagrammatic View of the Chihuahua Penitentiary, in Which la Shown
Just How Don Luis, Jr., Made His Way from Hifi Own Cell to the Cell
Where the Bars Had Been Sawed. This Diagram Was Drawn Under
the Guidance of Don Luis, Jr., and Gives Accurately for the First
Time in Print a Bird's-Eye View of the Construction of the Prison in
Which Villa Has Perpetrated So Many of Ifis Crimes. In the Court
yard the Firing Squad, Whose Bullets Don Luis Escaped by Only a
Margin of a Few Minutes, Held Frequent Executions.
- *?<rzv ri.-~ ?
4 about to do ho would Inform the prison authorities. There
was still another person whom we all feared. He was a pris
oner who occupied a room on the lower floor at the turning of
the stairs. It was impossible to enter the court from our de
? partment without passing his cell.
These two men had been In our thoughts when It was de
cided to have Sonora do la Vega get the chloral. Happily,
! neither one was averse to drinking mescal and the task of of
fering them drinks, in which was to be poured, a sleeping po
tion of chloral, was assigned to Aragon. I warned him to be
careful not to give either one. an overdose. He ptomised to
obey this Injunction and left, He was to return at eleven
o'clock that night.
Heretofore I have somewhat indicated the plan of the prison.
| will make this plainer, so that the reader may understand
what our position was. The penitentiary has a large main
!S courtyard, almost circular, and from this run prison rtreet3
?r or long, narrow courts. Flanking either side of each street
'f are cells. The department reserved for distinguished prisoners
V Is on 'he second floor at the front of the penitentiary. In one
r ot the two sections of this department Guillerwo and I wero
y (confined along with General Ayala. In the other section were
? ; Benor Obregon and de la Vega. A door admitted to our quar
ters and another to theirs. They were generally left unlocked
31 as the only egress for a prisoner was into the main courtyard.
and a guard was always stationed there.
?e 'In order to pass from the distinguisheJ prisonerr.' depart
e* fnent to Aragon's room it was necessary, first, to go downstairs
a* into Uxe main .court, then through a gate into a smaller court
ind IHA UUa UWvffiechanic's room, which gave off this court
lL Striking
Photograph __
an American Mother
Who Has Escaped tho
Hands of the Outlaws
Ravaging Sandit-Ridden Mexico.
The Mother's
Weary, Haggard,
Prematurely Aged
Face Tells the Whole
Story of the Sufferings
American Women Have Been
Forced to Undergo in Mexico.
or street. A guard was always posted at the gate betweeu
the larger and smaller courts. Thus far we had been able to
pass him by representing that we were going to play cards with
Aragon or had just come from a visit with him.
On this night I went to bed at 9 o'clock. All of our party had
learned then that the bars had been sawed through. 1 removed
my coat and vest and lay down, \?ut not to sleep. At 10 o'clock
Ayala, who had been visiting Aragon, carno in. His face wag
pale and ho staggered. lie fell* upon the bed with his clothes
on and soon was sleeping heavily. It was evident that Aragon
had given him the drugged liquor.
An hour later Aragon tiptoed into my room, which was 4ark.
"You have done your work well," I said, pointing to Ayala.
"Yes,", he said, "and the fellow downstairs is drugged also;
ho will not bother us to-night, but in one respect our plans have
miscarried. They have locked the door to the section occupied
by General de la Vega and Senor Obrogon.
"They must have suspected de la Vega," I suggested.
"Yes, I understand they have marked him for early execu
tion," he said, "but I will release him for all tltat. The lock
on the door is an old one and I will force it with a chisel when
wo are all ready. And now. Don Luis, it is time that we should
go."
We slipped downstairs past the door where the victim of
Aragon'f.' heavy sleeping potion lay stretched out, oblivious?aa
he would be for many hours to come?to all that was going
on around him. When \vr reached the gate between the first
and second yards the guard was there. I had left off my coat
und vest, so that It might appear that my being abroad in tho
penitentiary at that time .of night.was casual, i turned my
back upon the guard bo that he might not recognize me and
Aragon said:
"This friend Is going to pass the evening with me playing
cards,"
"All right," the guard replied, "go ahead."
Aragon's room was entirely dark. Ho took me by the hand
and led me over to t"he window. Payan was lying on Aragon^s
bed. He got up immediately and gave It to me. I did not make
out the features of this former major and present kitchen helper
that night and have never seen him since.
"You told mo that you are ready," I said to Aragon; 'let me
have the proof."
He went to the window and, with a quick wrench, removed
the section of bars that had been sawed through, leaving ex
posed an opening?the way to liberty! Aragon then replaced
it, fitting the bars perfectly in their old places. I then lay lown.
But Guillermo was impatient; he wanted to go very soon.
Why this delay when our way was now clear?
"No," I said, rising on my elbow, "let the time be very early
in the morning, just before daylight. That is the darkest hour;
it is also the time when the guards are most sleepy. Moreover,
the street lamps are turned out and yet there is enough noise,
with milk wagons and other traffic on the street, to drown
whatever sounds we shall make.'
Every quarter hour the sentries would call the time and their
"Alerta!" would pass from one to another with an effeot upon
us which was very disturbing. Along the front of the peniten
tiary were four towers set In the wall like bay windows. These
were about 100 feet apart and the window under which I was
lying is midway between two of the towers, that is, about fifty
feet from each.
"Father, the guards are very alert to-night," Guillermo said
after a while.
That had struck both Aragon and myself. Was It the dan
gerous adventure before us which caused us to believe this or
was it reality?
No. it wa3 real, more terribly real than we dreamed. From,
the interior of the prison we heard noises which wo could not
understand?voices speaking low and excitedly, men running
about swiftly, but with the effort to he silent. Aragon, who
had made frequent visits to the pump house, came back at 2:15
o'clock and I said, 'Something seems to bo wrong; you'd better
go and see how the interior guards are."
He went and returned quickly. "Don Lui3," he said, "we are
lost! General Ayala has awakened and discovered your ab
sence. He, the subdirector of the penitentiary and the officer
of the guard are looking for you and Guillermo."
1 sprang up. "Go and release Obregon and de la Vega," T
commanded, "and bring tliera here. We must escape now If
ever."
"No. no, Don Luis," he objected. "It Is impossible! It would
be suicidal! .The three men would see me and' immediately
understand my purpose. The whole, plot would then be ex
posed and even it' we escaped your friends would be executed
in the morning. If we are to save ourselves we must hurry."'
I pcrceived the truth and force of what he said. And yet I
had never regretted anything so much in my life as to be obliged
to leave behind my comrades in this venture. Fate, whose
workings we could not foresee and against which we could not
forearm ourselves, had thus shaped our venture. I would to
God that it might have been otherwise, for Don Pancho,.especial
ly, was very close to me.
So be it," I said, and Aragon placed his hands upon the sill
and sprang head first through the opening. I followed, but In
stead of imitating him I went feet first.. My body was half way
through when I stuck fast.
"I am lost," I said, "I can't get out." Hut Aragon seized my
legs and Guillermo, who was inside, placed his hands upon my
shoulders and, with one pulling and the other pushing, they
finally extracted me from the window much as a cork comes
from a bottle. It was a frightful five minutes' experience, how
ever, both for the mental anguish we all experienced and for the
physical pain I suffered. The end of the bars cut a great gash
in ray right thigh and deeply wounded my left arm.
1 was no sooner through than Guillermo was on the ground
at my side, and then camo Payan. But oven while the latter was
leaping through the aperture we heard the tramp of hurrying
feet in the room we had deserted and knew that Ayala and thfl
two officials had entered. We waited for no words. Aragon
and I ran across the street toward the plaza, he supporting: me*
as? I could scarcely keep on my feet as a result of the wound*
Guillermo and Pavan dashed along the wall and turned at thtt
north tower.
"Qulen vive?" callei the guard in the north lower. 'Quiet*
vive?" roared another. Soon this cry was ringing from all
points. We heard nt the same time an alarm from the windovy
of the mechanic's room; our flight had been discovered. Ex?
cited shouts sounded, but keeping straight on across the plaza.
Aragon and I entered.a dark side street.
Weeks before thiB my wifo had told me that, if I should ever
escape. I should go to the home of Senorita Mercedes del Riego,
an aged lady living at No. 459 Calle Doce. Taking care to select
only dark and obscure streets, as we knew that the guards
or the penitentiary were -searching for us, Aragon and I madd
a wide detour. Finally, after standing across from the mala
plaza of Chihuahua and believing by its deserted aspect that
we might venture across it in safety, we went to the Arlington
bar. where a driver sat on the seat of 'his carriage asleep. ' I
may state In passing that, before leaving the penitentiary, I
had put on de la VeSft'3 hat, which the general had given to
Aragon. It was a largo felt sombrero with a high peak and an
immense silver band around it. I also wore an old coat of Ara?
gon's, so 1 felt myself to bo pretty well disguised.
We asked the coachman to drive us to the number in Call?
Doce, but he said 'his horses were too tired. Aragon at length
persuaded him and we were driven to a point near that address.
It was still dark, so I said to Aragon, "Go, knock at the win
dow." He did so. After a few minutes one of the narrow shut*
ters was opened. I heard a murmuring. Then Aragon cams
out to me. "Come in;" he whispered. We entered silently and
the door closed upon us. I did not leave that house nor even
risk discovery by appearing at a door or window for three
months.
It was well for Guillermo and myself that we hart not waited
until five o'clock to escape, as wo had Intended to do. That was
the hour which Villa had set for our execution.
He was so furious over our flight and the fact that we had
not been reserved for his further and final act of vengeance
that he ordered three of the guards executed. They were
entirely Innocent, but he had been trained as a butcher and
was still one.
I did not learn until long 8fterward what fate had befallen
Guillermo and Payan. The two, keeping together, ran some
distance from the penitentiary, but seeing the patrol passing,
they hid in a pig sty. They remained crouching there for
about three hours, then made their way to a little ranch near
Mt. Santa Rosa. They stayed there six days with Conradoi
Alvidres, who concealed them. One night they rode away oa
horses sccured for them by the rancher and struck out into the
desert. After twelve days' terrible suffering from heat nd,
thirst, they reached El Paso.
Obregon and de la Vega remained in the penitentiary sev
eral days. Then one night the young general was taken out
and shot. His body was not immediately buried and when
Senora de la Vega went to the prison the next day to visit
him she was led to whore he lay murdered. In such ways as*
this did Villa exercise his power, and his butcher's mind to
torture people.
When Villa was forced to evacuate Chlhuhua he took along
with him a number of prisoners, including Obregon, and re-,
treated Into Sonora. Obregon escaped on this march by bribing
his bodyguard.
When the Carranaistas occupied Chihuahua City I went out and
presented myself to General Jacinto Trevlno, commander of the
forces. When I had told him of .my escape he advised me to
seeK refuge in the United States until order should be restored
In the State.
And so, with warranties Issued by General Trevlno which
would protect me and provide me a safe conduct. I went to El
Paso. When I crossed the international bridge across the Rio
Grande and set fpot upon American soil it was as though a
physical weight had been lifted from my heart?as though t
had left behind me despair, darkness and the menace of death.
? Now I am free indeed 1" Lsald as I threw back, my shoulder*