Newspaper Page Text
THE ABIQ-WA REPUBLICAN AN INDEPENDENT PROGRESSIVE JOURNAL TWENTY-SIXTH YEAR , 10 PAGES PHOENIX, ARIZONA, MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 17, 19 IG 10 PAGES VOL. XXVI., NO. 333 (MS Iff MOLDERMG BODY OF B. IT Villi 7 7 GRAY AND Apparently Reliable Reports Indicate Outlaw's Death Over Week Ago, If So U. S. Troops To Be Withdrawn If Villa Is Dead American Troops Will Be Withdrawn Administration Officials Make This Statement in Commenting on Reports from Mexican Sources That Body Is Found NO CONFIRMATORY ADVICES AS YET In Some Quarters There Is Disposition to Credit Re ports Despite Fact Border Humors Generally Viewed With Suspicion OTTOMAN TROOPS GET SET BACKS IN DAY'S FIGHTING IN TIGRIS Y IS I TO BE IN POSSESSION OF TROOPS 10 M ON I E IT FOB POSH NT Ml AUTHOR "PECK'S BAD BOY" IS DEAD Republican A. P. Leased Wire WASHINGTON, April 16. American troops will be with dawn from Mexico immediately if Francisco Villa is dead. Adminis tration officials made this state ment tonight commenting on re ports from Mexican sources that the' bandit's body had been dis covered and was being taken from Cusihuirachic to Chihuahua City by special train. Neither the slate nor war depart ments had any confirmatory advices cm the subject from American sources. Reports reaching El Paso and other border points were forwarded for in formation. There was no attempt here to disguise their eager interest in the reported killing of the bandit. Every message reecived was closely scrutin ized at the slate department and sent to the White House. In some quar ters there was a disposition to credit them despite the fact that border re ports generally have been viewed with so much suspicion, since the pursuit began. Officials would not discuss what proof they would deem necessary to establish the fact, that the body is that of Villa. It is certain however that every effort will be made to obtain so complete an identification as to make sure beyond reasonable doubt that the man who waged war with a few hun dred bandits against the United States ami the de facto government of Mexi co has paid the penalty. Consul Letcher at Chihuahua should be able to make the identification. The customs collector Zaek Cobb, in formed the state department late today that Mexican customs officials at Juarez had told him the body of the bandit had been found and would be taken tonight to Chihuahua City. The Mexican embassy earlier had re received this message from Mexican Consul Garcia at El Paso: "The telegraph operator at Cusi and Madera have Informed me that they have found the body of Francisco Villa I M 1 LW A I'KKE, Wis., April 16. George W. Peek, 75 years old, j former governor of Wiseonson for j two terms, and at one time mayor of Milwaukee, died here today I I after a short illness". Peck was i one of three democrats who since the admission of Wisconsin to the union in 1S4S, held the position of ! governor. He was governor from j lS'.il) to In his oppon- I ent on the republican ticket was former United States Senator John C. Spooner, whom he de- featcd. Peck, achieved national fame as a writer of humorous I tales, his best known book being j j "Peck's Bad B y." He was the publisher of Peck's Sun. 111 NOTE ON SUBMARINES IS In Other War Theaters the Allies Seem to Have Best of Day's Engagements; lleavv Infantrv Fight' at a.' O Verdun HEAD TO SEND Republican A. P. Leased Wire WASHINGTON, April 16 The com munication in which the United States will call Germany to account for the numerous tecent submarine attacks upon mercnant ships carrying Ameri can citizens is understood to be ready for transmission to Berlin. Officials indicated tonight that it might go forward at any time. President Wilson devoted nearly the entire day to completing the case of the United States for presentation to the German government. He had be fore him a mass of evidence and memorandum submitted by the state department. The communication in its completed form it was said, authoritatively to night, is to be emphatic in its decla rations, and possibly will recall state ments made by the United States in previous correspondence on the sub ject of submarine warfare. It is de- (Continued on Page Three) (Continued on Page Six) RUSSIAN HOSPITAL SHIP SUNK ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN DROWNED Republican A. P. Leased Wire The British troops going to the re lief of Kut-El-Amara have gained fur ther ground against the Turks who are barring their way along the Tigris river. Pushing steadily ahead the Bri tish have driven in the Turks from their advanced lines on the right bank of the river killing many of the Turks and taking a considerable number of prisoners. The Turks also have met with an other defeat at the hands of the Rus sians in the Black sea litteral. Petro- grad reports that the Russians have driven the Ottomans from a strongly organized position 15 miles east of Trebizond and are pursuing them ener getically. The Doaumont Vaux sector north wist of Verdun has been the scene of another hard fought infantry engage ment but the Paris and Berlin offi cial reports are at variance as regards the result. Paris reports that south of Douau mont, rYeneh troops in an attack cap nred sections of German trenches and took 200 prisoners. Berline asserts that in the fighting which extended from Fort Douaumont to the Vaux ravine, the French were repulsed with san guinary casualties and in addition lost two nundred men taken prisoners. The Germans are heavily bombarding French positions in the Avocourt wood and on Hill 304, and considerable ar tillery activity also is being displayed around Douamont and in the Woevre about Moulainville, Haudimont and Les Epprgcs. The British report the raiding of German trenches south of the Bethuno Lv Basse road, while Berlin records the destruction of a British position about sixty metres in length in. opera tions there Artillery bombardments continue at various places on the northern Rus sian lines. Farther south, near Smor gon, the Germans started an offen sive, but were repulsed, while south of the Olyka station the Rusians at sev eral pla es have made advances. In the Sugana valley and Carso sec tors of the Austro-Italian zone, the Italians have taken Austrian trench es. The Austrians evidently are fight ins; hard to regain the Sugana posi tions as Rnme reports they they are being maintained under a curtain of fire. Three British naval aeroplanes have raided Coi stantinople, dropping bombs on a ;,owder factory and aeroplane hangars. Another machine dropped IS mm FORCE SHOT UP TMEADCANS Detailed Report of Action Written by Major Frank Tompkins to General Per shing Is Received by Gen eral Funston v&M ft ' 1 f AMERICANS LOSE TWO MEN KILLED Forty of the Mexican Sol diers Including One Major and One Civilian Were Killed by the Retreating American Troopers (Republican A. P. Leased Wire.) EL PASO, Tex., April 16. Pancho Villa is dead and his body, dis interred some days after his burial, is in possession of the Carranzista troops, according to a series of telegrams received in Juarez today by the Mexican omcials. For more than a week reports that Villa had died from wounds have been current both here and in Juarez. Today's accounts were the most cir cumstantial and apparently reliable yet received. They were accepted with reserve by American officials, including General Bell, but the Mex ican officials expressed confidence in their reliability. The message, in the order in which they were received, were as follows: The dispatcher of the Mexico Northwestern railroad at Juarez re ported to General Gabriel Gavira, Carranza commander at Juarez, that he had heard a conversation over the telegraph wires to the effect that Villa's body was in the hands of the Carranzista troops. General Gavira notified Consul Andres Garcia here, who rushed mes sages to the telegraph operators at Madera and Chuihuirachic, asking for confirmation. The Madera and Chusihuirachic operators answeerd confirming the report and stating the body was be ing taken to Chihuahua. FRANCISCO VILLA The telegraph operator at San Antonio, fifty miles west of Chihuahua telegraphed Consul Garcia that Villa's bodv was in nossession of Cnlonpl : rarrai. reinforced by PovIao Pni.v.nn v,VU,t n 1 " . ...U ,1 . , ! squadron of the Tenth under Major vtuiuo vjaiiaia, iicpiicvv UJ. VJCIlCIitl Vail eUiZil, WHO WaS LaKUlg It Hi a special train to Chihuahua. In reply to this message telegrams were sent to the Carranza e-ener- 1 ii r i i j rr ' i n t - , -i i , , ,--- report ana oy troop dispositions tnat ais in tne neia, to omcials m Mexico City, Cninuanua and OtflGr DOintS ! toneral Pershing has ordered, the asKing connrmation out no answers have yet been received. Republican A. P. Leased Wire SAX ANTONIO, Tex., April 16. It was a force of Carranza's soldiers who engaged the little detachment of American cavalry at Parral Wednes day in a regularly organized action, according to a detailed report written by Major Frank Tompkins and for warded today to General Funston by General Pershing. Forty of the Mexican soldiers, in cluding one major, and one civilian were killed by tha retreating Ameri cans. The American casualties were ; two killed and six wounded, including i Major Tompkins. His wound was i slight. j Major Tompkin's account of the I action was received at General Fun- ston's headquarters tonight and served to clarify General PershingJs report j received yesterday, in which the iden tity of the attacking force was un- j stated and in which he left the in j ference that the cavalry was under Colonel V. C. Brown. Gen. Pershing reported to head quarters today that a motor truck train carrying aeroplanes was at tacked by 40 bandits Friday night fifteen miles north of Satevo. The Mex icans were driven off and one of their number was killed. General Pershing was with the motor truck train at the time of the attack. There were no American losses. The Americans are now north and a Young, accompanied by Colonel "VV. C. Brown and a picked squadron under Major Robert L. Howze. Fear for their safety has been dispelled by this report and by troop dispositions that Apart from the telegrams sent here there are some known facts which have been pointed out by Mexican of ficials as lending strong support to the truth of the report that tho ban dit chief's career has been closed by death. These facts are: Villa has been suffering for more than a year from a virulent form of blood poisoning. He was treated for this disease while in Jaurez by Dr. W. L. Brown, Republican A. P. Leased Wire BERLIN, April 16. (fly Wireless to Tuckerton.) Announcement Is made by the Turkish government that the Russian hospital ship Portugal, sunk in the Black Sea last month, was torptyloed by a Turkish subma rine. The statement was given out today by the Overseas News Agency as follows: "The Turkish government publishes the following report of the com mander of the Turkish submarine, which sank the Bteamship Portugal: "The ship was sighted on the night of March 29-30. It was steering to ward a landing place. When day break came It was ascertained that the ship was laden heavily and that It was towing several heavily loaded punts, with numerous occupants. The commander and other officers of the submarine were Justified In believ- j ing the ship was a transport which was on the way to land troops and suppliea The ship was painted gray, with a small red line, and flew the Russian merchant flag. No Red Cross flag was flying and the name of the ship was invisible. "The first torpedo did not hit. After the explosion of the second torpedo, which struck below the bridge, a violent explosion occurred within the ship. This explosion un doubtedly was due to large quantities of explosives stored In the ship. Im mediately after this, a destroyer at tacked the submarine. "The Russian affirmation that the ship was struck by two torpedoes was untrue. The Turkish government regrets It if persons exclusively In the Red Cross service perished, but the responsibility rests on the Russian fjovernment, which transported the persons o a vessel which is being used for war purposes against the Turks. 'Provisions of the conventions adopted at The Hague stipulate that hospital ships must lie painted white. with a green or red stripe one and one-half meters long and also must fly the Red Cross flag." The Portugal had 273 persons on board, of which 115 were drowned. The Russian government sent to all neutral governments a note protest ing against the torpedoing of the hospital ship. It was asserted the Portugal bore all the distinctive signs prescribed by the special agreement signed at The Hague in 1S08. A semi-official Russian statement contained the assertion that the Por tugal had on board neither troops nor war material, but only Sisters of Charity, and the necessary crew. nM nf thtt hpnt Itnnuun nhv!niana in lomlis on Adrianoplfi railway station, i Paso i;ons'nniinopie reports mat no damage j was done. i More Ships Are Sunk LONDON, April 16. Lloyd's an nounces that the Norwegian steamship Pus-nastaff of Christiana was sunk to day. he was going from New Castle to Boulogne. The crew was saved. The British steamship Fairport is reported to have been sunk. She was unarmed. Th" Fusnastaff is not mentioned in maritime records. The Fairport, 3, SIS8 tons gross was built in 1!06 and owned in New Castle. She sailed from Rio Janeiro on March 10 for an un named port. The British steamer cardona has been sunk by a torpedo. The crew was saved. The Cardona was a vessel of 2,065 (Continued on Page Three) ADKWi ATTACKED IS FAILURE TO ADOPT SUFFRAGE PLANS Republican A. P. Leased Wire COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 1C The twenty-three suffragists of the Congressional Union party on their thirty-eight day dash through the suffrage states, spent today in Colorado Springs, where the local branch of the organization enter tained them. A sight-seeing trip in the mountains and a recepon at the Antlers hotel made up the .afternoon program. . ' . Mrs. Harriet Stanton Blatch, one of the pioneer leaders in suffrage, work, met the Pioneer Suffrage Workers of Colorado Springs at a special recep-jn tion this evening. At a mass meetinp tonight a half dozen of the speakers told their plans to secure the passage of the Susan B. Anthony amendment for national suffrage, declaring that the women of the west must lead in the movement. A number of local women made addresses in which the administration was attacked for its failure to adopt the plans of the Con gressional Union. The party left f-r the west tonight. Dr. Brown states that the condi tion of the bandit was such that even a minor wound would be fatal in ten days unless treated prompty and with the best medical skill and ore. Even I under the most favorable conditions ! such a wound would be of the grav est character. It is certain that if Villa was wounded he could not have command ed anything but the most primitive treatment. Another message from Chihuahua City received here today stating that rioting had broken out there was re garded , in a measure confirmatory of the bandit's death. .Villa is known to have had numerous sympathizers among the lower classes in the city find it was considered probable that their sympathy would take the form of violence if they learned the body of their hero was being brought to Chihuahua to be exhibited as that of a criminal. Nothing positive has been known of Villa since the battle at Guerrero at which time the reports of his being wounded were accepted by General Pershing and other American officers. If he hi.d continued south, as was as sumed, he must by this time have reached either Torreon or Durango City in which event some news of his movements would almost positively hive become known. Only one message was received in Jp.urez today glvinc- any details of the supposed finding of Villa's body. According to lt Villa's death and burial were revealed by a former colonel of a hand who had been cap tured and was under sentence of death. This colcnel offered to show his captors Villa's grave in return for his life. He led a detachment of Carranza soldiers under the command of Colonel Cazos to . San Francisco Borja, a small town thirty miles south of Cushuirachic, with which it is connected bv a vague and deserted trail. Near this lonely spot the Car ranza soldiers are said to have ex humed the body of the bandit. One les was said to have been swollen to enormous tize and to be in such a gangrenous condition that there was no doubt as to the cause of death. Consul Garica refused to commit himself posisitively tonight as to whether he . accepted the story of Villa's death as true "In the absence of official informa tion," he said, "I cannot say that the story is absolutely true, but I consider the message I have received as reli able. I have sent a telegram to Gov ernor Knriqntz of Chihuahua to have tne body of Villa sent to Jaurez if it h:is been found, so that the Americans here can satisfy themselves as to the facts." The attitude of American officials Northwestern railroad, fifty miles west of Chihuahua and is the point through which the American troops passed af ter crossing the great continental di- I vide in their drive south following the battle at Guerrero. It is one of the points on General Pershing's lines of cemmunication and a detachment of United, States soldiers is presumably on duty near there. One question which has been serious ly discussed among Americans here is character of which General Funston did not wish to reveal. Major Tompkins' story of the fight Indicated lack of control over the troops by the commanding officer of the Parral garrison. General Lozano, j and bitter antagonism by the public and troops. The fighting took place outside Parral and was continued over a route of eight miles to Santa Cruz northeast of Parral on the railroad. General Funston said tonight that while Major Tompkins undoubtedly acted in acccordance with his best judgment in retreating he regretted that he had not made a stand on ac- .,c ..,ll.., Luat a ,o,.sutKH may nave : 0f)unt of the m effect tne story win been made in the identity of the body have th., Mexican people, who nat exhumed at Sun Francisco Borja. It ; ura wiu reg:ird tne inciaent as an is pointed out that in the climate of ; Aniericun uefeat. northern Mexico decomposition sets in ! Major Tompkins arrived outside very rapidly and that positive identi- Vnmi on the forenoon of Aoril XI Iication ot a bodv which hart heen buried for some days, especially in ' the case of a man who had died from ' Mood poisoning would be very diffi cult. The doctors who treated Villa here however, express confidence in their (Continued on Page Two) and army officers here ranged from I ability to identify his remains if they frank skepticism to watchful waiting. General Bell admited he was a skep tic as did Consul Edwards in Jaurez, who snid he had received a message from Chihuahua City early today in which no mention of Villa was made.- On the other harid General Gavira and his staff freely accepted the story of ViHu's death as true and expressed the highest gratification over the news. Shcrtly alter the first messages were received in Jaurez bugles blew a tri umphant fanfare outside General Ga- ira s headquarters and the roll of drums summoned the soldiers to hear tne news. A column of the troops wlr quickly formed and, headed by the bugiars, marched down the sun ny dusty streets toward the playi. The news flashed from one erd of Juarez to the other and t'irongd of civilians joined in the procession in its triumphal march The big crowd poured into the plaza and waited patiently for more than an hour in expectation of one of the fa miliar proclamations which follow ev ery important event in a Mexican town. They dispersed slowly as it became evident that no proclamation wr.s forthcoming. If Villa's body has been brought to San Antonio, prepatory to shipping it to Chihuahua City, as reports here state, confirmation of the news should be received shortly from General Per shing. San Antonio is on the Mexican are brought to Jaurez. ENDORSES FOREIGN POLICY Republican A. P. Leased Wire " ItOMK, April 16 The chamber of deputies has endorsed the foreign policy of the government bv a vote of 302 to 34. WOULD HAVE BODY TAKEN TO JUAREZ , EL PASO, April 16. Consul Garcia said this afternoon that he had made a request to Governor Enriquez, of Chihuahua, to have Villa's body brought to Juarez, where the American people can view it and be convinced that the bandit is really dead. - DESTRUCTION 0 F ANY MEi PITS m NEAR PARRAL INI Republican A. P. Leased Wire ranza garrison took no part in the EL TASO, April 10. Americans fighting against the Americans, but . , , . , , r, i made strenuous efforts to restrain the who arrived here today from Parral i . . mobs. Of course, there was the usual denied the stories which had reached Noting, especially in the outlying dis here previously of enormous destruc- tricts. The Alvarado plant was en tion of American mining plants in the tered and furniture and supplies car rioting in and near that city. In par- ried off, but that was all. The plant ticular they denied that the great litself was not seriously damaged." plant of the Alvarado Mining com-j This account conformed with a tel pany had been destroyed. One of jegram received today by Colonel Gar these arrivals said: icia from General Gutierrez, Carran- "The whole affair was nothing more 1 za's field commander. General Gu than a riot by street mobs who had tierrez telegraphed that the Alvarado been excited by Villista agitators, plant was undamaged, although there who told them the Americans were j had been some looting. He added going to seize the city as part of j that he had sufficient troops now in their invasion of Mexico. The Car- J the Parral district to maintain order.