You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Monday March 30, 1914
From the Scott County Kicker: General Pancho Villa Sends Message to President Wilson
From the editor of Missouri's
Scott County Kicker:
WILSON GETS A SNOOT FULL
The primary purpose of the newspapers of today seems to be to mislead and deceive the people. Or keep from them the truth. For the present month the papers controlled by the Standard Oil interests have been trying to fan the war spirit against the Mexican revolutionists and prepare public sentiment for intervention. Every day revolting stories appeared about how American citizens were tortured, imprisoned or murdered by the rebels. Last week I reproduced the following press dispatch from Colorado:
Denver, Col., Mar. 13.-"Mother Jones will be freed from military custody only on condition that she leave the strike district. This is a question for the State of Colorado, not the nation to decide." This was Gov. Ammons dictum over the long distance telephone when informed of probable action by the United States Attorney-General in the matter.
I couldn't understand it. Between the lines it appeared that the federal government desired the release of Mother Jones, and that the cut-throats in Colorado resisted.
A day or two later the press dispatches announced that Mother Jones had been taken by the military authorities to Denver and released-although she hadn't asked to be. At Denver she called on Gov. Ammons and gave him a piece of her mind-saying she would return to the strike zone as she had a perfect right to do, to look after the women and children of the miners and encourage the men.
The whole thing was puzzling to me. Mother Jones had been in a military prison since January and all at once they let go of her like a hot potato. But when the Appeal to Reason [of March 21]- the only real newspaper of extensive circulation in the nation-arrived the whole affair was cleared up.
The Appeal seems to be in close touch with the revolutionary forces in Mexico and got hold of some confidential messages between our president and the leader of the revolutionary forces in Mexico. Here is what let the cat out of the bag and explains why Mother Jones was released:
General Pancho Villa. Juarez, Mexico.-In the name of humanity I call on you to immediately release Luis Terrazas son of Gen'l Luis Terrazas, the wealthy Mexican land-owner who I understand is being held by you illegally.
WOODROW WILSON.
President Woodrow Wilson, Washington. D. C.-I shall comply with your request provided you and your administration will show the same regard or humanity toward one of YOUR OWN citizens, a woman past 80 years, who is being illegally deprived of her liberty by Gen. Chas commander in chief of the Colorado division of the Rockefeller forces. I refer to Mother Jones who is now held incommunicado in Trinidad, Colo. I may take the liberty to remind you that about two years ago Mother Jones made an organizing trip for the Western Federation of Miners through Mexico under the full protection of President Madero, whom she visited at Mexico City. Will you do as much for Mother Jones?
PANCHO VILLA
That sure was a snoot full for our president who hypocritically appealed "in the name of humanity." Mother Jones was release.
But ought we not to hide our face in shame that foreigners must remind us of our despotism before we can see it?
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Read the unmuzzled Kicker.
Readers of
Hellraisers will remember that Mother Jones is once again a prisoner of the State of Colorado, this time, not in a hospital in Trinidad, but in a cold cellar cell in Walsenburg.
And from the El Paso Herald comes this news of General Villa:
BATTLE IN TORREON IS CONTINUED
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TORREON FALLS IS RUMOR IN JUAREZ
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Gomez Palacio Without Provisions-Villa Imports Bayonets and Rifles-Friday Night the Rebels Claim to Have Silenced Federal Batteries at Torreon and to Have Federals Herded in Western Part of the City, Which Was in Aflame.
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Desperate fighting in the streets of Torreon continued Saturday morning and during the early afternoon.
A dispatch for Pancho Villa to officials of the rebel government in Juarez announced this, and Villa added he was confident that the federal garrison in Torreon would surrender him before night...
It is known positively that the rebels are operating the telegraph wire to Gomez Palacio from Juarez, which would prove at least that Villa has not suffered a reverse.
Bayonets will be used at Torreon if the battle continues long enough to allow a shipment of 120 riffles to reach the front. These rifles were exported through the custom house Saturday morning and included bayonets as a part of their equipment. This is the first time that bayonets have been purchased with rebel rifles and few of the rebels are equipped with the bayonets for hand to hand fighting. The shipment also included a field wireless outfit.
Rebel News Only.
News of the rebel assault on Torreon has come exclusively in official dispatches, and, while it has been the recent custom to accept them with reserve, rebel officials of the higher class, in the highest spirits over the dispatches from Gomez Palacio, were prepared to believe every word concerning Torreon, including the prediction that the town would be in Villa's hands in a few hours...
Villa Praises Velasco.
Villa asserted yesterday that his hat was off to general Velasco for his defense of the town. The conduct of the federals was a credit to them as soldiers. Villa said, and Velasco had proved himself a man of resource as well as courage...
Gomez Palacio Starving.
Gomez Palacio people were on the verge of starvation when the rebels took the town.
Pancho Villa sent a telegram to headquarters in Juarez Saturday morning ordering car loads of rice, sugar, coffee, flour and beans sent to Gomez Palacio at once to relieve the hunger of the people of the town and district.
Villa said a commission of Gomez Palacio merchants would leave there at once to buy supplies for their stores the long siege having depleted the stocks so that there was nothing edible in the town when the rebels took it. Villa directs that the purchases made on the American side by the Gomez Palacio merchants be admitted duty free and that every facility be afforded them to get their supplies through as quickly as possible.
SOURCES
Scott County Kicker
(Benton, Missouri)
-of March 28, 1914
The Correspondence of Mother Jones
-ed by Edward M Steel
U of Pittsburgh Press, 1985
El Paso Herald
(El Paso, Texas)
-of Mar 28, 1914
(evening paper)
Photo: General Villa, Generals Fierro and Ortega, Col. Medina
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
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Pancho Villa at the Battle of Torreón
"And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself"
-with Antonio Banderas as Pancho Villa
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Now and then a straggler from the main body came down the line of trains, shuffled into the light with his heavy Mauser awry across his shoulders, and faded into the darkness toward the debauch of sound in the direction of Gomez Palacio. The soldiers of our guard, squatting about their little fires in the fields, relaxed their tense expectancy; three of them were singing a little marching song, which began:
I don't want to be a Porfirista,
I don't want to be an Orozquista.
But I want to be a volunteer in the army Maderista!
http://books.google.com/...
(search preview with "Bloody Dawn" and choose page 208)
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