Fifty Estimated Dead in Mexican Bandit Carnage.
Fifty Estimated Dead
in Mexican Bandit Carnage.

FIFTY ESTIMATED DEAD IN
MEXICAN BANDIT CARNAGE
___________

Eight Train Brigands Executed;
Defenseless Women Killed;
Americans Are Spared

___________

[BY CABLE--EXCLUSIVE DISPATCH]

    MEXICO CITY, Jan. 11.--Eight of the twenty bandits who robbed and burned the Guadalajara train Saturday night have been captured and executed by Federal troops, the War Office announced late tonight.

___________

[BY CABLE AND ASSOCIATED PRESS]

    MEXICO CITY, Jan. 11--Through the bleak mountain fastnesses of the States of Michoacan, Jalisco and Guerrero 4000 picked Federal troops are in pursuit of twenty bandits, who, on Saturday night, carried out the most cold-blooded slaughter in Mexico's history.
    Boarding a passenger train in disguise and with weapons concealed under their cloaks, the bandits, without warning sprang upon the guards with knives and butchered them to a man. Then they opened fire on defenseless Mexican men, women and children. The number of dead probably will never be known, but the estimates run as high as fifty.
    They wrecked and burned the train, cremating dead and wounded alike, plundered the town of Yurecuaro and escaped with their loot on the engine.
    The troops, operating under the direct orders of President Calles, will return in disgrace or else bring back the bandits--dead or alive. Few persons in Mexico City are so credulous as to believe that any of the bandits will ever be returned alive.

AMERICANS UNHARMED

    Only two Americans were aboard the train, which was proceeding from Guadalajara to Mexico City. They were W. G. Wynkoop of Berryville, Va., representative of the Buick Motor Car Company, and a mining man named Russell, from Pachuca. Both were robbed of all their belongings, but were not harmed. They were passengers on the Pullman.
    Mr. Wynkoop reached Mexico City today, bringing the first eyewitness account of the affair.
    Mr. and Mrs. Wynkoop walked all Saturday night and most of Sunday before they reached a station from which they were able to make a circuitous railway journey to Mexico City.

SET FIRE TO CARS

    The Guadalajara survivors say that after robbing the passengers, the bandits set fire to the coaches, the floors of which were covered with dead and wounded. The bandits then uncoupled the engine, rifled the express car and escaped in a locomotive. They stopped at the Yurecuro station, cut the telegraph wires, plundered the town and resumed their flight in the locomotive. Near the station of Tinguinfin, they tore up the track, derailed the locomotive and fled into the mountains.
    C. H. Charratt, manager of the Guadalajara branch of the Bank of Montreal, over whom alarm had been felt, was not aboard the train, but his wife and 5-months-old baby were passengers, on the way to Mexico City to visit relatives. They reached Guadalajara unharmed.
    Mr. Wynkoop gave the Associated Press a graphic account of the ghastly affair.
    "I saw nine soldier guards dead," he said. "I believe all the guards and most of the crew were killed. The number of murdered Mexican passengers I do not know, but some of my companions estimated them all the way from twenty to fifty.

SUSPICIOUS GROUP

    "About dark Saturday. I noticed twenty suspicious looking men carrying rifles concealed under their cloaks, who boarded the train as passengers at a small station near Guadalajara. Presently, they stationed themselves at the doors of each coach, and without warning opened fire upon the passengers in the second and third-class coaches. They continued firing without mercy, killing many of the passengers and all the soldier guards.
    "I saw several dead Mexican women and children, in addition to men, how many I do not know.

___________

(Continued on Page 3, Column 5)

MASSACRE DEAD
MAY EXCEED 50
___________

Eight of Twenty Bandits Are
Slain After Train Outrage
___________

Four Thousand Troops Pur-
sue Remainder of Outlaws

Tale of Horror Unfolded by
Survivor of Bloody Raid
___________

(Continued from First Page)

It was a ruthless massacre and a most terrible sight.
    "Even now, I can hardly believe that such an awful thing happened.
    "I doubt if anybody will ever accurately know the number of dead and wounded. I saw wounded men die and others died instantly. I saw one aged woman writhing in horrible agony, her body shot open. I saw a little baby shot through the heart. I saw bodies so burned as to be almost indistinguishable from the charred timbers of the coaches. Altogether it was a perfect nightmare of incredibly wanton bloodthirstiness.

FOREIGNERS SPARED

    "The sole and only mercy, which I cannot explain, was shown to foreigners. Not a foreigner was killed. A number of Germans in the Pullman, together with passengers of other nationalities escaped unhurt.
    "We are all busted, but thank god we got away alive.
    "Although the bandits did not harm any foreigners in the Pullman, they took all valuables from the men, but did not rob the foreign women. After they had done their work of massacre and robbery, the bandits, who had with them an expert engineer, ran the train to Yurecuaro station, plundered the town, wrecked the depot, destroyed telegraph wires, shot more Mexicans, disembarked all the foreigners and ran the train for a short distance. They then burned and wrecked every coach, stripping the express baggage car of all valuables. Many of the bodies of the murdered Mexicans were cremated.
    "The bandits next boarded the engine after loading it with the plunder and made their escape. Not a single shot was fired at them, for the soldier guards were killed in the first attack and the passengers were too fearful to attempt resistance.

SPEAK OF REVOLT

    "I heard the bandits shout: 'We are not bandits; we are revolutionists!'
    "I asked one of them: 'Who are you rebelling against?' He answered 'Calles.' You watch developments. The revolution is not over.'
    "I was told that the bandits were all well-known revolutionary figures of the Guadalajara region.
    "Most of the foreign passengers camped out all night in the wrecked town of Yurecuaro; some walked all Saturday night and most of them made their way to Guadalajara. My wife and myself after considerable hardship, succeeded in reaching a point where we could board a train for Mexico City.


Source:

Unknown, "Fifty Estimated Dead in Mexican Bandit Carnage, Eight Train Brigands Executed; Defenseless Women Killed; Americans are Spared," The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Tuesday, 12 January 1926, pp. 1, 3.


Notes:

    For additional information on the aftermath of this massacre you might be interested in the following articles from later editions of the Los Angeles Times:

Train Bandits Find No Mercy,

Five Additional Train Bandits Taken in Mexico,

Mexico Executes Two For Aid in Raid and Revolt,

Sixty Reds Executed in Mexico, and

Mexican Train Bandit Leader Taken Prisoner.

    All my best,

    Chris

Created September 10, 2004; Revised September 16, 2004
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