"VIVA VILLA!"

PANCHO VILLA KILLED IN HAIL OF GUNFIRE IN MEXICAN TOWN

Parrel, Mexico (JFK+50) On the morning of July 20, 1923, the infamous Mexican bandit Pancho Villa*, commander of rebel armies in Northern Mexico for ten years, and "one of the main protagonists of the Mexican Revolution", was gunned down while driving his 1919 Dodge touring car through Parrel.

As Villa's Dodge passed by, a local "vendor" yelled out "Viva Villa!," a signal which prompted seven riflemen to emerge from hiding and fire forty rounds into the car.  All but one of the car's occupants died, including Pancho Villa who was killed instantly.

JFK+50 NOTE

The above description of the events surrounding the death of Pancho Villa comes from sources listed below except The Evening Star.  The Associated Press front-page story published in the Star on the day of Villa's death is inaccurate.

According to the Star, Villa was killed at his ranch by his own secretary Miguel Trillo who was then shot down by Villa loyalists.

Our other sources say that Miguel Trillo was one of the occupants of the car killed in an ambush in the town of Parrel.   Christopher Minster states that at the time of his death, Villa had "many enemies" and lists the names of six individuals, including Mexican president Alvaro Obregon, who may have been responsible for ordering the assassination.

*Francisco "Pancho" Villa (1878-1923) was born in La Coyotada, Mexico.  After his last raid in 1919, FPV negotiated a peace arrangement with the Mexican authorities which included receiving a 25,000 acre hacienda where he lived with 200 of his men.

SOURCES

"Pancho Villa Slain By Own Secretary On Mexican Ranch," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., July 20, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"The Death of Pancho Villa," by Michal Haskew, Wartime History Network, www.wartimehistorynetwork.com/

"Who Killed Pancho Villa," by Christopher Minster, February 16 2019, ThoughtCo, www.thoughtcompany.com/

 

 

Pancho Villa & wife Luz Corral

June 6 1922

by Scott Adams

SOUTH OF THE BORDER, DOWN MEXICO WAY

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1889

GENERAL PERSHING PURSUES PANCHO VILLA 

Colonia Dublan, Mexico (JFK+50) One hundred years ago today, March 15, 1916, General John J. Pershing led an expeditionary force of 6600 soldiers of the United States Army into Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa*.

Since June 1915, there were thirty-eight raids across the border of the United States resulting in thirty-seven American casualties.  The most recent had been Villa's attack on Columbus, New Mexico.  The town was burned to the ground and ten civilians and eight American soldiers of the 13th Cavalry regiment were killed.

President Woodrow Wilson issued this statement following the attack...

"An adequate force will be sent at once in pursuit of Villa with the single object of capturing him and putting a stop to his forays.  This can and will be done in entirely friendly aid to the constitutional authorities in Mexico and with scrupulous respect for the sovereignty of that Republic."

It is believed that Villa attacked Columbus to capture military equipment and supplies to carry on his fight against Venustiano Carranza, the first chief of the Constitutionalist Army of Mexico.

Although Pershing's army was able to locate and defeat Villa's army, Villa himself escaped and was never captured.   The army remained in Mexico for almost a year to encourage Carranza's government to pursue Villa and stop the raids across the border.

With U.S. entry into World War I on the horizon, General Pershing was recalled, and despite his failure to capture Villa, he publicly declared his expedition to be a success.  Privately, however, he complained that President Wilson's restrictions on his actions in Mexico were to blame.

By the time of Pershing's recall, more than 10,000 American soldiers had been involved in the expedition in Mexico.  Pershing's force had included four regiments of cavalry, and two infantry regiments.  He also utilized reconnaissance support by the 1st Aero Squadron.

*Francisco Pancho Villa (1878-1923) was born in La Coyotada, Mexico.  After evading capture by American forces, he retired from his military activities, but then involved himself in the presidential election of 1923 which resulted in his assassination.

Uncle Sam says...

"I have had about enough of this"

Cartoon by Clifford K. Berryman

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