MEXICAN STRIFE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 196, 18 July 1928, Page 7

MEXICAN STRIFE

PRESIDENT ELECT ASSASSINATED DEATH OF GENERAL OBREGON. SHOT FIVE TIMES THROUGH BODY. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Australian Press Association —United Service.) Received July 18, 10.25 a.m. MEXICO CITY, July 17. The President elect, General Obregon, has been assassinated. The assassination occurred this afternoon at a banquet which took, place in a restaurant at Sanangel, twelve miles south of Mexico City. General Obregon was shot five times through the body. The assassin, who is known only as Juan, has been imprisoned. President Calles hastened to the scene when he heard the news. General Obregon, who was elected on July 1, was greeted on Sunday at one of the greatest political demonstrations in Mexican history on his return from Sonora. The assassination threw the city into the utmost turmoil. It is thought that President Calles may retain office.

General Obregon has had a romantio career, although some of the stories told of him may bo just tho usual inventions or elaborated truths which an admiring or disrespectful public weaves about those who represent it. Some people ronsidcr tho Obregon family to bo of Irish origin, and the ■name but a corruption of O’Brien, but the more general belief is that the Mexican leader was born in 1880 of Basque and Yaqui parentage at Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. As he grew in years, he engaged in farming, trading, and stock-raising in Sonora, but there are also tales of his cultivating tobacco, harvesting, drying, preparing, and cutting tho crop and making it into cigarettes when less than 15 yearn old. Ho took part in the Madero revolution- when Pascual Oronzo threatened invasion of his State, and drove out tho rebels with a troop of 400 Yaquis. In 1913 ho joined Carranza against Huerta, defeated the latter, and won the rank of general by his achievement. In 1914 Obregon was at the head of the Constitutionalist forces in the West and took Puebla in 1915 when siding with Carranza against Villa. Ho won victories over Villa at Celaya, Leon (whore he lost his right arm), and at Torreon and Saltillo. As Carranza’s Minister of War, he negotiated with Generals Scott and Funston for tho withdrawal of Pershing’s expedition in 1916. Disagreeing with tho President, Obregon resigned and returned to his estate, where ho accumulated a fortune by control of tho chick-pea crop of tho West Coast. A year rater, however, he came forward as a candi. date for the Presidency against General Pablo Gonzalez and Ignacio Bonillas, but was not elected. In March, 1920, Carranza’s attempts to control Sonora against Obregon’s candidacy, and tho arrest of the latter charged with rebellion, led him, on escaping from Mexico City, to raise a revolt which began in Sonora. After rapid successes Obregon entered Mexico City threo days after Carranza had fled, and was elected President, being inaugurated on December 1. After holding office for several years, Obregon gave place to Calles. Tho name of General Obregon had been much discussed sinco October of last year when it was announced that thero were three aspirants to the mantle of General Ellas Calles. These were General Arnulfo Gomez, General Francisco Serrano and General Obregon. Serrano and Gomez wero court-martialled and executed, leaving General Obregon a clear field for tho Presidency. If he had lived General Obregon would have been tho first to serve under the amended constitution, which _ extends the term of office from four to six years. The election was not accompanied by disturbances.