November 25, 1919. Felipe Ángeles sentenced to death.
The quixotic Felipe Ángeles, whom Villa had backed as head of state in 1919, was condemned to death by a Mexican court martial on this day in 1919.
Following Villa's defeat in the Battle of Juarez, which Angeles had not taken part in, a despondent Angeles had left Villa's service and wondered around itinerant. He'd gone into a state of despair over the inability of the warring Mexican forces to find their way towards a joint resolution of their disputes. Like almost every single significant Mexican figure who fell victim to a political killing in this period, he was betrayed prior to his arrest, the arrest being a bit of an exception to the rule.
His execution would come the following day.
And, to add to it, the US and Mexico were growing close to war again, although not over the execution of Ángeles, but rather the arrest of US Consular Officer Jenkins.
Mexico was failing to act to release Jenkins, whose story we are just picking up, following what was original his kidnapping. The Mexican government didn't believe that Jenkins, who had obtained the position as he was a U.S. businessman living in Mexico, was actually kidnapped but, rather, that he'd arranged the event himself.
The US obviously held the opposite belief, and in any event, Jenkins was a consular officer who really couldn't be held under diplomatic conventions.
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