Lot 4416
Villa, Francisco "Pancho" (c. 1878-1923) Mexican revolutionary. Rare Typed Letter Signed ("Francisco Villa") on "Private Correspondence of the Governor of the State of Chihuahua" letterhead, Chihuahua, December 27, 1913, one page, quarto. Villa sends his autograph to a collector in Hackensack, New Jersey. The signature, which is lightly affected by one vertical fold, stretches some 4½ in. across. Accompanied by the original envelope and a couple of photos clipped from period newspapers.
Villa was and is something of a folk hero for many Mexicans, and, at the time of this letter, for many in the United State as well. He had made the transition from bandit to revolutionary when he and his men joined with Francisco Madero in 1910 against Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. Villa raised thousands of troops, including Americans, and after Madero's assassination, he remained in command of his División del Norte army against the 1913-14 Victoriana Huerta dictatorship. Based in Chichuahua, Villa ruled over northern Mexico as if it were his fiefdom, financing his army by stealing cattle and selling them north of the border for guns and ammunition. He issued his own money and ordered the execution of merchants who refused to take it. In Robin Hood fashion, he broke up vast land holdings of the local hacienda owners and divided them among the widows and orphans of his fallen troops. He is reputed to have married 26 times, without bothering to terminate any of the relationships. When the U.S. came out in support of Venustiano Carranza's presidency, Villa raided U.S. border towns, most notably Columbus, New Mexico, leading to two U.S. Army "punitive expeditions," neither of which was successful in capturing Villa. He laid down his arms in 1920, in exchange for thousands of acres of land in Durango. In 1923 he was gunned down by an unknown assassin.
Estimated Value $2,000 - 3,000.
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| Realized $3,450 |
