Ok. Y'all start hating on me! But of the songs that came out of theMexican Revolution this is my fav! Adelita. You hear it played in every movie that has anything to do with Pancho Villa, The Wild Bunch, whatever. It's in every movie! This is a decent version.
Cock of the Walk; Qui-Qui-Ri-Quí!: The Legend of Pancho Villa by Haldeen Braddy
A lot of the time, satiated as he must have been, Pancho grew tired of women. On these occasions real excitement proved necessary to heat him up. Gunfire, the smell of gunpowder, must have broken his thermostat and let his passion rise. In a fancy cantina one of his lieutenants gave a Federal officer's girl a wide, libidinous eye. The Federalist resented it. As the lieutenant continued to wink as well as make signs, making audaciously evident his intention to make off with the long, lissome girl, the officer suddenly drew his gun and shot the lieutenant in the mouth. By the time the dead man pitched forward. Villa had fired from under his left arm and drilled the Federalist officer cleanly through his forehead. Instantly he grabbed the girl and dragged her away to make love to her. Yes, it must have been the sight of blood that turned the fat rooster Pancho into an insane, volcanic gamecock.
What was his pasion mas grande? It was the celebrated love of Villa for a beautiful courtesan of Durango, a woman who in the end gave up her life for him. The tempestuous affair of Pancho and Adelita became the most tragic romance of the Revolution.
In a private dwelling in Parral a ravishingly beautiful young woman stood at twilight before her mirror, putting the final fluttering touches to her already perfect toilet. Her perfume smelled faint and peppery, but it endured, hanging in the air like an unseen but odorous red carnation. Dark olive, of tall and elegant stature, she was the embodiment of Mexican beauty, her full pro- portions being such as to awaken the desire of Villa, who favored the robust type of woman. This fragrant senorita had great dark eyes and beautiful raven hair, the coils of which a rich yellow scarf bound lightly. Her soft skin kindled into flame at the caress of a masculine hand. Beneath a silken yellow blouse, there rose the firm, proud, rounded breasts of a ripening young woman. At twenty this wild animal of a girl looked like a goddess, a fiera del amor. Already betrothed to the blond Portillo, one of Villa's loyal men, she hated to surrender her freedom without one last fling. The servants who attended her quailed before her radiance. They complimented her profusely as she pivoted on her tiny high heels before the looking glass. She was a dangerous, a terrifying, young woman, this Adelita — one who had a longing for mad adventure. The serving women, veering about her, kept up a shallow flow of chatter.
"I could almost believe you were making a conquest of General Villa tonight," a wise old tia finally said.
"Who knows, my aunt," Adelita replied coquettishly. "Look at me, tia, and tell me, do you think the General will find the famous Adelita of Durango too homely?"
At the banquet hours afterwards Adelita made a speech in honor of Pancho Villa. Throughout her talk, which ended with the expressed hope that he would become the president of the Republic, she cast her hot eyes on him.
Villa's first reaction prompted him to make an ironic comment: "This little pug-nosed cutie also thinks I long to become president."
But after being presented to her, Pancho talked alone with her in a nearby garden, surrounded by olmos and zapote trees. This time he did not make impetuous love; instead, he gazed into her volcanic eyes and told her rapidly, in an impulsive self-revelation, the torrid story of his vengeful, fevered dreams. He had won glory as a man of quick action, on the battlefield or in the hour of love, and at the last he embraced Adelita, kissing her not unwilling lips with an open, hungry mouth. Meanwhile, a melancholy but amorous song aided his suit — "La cantela" from the Bajio region of Michoacan — which a group of brightly-clad "Dorados" entuned in the dark distance.
I find myself a prisoner by cunning, I find myself imprisoned by a woman. As long as I live in the world and don't die, Never in my life will I love again.
It wasn't the truth That she promised me. Everything was a falsehood. False was the money she paid me.
We took for granted that we were trash. Along came the whirlwind and took us up ; And while high up in the air we flew, The same wind blew us apart.
Suddenly a man's head peeped around a nearby zapote tree. Portillo, Adelita's betrothed, stepped into the garden just as Pancho Villa finished kissing Adelita. Villa stood there with his mouth wide open. Portillo paused, evidently torn between rage and despair ; then, with a hopeless gesture, he pushed his gun into his own mouth and thunderously blew off the top of his head.
Villa, who had not known of Adelita's betrothal, could hardly believe his eyes as he, petrified with surprise, gazed uncomprehendingly upon the scene. Portillo had been a favorite compadre of his. They had been like brothers. After discovering the truth, he swung around bitterly toward Adelita, roughly shook her by the arm, and commanded his men to get rid of her. When he spoke, he trembled with surprise, anger, and deep grief. "Get this woman out of here; take her somewhere, anywhere, so long as I never see her again."
The blond Portillo, the friend of Pancho, they buried in a special tomb with a pair of his grief-stricken leader's best boots beside the grave. These happenings Villa never forgot. One night a year or more afterwards, Villa grew sad with memories of the past incident. He tracked down his favorite singer, a Mexican named Ochoa, requesting him to sing something new to soothe his nerves.
Then Ochoa sang, for the first time, the mournful verses of "Adelitar"
Adelita is the name of the young one Whom I love and cannot forget. In the world I have a rose And with time, I shall pluck her.
If Adelita should be my wife,
If Adelita should be my woman,
I would buy her a silken dress
So I could take her to the barracks dance.
On and on Ochoa sang, through ten more stanzas of " Adelita/' until sadness overcame Villa. He walked aside, to a place apart from the fireside, bowing his kinky head and weeping his hard bandit tears. Triste, the memory of love was muy triste, ever so hard for a bandit to bear.
Pancho Villa's unlucky encounter with Adelita had an aftermath. Destiny allowed him to see her again, to behold once more her smoldering face, but nevermore in tempestuous love. Unknown to General Villa, she dressed herself to join his army as one of his "Dorados" his "golden" bodyguards. One afternoon during the bloody carnage of battle, the General observed a youthful "Dorado" who wore upon his neck a silken yellow scarf with a blood-red center. After the slaughter, the incident stuck in his mind, bothering him as he walked among the corpses to count his losses. With consternation he spotted the yellow bandana with its red center, for he had ordered his "Dorados" to remain out of the fight. Here lay one, however, who had lost his life by disobeying his orders. Villa received the most crippling impression of his life when he discovered the corpse to be that of Adelita. The girl had died heroically, fighting for her General like one of his bravest soldiers. Villa leaned over the maimed, torn body. Emotion so overcame him that he only murmured : "She was a Dorado, a Dorado."
Later on, in fond recollection and as a token of gratitude, he built a tomb for Adelita. He built it in Parral next to that of her blond sweetheart, Portillo. Years later, when he was inured to suffering, the strains of "Adelita" always brought to his face a dolorous shadow; he then had the haunted look of an homhre muy triste.
In the final picture of the amorous Pancho there appeared a lover neither malicious nor cruel to either his wives or his mistresses — if they remained faithful. He derived happiness from women, perhaps a kind of inspiration. People often alleged that he had only one weakness, an inordinate passion for the senoritas, but this was hardly so. Pancho enjoyed the pagan trinity, wine, women, and song. He smoked and drank sparingly, but he paid time-and-a-half service to both love and music. Villa heard the sirens call, if anybody ever did; he answered them, warmly, with the melting melodies of Mexico. Las mariposas de la noche consumed much of his time, more of his money, yet they paid him a priceless return. In their company he relaxed, became a different man. Relieved of tension, of memories of the blood upon his hands, he thrilled at the sight of a smoldering female, pouring out his pent-up heartaches in gorgeous song. His technique originated in carelessness, not in force: the novelty of his absolute lack of seriousness overpowered the naive, startled maids. But the man who played thus at love had one day to rue his gaiety. He thought that happiness came from word and woman and way; and that the word was tenderness, the woman love, and the way — Where, indeed, was the way?
Stung anew with grief, Pancho sensed to his marrow that the way had been with the sultry Adelita. The more women he loved these latter days, the more insistently he desired for them to be faithful. He who had been so unfaithful himself came now to doubt the existence of loyalty in others. He demanded what he himself did not give. Only much later did he rightly appreciate the love of his maturity, the devotion of Maria Luz Corral. Pancho paid the penalty of the gay caballero. As he grew older, he realized that in his prime he had known too many sweethearts. Now he suffered from a surfeit of what had once pleased him most. Tragedy had its hour upon the stage in his tremendous drama of human love.
In the midst of his gaiety he breathed anew the pungency of spring apple blossoms which was the perfume of Maria Luz Corral and recalled how little he deserved her fidelity. Where now were all the munequitas lindas, those little loco dolls, he had known and loved? Sweet little Cuca, of Juarez, flower of the Rio Bravo, with her wonderful, wonderful scent of attar of roses? Tall Petra, pomegranate of Delicias, who was so passionate, so taut, tense, and madly tigerish? These days a lump came in his throat when he saw a bedraggled juvenile girl, once of the country and now of the city, go by singing her contrite song of "La pajarillaf."
You already know that I am a caged bird. One who once happily ran through the forest Enjoying the spring And the perfect songs of the birds.
Or when laughter cascaded everywhere, he called to mind the vanished beauty of the dead Adelita, buried now in the rock-fenced countryside of Parral. At times when he heard the mocking notes of ''Adelita," Pancho Villa sensed a strange trouble deep inside: once, in a fleeting moment of humility, he even lit a candle in la iglesia. His bandit heart did not break; but he stirred inside with an odd kind of resentment.
Do not cry, my beloved woman ; Do not be ungrateful to me ; Do not make me suffer so much.
"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
Member, Clan of the Border Rats -- “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”- Mark Twain
crossfire;...If you've not read "Taking Chances" by FR Burnman it's a grand read too.
After looking for the books unsuccessfully for years I lucked into two new reprints in the local used book store for something under $20 each...
Good morning Dwayne!
You have hit the lottery! Even the Wolfe Publishing reprints are going for over $100 and the original books are north of $200 in any condition.
I am still hoping to luck into one for less.
I hope you and yours are enjoying the summer!
Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
I got half way thru it before everything turned to caca at our house! I just need to start it over!
Yes, you do. He was living proof that big men sometimes come in small bodies. He was only 5'4".
Ed
Last edited by APDDSN0864; 08/25/16. Reason: kaint typ or spel
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
My wifes family is Lebanese. Her great grandfather and his brothers immigrated into the country there around the time of the revolution. The family story is that he was a gun smuggler for Villa. He would come up into texas and louisiana to "procure" guns for the revolution and get them back into mexico. When things started going south, the family members that were actually living in mexico, were told to "never come back" .
They moved into south louisiana and did well for themselves as "wholesalers".
There are a few pictures of him done up with sabers and guns sitting horseback on her grandfathers wall , I'll see if i can get a few to post next time i'm there.
Rabid Creedmoorians ring my doorbell ... as I open it a crack they speak : "Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior , 6.5Creed?"
Zapata was the original Che Guevera! Basically a Bolshie.
My my former home town in Arkansas there's a revolver on the wall with a provenance letter tying it to Zapata. IIRC, it's a 7.5" .38-40 Colt New Service.
During the time of Villa and Zapata, you would have to consider most any cartridge, as a little of everything could be found/had in Mexico at that time. The Mexican Government had 7mm Mausers of course, but they also had a good deal of other weapons that many just don't think of. When the revolution started, the flood gates opened and most everything imaginable found its way to Mexico.
While the Mauser was THE rifle of the Mexican government, there were a lot of other guns that were in Government arsenals, including
6.5 Arisaka's 6mm Lee Navy rifles Colt Potato Diggers Krag's Springfields
All of which found their way into the hands of revolutionaries.
Winchester 94's were seized in Winchester marked crates, so obviously US arms makers were doing their part to profit from the revolution. The Winchester 94 was THE rifle of the revolutionaries though. Whether procured directly from Colt, or through intermediaries, tens of thousands of them made their way into the hands of Mexican revolutionaries.
Back in the early 80's several member of the Texas Gun Collectors Assn. Worked out some kind of a deal with thMexican Govt and ATF to bring in a bunch of those 94's. Evidently from what I heard they were still tied up in bundles on shelves in police or Federal arsenals.
They were all basically relic quality. Most displayed exceptional frontier gunsmithing (ahem) repairs! Some were so damn ugly they were cool!
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
There is no proof whatsoever that Tom Mix "road" with Pancho Villa.
This is not a factual statement. Not sure why you made it.
There are several books that mention Mix' role as a volunteer for Pancho Villa. They include:
Revolution! Mexico 1910-1920 by Ronald Adkins (John Day, New York, 1970);
Cock of the Walk; The Legend of Poncho Villa by Haldeen Braddy (University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1955);
Pancho Villa's Shadow by Ernest Otto Schuster (Exposition Press, New York, 1947);
Twenty Episodes in the Life of Pancho Villa by Elias L. Torres, the man who arranged Villa's retirement for Adolfo de la Huerta. Torres' memoir, based on his conversations with Villa, was first published in 1931. (The Encina Press, Austin, 1973)
Go here. IMDB. This is Tom Mix's actual biography. Rode with Villa?? Hollywood hype.
There are and always have been all kinds of wild azz stories floating around Hollywood. Actors made up "stuff" about themselves, agents and managers, made up "enhanced" tales and got publicity for their clients, the rumor rags printed it, stories often got bigger and bigger over the years.
Believe whatever you want. As I said, Mix was one helluva movie star.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
I'll stick with the academia published authors (references) over the Internet Hollywood anonymous source you parrot. I'm not disparaging a differences of opinion, rather your unreasearched, shoot from the hip, cock sure assertion that there was no proof that Mix rode with Villa.
"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
Most displayed exceptional frontier gunsmithing (ahem) repairs! Some were so damn ugly they were cool!
As great as the M94 is, it was never a military arm, and as such it's not built like a military arm. But isn't that what's appealing. Rather than large, thick, heavy, and awkward, the M94 is slim, light, and dynamic. But unfortunately, that doesn't hold up well in a military style campaign.
I'll stick with the academia published authors (references) over the Internet Hollywood anonymous source you parrot. I'm not disparaging a differences of opinion, rather your unreasearched, shoot from the hip, cock sure assertion that there was no proof that Mix rode with Villa.
Only the FIRST author had to think up the lie....... the rest just repeated it.
Same as nowadays. For instance, even Wikipedia is using the book "Empire of the Summer Moon" as a source and doubling down on the mistakes in the book.
Most displayed exceptional frontier gunsmithing (ahem) repairs! Some were so damn ugly they were cool!
As great as the M94 is, it was never a military arm, and as such it's not built like a military arm. But isn't that what's appealing. Rather than large, thick, heavy, and awkward, the M94 is slim, light, and dynamic. But unfortunately, that doesn't hold up well in a military style campaign.
Where would any of us be without your wisdom in all things firearm related ? ....would appreciate YOUR weld procedure for '94 tangs and trigger plates of the vintage discussed.
GTC
Member, Clan of the Border Rats -- “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”- Mark Twain
I'll stick with the academia published authors (references) over the Internet Hollywood anonymous source you parrot. I'm not disparaging a differences of opinion, rather your unreasearched, shoot from the hip, cock sure assertion that there was no proof that Mix rode with Villa.
OK,....you've convinced me that Burnham was prone to lying,....and Mix a pillar of unimpeachable truth.
...right,
GTC
Member, Clan of the Border Rats -- “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”- Mark Twain
Most displayed exceptional frontier gunsmithing (ahem) repairs! Some were so damn ugly they were cool!
As great as the M94 is, it was never a military arm, and as such it's not built like a military arm. But isn't that what's appealing. Rather than large, thick, heavy, and awkward, the M94 is slim, light, and dynamic. But unfortunately, that doesn't hold up well in a military style campaign.
I guess the canadian military didn't read that, accepting them for service in certain capacities during WWII.
Yup, Had a PCMR (Pacific Coast Militia Rangers) stamped with the "Broad Arrow".
One that I rather wish I'd hung onto.
Carried a LOT,....shot little, the thing had been loaded and unloaded so many times that a slicker action one would never find.
GTC
Member, Clan of the Border Rats -- “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”- Mark Twain
Don't forget the US Army did purchase 94 SRC's during the great war. They were used as secondary rifles for guard duty, train and convoy details, etc. Some are reported to have made it to France.
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
I'll stick with the academia published authors (references) over the Internet Hollywood anonymous source you parrot. I'm not disparaging a differences of opinion, rather your unreasearched, shoot from the hip, cock sure assertion that there was no proof that Mix rode with Villa.
Well, Orange Okie, you might think that IMDB (International Movie Data Base) is some kind of shoot-from-the-hip site with no validity as to what is posted there, but you are wrong.
That said, if you go there and look up Tom Mix's movie credits, Mix began making movies in 1909. The Mexican Revolution, with Pancho Villa as a participant, began in 1910. It was over in 1920. During those ten years, here are the numbers of movies Tom Mix made.
Perhaps you and your vaunted authors can explain how Tom Mix could make 201 movies between 1910 and 1920 and have had the time to spend several years in Mexico "riding with Villa."
Granted some of his flicks were "shorts" meaning four reelers, etc., but no matter, Mix still had to be in Hollywood where the cameras and studios were located. There is no way I can imagine he'd have been able to take off several years and trek down to Mexico, hook up with Villa, fight Villa's enemies, and still crank out all those movies. Could not be done.
As I said, lots of myths and legends and hype and publicity enhancement in Hollywood.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
frontier gunsmithing (ahem) repairs! 
Some were so damn ugly they were cool!