Unraveling the La Cumbre Tunnel Mystery: General Máximo Castillo's Innocence
In the heart of Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico, the La Cumbre Tunnel stands witness to a tragedy that unfolded on February 4, 1914. As a passenger train traversed the tunnel, bandits attacked, setting the scene for a horrific event that claimed the lives of fifty-five Mexicans and twenty-five U.S. citizens. General Máximo Castillo, despite being miles away at the time, found himself wrongly accused.
In the aftermath, suspicions surrounded Castillo, pointing fingers at him for the disaster. However, evidence and historical accounts tell a different story. As highlighted in a Kalamazoo, Michigan newspaper on February 25, 1914, Castillo vehemently asserted his innocence, challenging the notion that any civilized nation would condemn a man without a fair trial.
"I see in all the papers that the United States authorities will hand me over to Villa to be shot without a trial. Not that I am afraid, but I just want to know if this is true. I don't think it is possible that any civilized nation would send a man to his death without a hearing. I am not responsible for the Cumbre tunnel disaster, I was not there at the time, and I can prove it by the American citizens Walter Cohen of Alamo Hueco, the American Administrator of San Pedro; L.A. Ross of Coralitos, and many others of my American friends. Since before Christmas, I have not been out of a territory roughly bounded by Palomas, Ascencion, Corralitos, and San Pedro. I have spent most of my time between Palomas and Asencion. I did not even hear of the Cumbre disaster until twelve days ago, when word was brought to me from the American side, at the same time that Villa's soldiers began to press my men hard," Castillo said.
Contrary to the allegations, Castillo had alibis, including American citizens Walter Cohen and L.A. Ross, confirming his absence from the crime scene. Even the local newspapers in El Paso, Texas, reported his arrival on February 19, portraying a reception not of a criminal but as a demonstration of solidarity by thousands of Mexicans.
When Castillo was asked about the disaster of the Cumbre Tunnel where fifty-five Mexicans and twenty-five Americans had lost their lives. In that particular moment, Castillo's "wolf-like eyes had emitted sparks" and he shouted loudly, lifting his hands in a dramatic gesture: "That is not true. I have never killed a single man, except in self defense. Charging me with the destruction of the Cumbre Tunnel and the loss of all those innocent lives is nothing more than a demonstration of the ways in which my enemies try to demonize me. I did not set fire to the train in the Cumbre Tunnel. I don't know anything about the accident, and I don't have anything to do with it. It was Villa's men who blew up the train, and they never thought that their actions would have this result. I am innocent, and they if they shoot me tomorrow, I will swear that is the truth," Castillo said.
Castillo's passionate denial echoed through the pages of history as the accusations persisted. Luz Corral y Villa, in her book "Pancho Villa En La Intimidad," highlighted the tragedy's misattribution, noting that local bandit Manuel Gutiérrez was later identified as the actual perpetrator.
"What ultimately led to the downfall of Máximo Castillo was an attack on a train, the bloodiest in the history of Chihuahua, which, according to one version, was erroneously attributed to him. The attackers set fire to a railroad tunnel called La Cumbre shortly after a passenger train entered it and then dynamited both ends, causing the passengers to die from burns or suffocation. Another version is that after robbing a train, they placed one of the engines in the opposite direction, and when the other train with passengers approached, it collided with the oncoming engine, resulting in many deaths. The attack occurred in a region where Castillo operated, so he was blamed for it, although he always denied any involvement. Later, Mexican investigators identified the perpetrator of the robbery and explosion as a local bandit named Manuel Gutiérrez," Luz Corral y Villa noted.
Photograph of Luz Corral Villa , wife of Francisco “Pancho” Villa. Photo is from the photographer Otis A. Aultman collection from 1911-1914 (El Paso Public Library)
Eight years post-tragedy, an article in La Patria on April 1, 1922, explicitly pointed to Gutiérrez's guilt, retracting the blame from Castillo. "The rebel chief Manuel Gutiérrez had risen up in arms against the government, after having accepted an amnesty from the new government through the offices of General Rodrigo Quevedo, the chief of provisions of Casas Grandes. Manuel Gutiérrez is in the city of Pearson (Pearson is also know today as the city of Casas Grandes). Gutiérrez is neither in Mexico City nor in Chihuahua City as has been said. Gutiérrez is guilty of the explosion of the Cumbre Tunnel, which had been originally imputed to General Maximo Castillo," La Patria reported.
General Maximo Castillo (1864-1919), who was imprisoned in Fort Bliss, Texas from 1914 to 1916 (photo from the U.S. Library of Congress)
Unfortunately, the damage was done. The false accusations had already eroded Castillo's popular support. His men deserted or fell in battle against Villa's forces, forcing Castillo to flee across the border.
Even in U.S. confinement at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Wingate, New Mexico, Castillo maintained his innocence. During this time, he wrote his memoirs on the Mexican Revolution, a testament to a man unjustly accused, his name forever entwined with the La Cumbre Tunnel tragedy.