Wanderwell in Mexico, May, 1920. His Encounters with Pancho Villa! Was He a German Spy?

 Walter Wanderwell remains an enigma, and my making sense of him is limited by the newspaper sources I have access to. We left Walter in Louisiana in late March of 1920. He subsequently went to Austin and San Antonio, Texas. In his party in Austin was the "human fly," Jack Gardner, who was to put on a show by climbing the capital tower and filming the surrounding city. Later his party ended up in Tucson, Phoenix, and Tombstone, Arizona, following the Old Spanish Trail. In between, the photographs below show the party in Mexico. Wanderwell met Villa a second time, according to the former. 

It became clear there that the Hanson was too heavy for the sands of Chihuahua. Wanderwell realized that for future exploratory trips a lighter car was essential. the Hanson was fine for driving on the Old Spanish Trail, but to stray from it invited disaster.

Wanderwell ended up in California in June 1920 with a Moon 6 cylinder car, but his mistruths in press articles obscure when he replaced the Hanson. We know he added a skull found in Mexico to the back of the Moon for theatrical effect. Walter was ever the showman.

He spoke of Pancho Villa as a friend and purportedly had a photograph of Villa saluting the  American flag, probably the one on the back of the Hanson. He also said he had met Villa before, in 1916. I thought that was another one of Walter's distortions, but now I wonder.

El Paso Times, 5/17/20, p.8

Austin American-Statesman, April 25, 1920, p.16.

 Scholarship has proven that Villa received assistance from the Germans in 1915 and 1916. Connections with several German spies have been established. Perhaps Walter was a low level operative, and that his story of previously knowing Villa is true. I could almost believe that!

View of Walter Wanderwell, Nell Wanderwell, Wanderwell expedition crew and car no. 1 in front of railway car in Mexico. Wanderwell holds movie camera. Handwritten on back: "1919, Mex., Sonora, Wanderwell #1, 1919 draped for press (crew) Cap. W., Nell W., mechanic." Detroit Public Library. NOTE that the date on this photograph is wrong. It is 1920!

View of Wanderwell expedition crew member and car no. 1 in Mexico. Saguaro cactus in background. Handwritten on back: "The great cactus of the American desert, 1919, car #1. Detroit Public Library. NOTE that he date is wrong on this caption, it should be 1920.

View of Wanderwell car in Mexico; driver checks under engine hood. Handwritten on sleeve: "Trial run with car, found it was not suitable. North America, Mexico, 1919."Detroit Public Library. Note date should 1920.

View of members of Wanderwell expedition, surrounded by dense vegetation, trying to dislodge car from mud in Mexico. Handwritten on sleeve: "Trial run with car, found it was not suitable. North America, Mexico, 1919."Detroit Public Library. Note date should be 1920.