I'll try to make this as simple as possible.
About 1 week ago I posted the letter in full to /r/history but then redacted it, I was somehow nervous about posting it without my great great grandfathers name, (which I don't have) and that it could be altered and nobody would be able to tell the altered one from the original.
I went to get a haircut today, and my barber is Mexican, and has is very interested in the culture and history, I asked him about a drawing on the wall that said "the general" and he told me it was Pancho villa, I told him about the letter, and the barber shop was kind of taken back, and told I should probably find someone to get it authenticated or at least documented elsewhere since I might have the only copy now.
I do have a somewhat original version of it, a typed copy, with the letter addressed to a American Consulate in Los Angeles, Ca.
The letter is dated Jan 27th 1917, and covers Villa's progress, and his effort to hide from him in a pretty crazy detailed story from October 28th-December 13th(1916). At the end my great grandfather says he was lucky to flee to Texas, after spending 35 years in Mexico. I think its interesting for my family history, but I feel like some of the dates, names and descriptions might be good information for someone/something. I don't want to post the letter in full, but here are some parts of it.
I saw my way across the town to the San Nicolas quarter and went to the house of some poor Mexicans that I had known a great many year; they had promised to give me refuge there in case the Villistas should come to Parral, and in accordance with my instructions they had dug a hole in the back yard, where I had made up my mind to hide in case I could not get out of town. I knew that the Villistas would kill me if they caught me, because I am an American. The back yard of the house was surrounded by a high wall, which I thought would be an additional protection from inquisitive eyes. I remained in hiding in a back room of this house until November 5th, the day that Villa entered Parral with his troops: General Luis Herrera had left the before for Santa Barbara with his cavalry so there was no fighting. My friend brought me word that the Villista soldiers were searching the town for Americans and Chinese, and so at 11 A.M. I told them that I was ready to be buried in the hole out in the back yard. This hole was underneath a large pile of wood and was about 4 1⁄2 ft. deep, 2 1⁄2 ft. wide and not more than 5 ft. long; it might be described as a rather undersized grave. My friends had intended to line it with lumber but could not get any without exciting some suspicion.
cont
I asked my friends to find out what was going on in town, as I was anxious about my American friends. Upon their return, some hours after, I was horrified to learn that my friend, Howard Gray, whom I had seen but a few days before, had been captured at the Presena Mine and assassinated by the Villistas. They told me how Gary had been tortured to death. They said that the Villiatas had stripped off his cloths and forced him along the road towards Parral, jabbing him with their sabres and knives, until poor Gary fell from loss of blood. God only knows what his suffering were before they put an end to him!- My friends also told me that the bodies of twelve Chinese that the Villistas had assassinated were lying about the streets in different quarters of the town.
Anyways, Do you think its important, if so to who?
Personally I would reach out to your local university's library and ask to speak to special collections. While your local Uni may not specialize in that field they are usually more than accommodating when it comes to including new information into their systems. You can loan the letter to them, which would keep the letter in your family's name, but place it's possession in an environment that would ensure it's security.
I know the University where my sister curates a collection that specializes in river-waterways, has recently accepted a collection of 19th century photos of pets.
Just having that information out there can be helpful for future historians.
I screwed up on the title, but I'll leave it for now.
Edit: The letter is 4 and a half pages long, with more names and dates. Sent from El Paso, TX to American Consular Agent, (Parral Mexico) 1415 Manhattan Place Los Angeles, Cal.
Edit 2: I haven't uploaded the whole letter, because I would like to attach my great (3) grandpa's name before doing so, this just feels better to me. Im in the process of finding out his name. I have a family tree and have figured out that its my grandpa's wife's dad, or grandpa? Im not sure, the dates for birth death make it seem like it would be my great great grandfather and not the 3rd. I've narrowed it down to 2 names, both have names that turn up as well known people later in history so the results aren't relevant.
Edit 3: It appears that it is my great great grandfather. His name was William C Palmer.
Why were the Chinese included in the witch hunt? Is it just a xenophobia or were the Chinese connected to Americans in some way or something else?
Can you post scans or pictures of the letters?
There are a number of university libraries that have special collections in Latin American history that would be a great fit for this letter. The University of Chicago, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Arizona State, and Tulane come to mind off the top of my head.
Have you tried any lineage sites to find your great^3 grandfather's name?
A few places specialize in collecting Los Angeles / US Western history and would be interested in looking at this letter, I think. The Huntington Library, University of Southern California (USC) Libraries Special Collections, and UCLA Library Special Collections come to mind. I can give you contacts if you are interested in reaching out.
Why don't you want to post the whole letter?