The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-01-20
TEXAS BORDER WARFARE.
The Campaign Against Garza's
Band of Bandits.
Official Report Of the First Fight
With the Mexicans.

The growth Of the insurrectionary move
ment headed by the bandit Cara caused
great excitement among the Mexican and
American ~populace on either side Of the Rio
Grande, and the efforts of the United States
troops 10 suppress it were watched. with keen
interest. It was the general opinion that the
Mexican outlaws had no less than 1900 active
followers, scattered at various points along
the Texas border.
The revolutionists were all magni6cently
armed with repeating rifles Of the latest pat
tern and side arms. They were paid 81 per
day and given good supplies.
The ranchmen who came in contact with
Cara all state that he was abuudantly sup
piled with money, and compelled them to
either furnish cattle for beet and receive pay
for tee animals or take the alternative OF
having them taken by force.
The report that revolutionists several hun
bred strong were operating in the State OF
Tamaulipas, Mexico, was received with con-
| siderable credence by the majority OF the
! people. The neighborhood Of Matamoras is
Known to be a perfect hotbed Of revolution.
ary spirits, and it is the general opinion that
Cara received large reinforcements from
there.
A great many Of the people in the interior
of Mexico are secretly in sympathy with
any movements that may be set on foot to
overthrow the present Diaz administration.
The supposition that some strong secret
power was backing the revolutionary move
ment gained ground, and a correspondent
heard a citizen state that in his opinion some
of the funds for carrying IN the warfare
came from the City of Mexico. :
The bandits break into small squads and
plumber innocent citizens. They HAYES per-
feet organization, a good System Of signals,
know the country thoroughly, and, being
without uniform, can change themselves In
to ranchmen and goat herders in five min
u' &. J.. Mcneil, of San Antonio. Texas, re-
ceived q telegram from his father, Captain
J. s. Mcneil, of the Texas Rangers, which
stated he had Just had an encounter with
the Cara men. His command numbered
only a few men. They were scouting through
chaparral in Starr County, Texas, when
thew met a detachment Of about thirty OF
the Cara revolutionists. The rangers at
once opened fire on the Me1icans and a num-
Der of the latter were severely injured.
| Nearly one thousand shots were exchanged,
but none Of the rangers were wounded.
Colonel Coran, OF the Mexican forces IN
| Nueva Laredo, received q telegram from
| down the river, on the Mexican side, which
stated that a fight had occurred on the
American side and that two soldiers Of the
| United States had been killed. The loss te
the revolutionists was not given.
It seems that Cara made no attempt to
cross into Mexico, but collect all his forces
together on the American side in the hope OF
| defeating the United States troops.
Captain John G.. Bourke, Of the Third
| United States Cavalry, has made his official
report to the War Departmental Wasning.
ton of his fight a few days ago with Garza's
hsnd near La Guilla, Texas It recountd
heroic deedso of our soldiers on the frontier.
On the afternoon of the battle Captain
Bourke, with q detachment OF men
Cavalry, and Company E, Of the Eighteenth
| Infantry, started across country. Tor the
rendezvous Of the outlaws. Spying after
dark the camp fire they left their horses in
charge Of two recruits Inc crept quietly
toward it.
uOuien va allifa rang out from q sentry.
There was no answer from our soldiers, who,
advancing In skirmish order, held their
carbines Eat a ready" ''Quien va alli!" came
again, and then two shots from the two
.sMy men, says Bourke, replied with a
yolley. kueeIing, and the bandits broke for
the hills, their herd bell ringing to round up
! their horses. We could do nothing further
in the Darkness"
line ITOODS LQ6u 1cI DuIh Ch AtSo w saS
Rio Grande and camped. They were at.
tackled in the night, and during a sharp en-
papemeut a prisoner escaped from Deputy
MarshalPerez who wa put under arrest.
Continuing, Captain Bourke says: I'VE
struck straight back, hoping to catch up
with some stragglers. l threw out Two re.
| connoitring parties to circle through the
truah. Corporal Charles n. Edstrom, OF
Troop C. who commanded one, ran upon the
enemy in force and was almost round
He kept the attacking party at bay { our
main body came up. We charged across a
soft, open muddy fiat, exposed to the enemy's
| fire from rifles and carbines. But our men
were not to be restrained.
SIN the face Of three or four to one they
made, a gallant rush for the outlaw band,
headed by Sergeants Ihling and Glib end
CORPORAL Honeyman. The infantry with
| their long guns did capital work, and In an
other minute the bandits were scamperlng
"Hampered with prisoners and wounded
we could not pursue. We lost q man
killed. he was Corporal Charles Edstrom, a
most excellent soldier, who was shot twice
| through the mead and once through the Leg.
.sSecond Lieutenant Charles Hayes, Eigh'
| tenth Infantry was slightly wounded In the
side by a ~glancing bullet; Private David
Lloyd. Troop c. Third Cavalry, was grazsd
by a bullet. Our men and officers were all
dressed In complete uniform and were plainly
seen by the outlaws, among whom l was
told were three of the train wreckers OF the
Texas Mexican Railroad last spring.. They
recognized us and called out In English ana
Spanish, Kill the gringos!
"rhe fighting was pretty close and Cor
moral Edstrom, after he fell, was again shot.
bis assailant being 50 close that his face was
,.nudor hnrnf.
after the fight we returned to the post,
there being no way of finding the trail In
that heavy thicket. We captured ten or
twelve horses belonging to the bandits, but
they stampeded through the cactus on the
wayback.
1.-THE capture and destruction Of these out.
laws will be an easy matter the moment
proper facilities are supplied. but Until
they are nothing can be done worm
.aTbe RIO Grande valley is practically
unanimous in support OF Cara, whose
followers buy all the ammunition
thew want and all other necessar1es.
They are all equipped, as a few things we
captured show. They have one hundred and
twenty or one hundred and fifty cartridges
to the man and their saddle bags are loaded
with coffee, sugar, fresh beef and wheat
biscuits made with baking powder"
General Schoaeld also received informa-
ton at Washington OF the surprise Dy unltea
States troops Of one OF Garzas camps OF
revolutionists near Lascuevates and King.
gold, in Texas, and OF the capture OF one OF