The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-12-25
FEDERAL TROOPS
ON THE DEFENSIVE
Mexican InSurrectoS Have
Backed General Navarro
Into a Corner.
TRIUMPH IS TEMPORARY
American Correspondents Believe the
Rebellion VIII Be Crushed Within
a Month or Two.

81
p-.H. Dec. sff.--A special represent
.... off the Associated Press. who has
ra.H with the iusurrccfos for two
rr.... returned today ry mule team.
Dbl. Judgment Of the situation iu this
.... uHy Do summarized iu the state
mon. Chat General Navarro has been
fra.f back from the offensive Co the
defensive. but that the endorsements
r." rt hand viii crush the rebellion
r.f..H H month or two
D.. f.IF connection 20 was stated to-
frr that federal troops are now sta
toned ae follows.
-.e hundred under General Navarro
-t T.Ir-uallcs and vicinity Cwcst OF
Sal 's-1. zoo at san Antonio. made
rr " $50 who were uuiujurcd IN the
r.f raen ambuscadc. and $40 rein
rH.rmruts and 1900 who arrived
Ha-. Iaat night and TODAY The latter
Include "a battery OF artillery made up
4f f~1 I.Euf uorfars for firing over
HHa .uu HotChkiss guns and two
RAPID nrors.
Preparing FOR Campaign.
~~rrfv-two passenger coaches are
now uu the tracks OF the Mexico e.
Nr-fl~retcru railroad Co forward the
Inducements. To-day was spent in
.1I.rr food on the cars and in MAX
.r- other preparations FOR the cam
r..er. These troops viii go first 60
San Antonio. making Ca new force Of
5000. Ird hr the b.st officers iu Mex
HH n. fe their program Co take Nal
Hrar. fhr present rebel stronghold.
Tr.- once taken "a junction viii be
formed with Navarro and the troops
which have come overland from So
nora.
40 This win entail serious fighting.
tHt there is no foreigner here now
viewing affairs impartiallv who pre-
tends r Hr'fnf that the fedcral- will
r. triumph eventually The iusur-
r..t.a ."-t their one chance of Great
|Hr nationwide revolt when they
failed fu crush Navarro at Crrrn
pr.afn. 40 that time they did not have
fHr.r forces concentrated and Navarro
H.f Dob. own. tie ie now strictly or
tHe defensive 90 Pedcr0aUee. while Die
IL. under orders not tu take the OF
..-..... Hr i- iu On defensive position.
which Che fusurrccf0s cannot attack
without disaster. His iob is Co sit
tight and allow the endorsements.
TOW numbering treble DIS own force.
f1 continue the campaign. Navarro's
original force was. no has been shown.
scarcely more than police force.
which misguided government con-
sderei sufficient Diaz is now send
ir- lr army.
Fighting at Pcdcrnallcs.
ne Associated Press representative
brings word that iu the fighting
around Pcdcruallcs and the west en-
trance Co Mal Paeo the insurrcctos
Hrrr much inferior fin numbers. but
"' Sal PHso they were superior iu po-
HHHn To viii he two weeks ago sun
Isy that Navarro met the insurrectos
ft 'erro Pricto and fought a drawn
h1'I'o. Tic remained there until the
following Thursday. when ne was or
IrrHI tD clear Nal paqo or rebels to
make way FOR prospective troop
HH'H. With his entire force ne left
'.Hr Pr.cto and marched with every
..mhiauce Of making an attack on the
HrI'-posted rcvolutionists. toward
Rancho Santiago. The ineurrectos
opened fire. but their shots fell short.
Navarro then ordered double quick
end shot off at a tangent towards Pc
uerra'ics four miles north. For most
u. The distance he was protected by
low hills. around which the awakened
nr0uuuriados" hurried when they
oe.uvercd the real objective. When
tIe hills we're passed Navarro used
shells on HIS pursuers. who already
we're running parallel and somewhat
behind. and kept them Off. There was
rH loss or life and Navarro occupied
tre shelter Of the adobe houses OF the
town.
Tho next dav friday Navarro oc-
cIp.cd the railway station. where he
now has headquarters. and at the
same time sent a detachment Of AS
troops Co take Nal Psso. These went
a..rar and they naturally found none
or tne enemy
Navarro's Mistake.
This accounts Tor Navarro's official
report that he had taken the pass He
thought he had Meanwhile the fed
crsi force az Pedernallcs was at
lacked. but was rcpuised. Navarro
l1st in this engagement about twelve
dead. including two officers. and
about twenty-five wounded. The i'm
ssrroctos lost twcnty-Ouc killed and
about forty wounded. The latter we're
checked iu their charge in an arroyo.
where they sustained most or their
losses
Six OF them remained at their post
Until an were killed. During the fight
Ing pf Thursday and Friday the shells
of The fedcrals did no damage. The
r.FulutIonists in time began TO treat
them with contempt The Mausers
we're the effective weapons used by
INn national troops. The shrapnel
used. instead OF scattering as designed
I' DO, through some defect. spOuted
Ike fountains. one 81 the shells burst
within twenty feet OF a detachment.
without doing any damage. Word
from Navarro's camp states that the
general grew incenscd az the failure
OF the Eunncry and arrested the gun
captain
Tho iueurrccto detachment which
'lot up the troop train az the eastern
entrance TO Nal PasO numbered
about 200 men.
The ambuscade cost the federals
hirty-one killed and seveaiy-one
rounded.
Civilians Executed.
Arrivals from the front TO-DAY
brought confirmation ~ the state
ment that Navarro executed a num-
Der OF civilians at Cerro Prist.i. The
number is given now as thirty-two,
Twenty-Five in the village and ten az a
hamlet nearby. The story was told
here today in convincing detail. Last
saturday the rcvolutionlsts executed
Ten prisoners as a retaliatory meas
ure. These we're ioyallsts taken az
Guerrero three or four weeks ago.
lney were given trial OF a rough sort
and convicted Of treachery while bcirg