Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-25
NAL PAS0'STR|KE IS MER]ED|
Mexican Federas Will Ad- Wage Dispute of Railroads
vance on Rebel Stronghold and Engineers Settled.
NAVARRO Is REINFORCED MEN GET AN INCREASED
Will Be Able Be Advanced 10 13
1000 Against 1nsurrectos Over 1910 Scale
OFFICERS INCLUDED COMMISSIONER NELL
timately TieUp Seemed
Mexican FederaIs Will Ad-
vance on Rebel Stronghold.
NAVARRO is REINFORCED
Will Be Able to Send a Force of
1900 Against Insurrectos.
BEST OFFICERS ARE INCLUDED
Disinterested Observers Believe That
the Insurgents Must Be Ul-
timately Overcome.

CHIHUAHUA. December % via Ell
Paso. Tex. December pa special rep
| resentative of the Associated Press who
has been with the insurrectos for two
| weeks returned today by mule team. His
| Judgment of the situation in this state
| may be summarized in the statement that
Gen. Navarro has been fought back from
the offensive to the defensive, but that
the reinforcements now at hand will
crush the rebellion within a month or two.
In this connection it was stated today
that federal troops are now stationed as
follows:
Six hundred under Gen. Navarro at
Pedernales and vicinity (west of Nal
Paso); 100 at San Antonio, made up of
$40 who We're uninjured in the Nal Paso
ambuscade and $40 reinforcements and
LOO who arrived here last night and
today The latter include a battery of
artillery. made up of two light mortars
for firing over hills. two Hotchkss guns
and two rapid firers. twenty-five pas
sengcr coaches are now on the tracks of
the Mexico Northwestern railroad to for
ward the reinforcemcnts.
To Attack Nal Paso.
These troops will go first to San An
tonic. making new force of 1000, led
by the best officers in Mexico. 1t is their
program to take Nal Paso, the present
rebel stronghold. This once taken. a
junction will be formed with Navarro un-
der the troops which have come overland
from Sonora
MI this will entail serious fighting but
there is no foreigner here viewing affairs
1mpartially who pTetendS belief that the
federals will not triumph eventually The
insurrectos lost one chance of creating a
nationwide revolt when they failed to
crush Navarro at CerrO Prieto At that
time they did not have their forces con-
centrated and Navarro held his own. He
is now strictly on the defensive at Peder-
males.
While he is under orders not to take
the offensive. he is in a defensive position
which the insurrectos cannot attack with
out disaster. His job is to sit tight and
allow the reinforcements now numbering
treble his own force. to continue the cam
paign. Navarro's original force was, 1t
has now been shown. scarcely more than
a police force. which a misguided gov
ernment considered sufficient. Diaz 10
now sending an army.
The Associated Press correspondent
brings word that in the fighting around
Pedernales and the west entrance to Nal
Paso the fnsurrectOs were much inferior
In numbers, but at Nal Paso they we're
superior in position.
Navarro Seizes Pedernales.
1t will be two weeks ago Sunday that
Navarro met the insurrectos at Cerro
Prieto and fought a drawn battle. He
remained there until the following Thurs
day, when he was ordered to clear Nal
Paso of rebels to make way for pro-
spective troop train. With his entire force
he left Cerro Prieto and marched with
every semblance Of making an attack on
the we'll posted revolutiOnists toward
Rancho Santiago. The insurrectos opened
fire. but their shots fell short Navarro
then ordered double-quick and shot off
at a tangent toward Pedernales, four
miles north. For most OF the distance
he was protected by low hills. around
which the awakened 'prOnunciados" hur-
ried when they discovered his real OBJ
1ective. When the hills were passed Ma
varro used shells on his pursuers. who
were running parallel and somewhat be-
hind, and kept them off. There was-,o
loss of life and Navarro occupied the
shelter OF the adobe houses of the town.
The next day, Friday. Navarro occu-
pied the railway station, where he now
mas headquarters, and atsthe same time
sent detachment of 41J troops to take
Nal PasO. These went astray. and
found none of the enemy
This accounts for Navarro's official re-
port that he had taken the pass. He
thought he had.
During the lighting Thursday and
Friday the shells OF the federaIs did
no damage The revolutionists in time
began to treat them with contemnt
The mause-s were the effective wea-
pons used by the national troops The
shrapnel used, instead of scattering as
designed 10 60. through some defect
spouted like fountains One of the
shells burst within twenty feet of
detachment Without doing any damage
Word from Navarro's camp states tbat
the general grew incensed at the fail
ure Of the sunnery and arrested the
gun captain.
Executions and Reprisals.