Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-14
bAY0NETSAREU USED
WHEN BULlETSFA|L
Gen. Navarro's Troops Adopt
Barbarous Methods in Bat
tie With Insurrectos.
SOLDIERS ARE STABBED
AFTER THEY SURRENDER
Indecisive Contest Near Cerro Prieto
Lasts Five Hours.
TOTAL NUMBER OF DEAD. "a
Thirty Residents of Hamlet Shot
Down After Fighting Ceases.
More Serious Conflicts
Are Expected.
Indecisive Contest Near Cerro Prieto
Lasts Five Hours.
TOTAL NUMBER OF DEAD. "a


AGO. NEAR PEDERNALES, December
Il, via FL Paso, Tex, December 14.-In
yesterdays engagement the revolutionists
fought Gen. Navarro to standstill, al
though inferior in numbers. All told,
seventy-four persons are known by inde
pendent investigation to have been killed.
Navarro took no prisoners-it Is con-
trary to his orders-and in his camp to-
day there were no wounded of the Other
side. The bayonet had completed the
work of the bullet.
A horrible instance of the barbarity Of
the campaign occurred after the battle.
Every man in the hamlet of Cerro sPrieto
Ozark HID was brought before the mayor
to prove his innocence Of participation in
the revolt. Thirty could not do this. AS
fast as their identity became known they
were taken out and shot. They are in
cluded in the number Of dead. Gen. Ma
varro places his own dead at one cap
tain, one lieutenant and twelve soldiers.
Twenty-seven of his men, including two
officers were severely wounded.
Newspaper Man Wounded.
Among the latter was Gen. Brandon,
special correspondent of the Mexican Her
aid and a resident of Panama bullet
hit his horse in the eye, passed through
his neck and lodged in the riders alb
dominal muscles. Another bullet hit him
in the wrist. Brandon is the champion
middleweight wrestler Of Mexico.
Five insurrectos who. ran. out of am
munition and surrendered were bayonet-
ed. One Of them who had tainted from a
bullet which grazed his temple took the
bayonet thrust in the ribs and was left
for dead, but during the night he re-
covered and escaped. He grinned as he
told his story. When the correspondent
related the tale to Gen. Navarro today
the latter laughed heartily as if enjoying
a joke on himself.
The battle was indecisive in it's re-
suits. 1t began at II in the morning and
lasted until in the afternoon and oc-
CURED at the village of Cero Priete, 100
miles west Of Chihuahua, at the base
of two low hills, nine miles east of here.
Two hundred revolutionists had occupied
the hills during the previous night. When
zen. navarro, Will fOV VI Ills duS
guard, passed east of the hills the in
surrectos opened fire, but did little dam
age, owing to the distance.
Fall Back to Mountains.
Later, when the field pieces came up
Navarro shelled them from their posi-
tions. The revolutionists retreated slow
ly. firing from the shelter of adobe houses
which dot the mesa. At o'clock, their
ammunition having run low, they took
| up position a. the base of range of
/ low mountains. five miles southwest of
Cerro Prieto.
There was no fighting today, despite
the proximity of the two forces, which
in itself indicates drawn battle. Their
| campfires can be seen from here tonight
During the fighting Sunday the original
| 300 insurrectos were reinforced by 80 of
their comrades. Two hundred more ar
| rived tonight and it was stated that by
| morning there would be 400 more west
| of here.
In an interview Gen. Navarro stated he
! expected serious fighting from now on
| He admitted that the insurgents were
| brave. but declared their lack of military
organization would defeat them in the
end.
1t was confirmed in his camp that
+ government troops were converging on
this section from Parral and from Sonora
| Navarro, contrary to common report
| has no rapid-fire guns, only field pieces.
| The Parral contingent however; is bring
| ing rapid firers. If the, revolutionists are
| to win they must destroy Navarro in
! order to contend with the new forces
i The most serious loss suffered by the
lrevolutionists occurred ir an adobe house
| in which they had taken cover a shell
wrecking the place. killing and wounding
| several but not before they had account
| ed for a number Of the enemy
/
Fifteen Bodies Near House.
| The Associated Press correspondent
counted fifteen dead near the ruins Of the
house, apparently about equally divided
between the two armies. About half of
them had been stripped Of their cloth
ing. 1t is a practice among the soldiers
to strip the uniforms from their dead
comrades. partly for the clothing and
partly to conceal their identity from
those who may seek to discover their
losses
Another unburied soldier, ,.lso stripped,
was seen by the roadside on the road
from this place to the scene Of the battle
Six more were in the federal camp await
ling burial. These were placed in rough
boxes and buried with military order in
a corral. Two companies lined up and
the bugle blew GLORY to the dead; long
live President Diaz!
81 Other dead were accounted for as still
l.. f1l1