Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-01-13
.|NSURRECTOS
HELD FIELD
They Were Outnunbered By
Three 10 One
SMALL BUT FIERCE FIGHT
On the Bank of the Rio
Grande-Rebels Probably
Saved From Annihilation
by Return of Comrades
From Horse Stealing Trip

Cpmstock, Tex, Jan. 12.-More than
twenty were killed in a battle between
the Mexican federal troops and a small
party of insurrectos on the bank of the
Rio Grande opposite this point yes
tcrday.
The insurrectos had only eighteen
men, and for three hours he'll at bay
soventy-five rurales and one hundred
infantry soldiers. When darkness
ended the battle the nsurrectos held
the field, and the government troops
had Withdrawn tv- miles and camped.
The insurrectos left two hours later
for their mountain headquarters carry
ing their wounded with them
OF the eighteen insurrectos, two
were killed and seven wounded. Z. 5.
O'Reilly, a correspondent. with the in
surrectos, received a sigh wound
Twice the rurales charged the insur-
rcctos, once coming within fifty yards.
but each time they were repulsed The
correspondent counted eighteen soldiers
carried from the field during the bat
tie.
The return of twenty insurrectos
who had been out on raid saved the
rest Of the band and prevented what
probably would have been the maSsa-
ere of those defending the rebel camp.
The original party of insUrrectos
numbered forty men. For two DAYS
seventy rurales had chased the band
and on Tuesday night the party went to
the river to water their horses, think
ing they had eluded the government
orces. The next morning twenty reb-
els started for a ranch about twelve
miles away To get more horses The
camp of the insurrectOs was discovered
and seventy mounted infantrymen
were sent to support the rurales.
When they approached, the twenty
insurrectos prepared To give a hot re-
ception. Two rebels set to work pack
ing extra ammunition and rifles on the
mules. The eighteen remaining insur-
rectos took a position in a line drawn
across the trail of the advancing sol
diers. The firing began at a distance
of three hundred yards. The insur-
gents poured a vOlley from their 3O-cal-
iber rifles into the enemy and three
soldiers fell. The soldiers replied with
Mauser carbines After half an hour of
continuous fighting the federals re-
ceived reinfOrcements and a charge
was made on the insurrectos. As the
federals advanced the defenders Of the
pass sent a storm of bullets into their
ranks. firing coolly and accurately. The
federals advanced a short distance and
then returned to their original position.
The firing continued and one by one
the rebels dropped from the ranks,
either dead or wounded. until only nine
men remained working the guns.
Again the soldiers charged. this time
within fifty yards of the
gulley where the insurrectOs were con-
cealed. Not a man gave way. but con-
tinued firing deliberately until the sol
diers again retreated. In both charges
and retreats the rurales kept their line
in good order and showed no panic. The
steady fire and good aim of the in
was more than the soldiers
could stand and they shrank from
closing i'm a final assault.
As the darkness approached the
twenty insurrectos who had been sent
for horses. appeared over a neighbor
ing hill on gailop. The bUgles of the
soldiers blew a retreat and the federals
fell back about mile, where they took
a stronger position i'm a shallow can
yon. The field was left to the insur-
rectOs. Eighteen rebels successfully
held at bay nearly ten times their num-
Der for three hours
report from Mexican government
that a detachment of insur-
rectos crossed the river and fired on
soldiers from the American side is de-
MED by the insurrectos. who say that
had they wished to do so, after the
fight had started it would have been
impossible as the ford, the only cross
ing place. was literally churned with
bullets and man could not have lived
TO reach the opposite side. The in
have a strongly fortified
camp in the mountains and more than
Dne hundred and fifty men are under
arms at that point. They are armed
and plentifully supplied with ammuni
ton.