Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-04-28

in Washington, received a telegram
from General Francisco l. Madero Jr.,
. who has been threatening to attack
Jusrez, authorizing him to begin nego.
tiations with the Mexican government
for an immediate armistice.
After an all day battle the Mexican
rebels withdrew secretly from Aqua
Prieta, Mex, and the fedeTals are now
occupying the town.
The reason for the evacuation Of
the city after their all day deferse of
it was not at first apparent. The most
logical conclusion seemed to be that
they had exhausted their ammunition
in the fighting.
Later developments showed the reb-
el army to be disrupted. It's leaders
gave up the fight and the men in the
ranks appear to have fed in directions
Of their own individual choosing.
Colonel Medine, WHO assumed COM
mand of the rebvls in Aqua Prieta,
made his way to the American line be-
fore dawn and surrendered to the
United States troops. He was the
mayer Of the town. He was immedi-
ately placed under guard and held at
the headquarters OF the American cav
airy at the ball park.
The government losses in the fight
ing may never be known. The feder-
ais declined the assistance of the Red
Cross, stating that the army would
care for it own wounded. During the
fighting the federals removed their
dead and wounded to the rear 1t is
understood that these killed were bur
led on the field. None was brought
into the bull ring at Aqua Prieta.
The days fighting began at $3.50 in
the morning.
At ! o'clock the rebel commander
at Aqua Prieta estimated the federal
dead at seventy-fve. The rebel losses
were at that time twenty dead and
fifty wounded.
The ebels had brought twenty dead
into thN town Of Aqua Prieta and with
their loss so heavy, the federal loss
must be much heavier, as the federals
fought in the open a great deal Of the
time.
Federal troops disregarded United
States warnings and their own prom
ises not to fire into the United States,
but in fighting from low ground, Gle
waited their aim and bullets carried
far into Douglas. The whole section
of the city between Fifth street and
the line was deserted. TIE American
custom house was under heavy fire
and the citizens sheltered there took
refuge in a deep ditch. Jack Hamil-
ton, fourteen years old, from Naco,
Ariz,, standing on building on the
corner of Sixth street and Railroad
avenue, half q mile north of the inter-
national line, was struck by a srent
Mauser bullet. 1t pierced his coat
and shirt and the point entered the
flesh of the left breast. The boy
gamely got up and pulled the bullet
out and put it in his pocket for sou
venir.
Oscar x. Coll, a newspaper man.
was shot in the side of the head on
Fourth street He was the first Amer
lean wounded on the American side
in the battle Bullets struck resi-
dences of Robert Rae, on Eiehth
street, and A. W War;, secretary CT
the Y. NJ. c. A, on Eighth street The
families moved cut.
Colonel Skunk, commandirg the
American troops, said he would rot do
anything about it, having no orders
from WASHINGTON
Governor Sloan of Arizona was on
the International line during the fight
ing. He got the cavalry to drive back
1900 American and Mexican men,
women and children, including many
mothers with babies in go-carts, from
the danger zone
In the first attack the federals were
repulsed. After a short rest, they at
tackled again, then hesitated for a
short time and resumed the attack the
third time. The rest of the day the
lighting was almost continuous. More
than 1,500 federals were pitted against
the rebel garrison of 1000
Responding to telegram from Gov
ernor Sloan of Arizona, asking ii
nothing can be done to relieve the sit
uaton, President Taft telegraphed:
Have made urgent demand on Mexi-
can government to use means to pre-
vent firing across the border by Mexi-
can federal troops and am awaiting
reply. Meantime | have sent direct
warning to Mexican insurgent forces
near Douglas. infer from your dis
patch that both parties attempted to
heed the warnings, but in the strained
eNigency of the contest wild bullets
still find their way into Douglas. The
situation might justify me in ordering
our troops across the border and at
tempt to stop fighting or to fire upon
both eombatalts from the American
side, but If take this step | must face
the possibility OF resistance and
greater blodshed and also the danger
of having cur motives misconstrued
and misrepresented and of infiamins
the Mexican people against many
thousands of Americans now in Mex