Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-04-19
U. S. TROOPS GROSS.
REBELS TAKE CITY, BUT STRAY.
BULLETS HIT AMERICAN
slGHTsEERs.
YANKEES PUT STOP TO BATTLE
Two Dead, Several Wounded on This
Side Of the 5order-Troops Then =
49, Cross Line and Call a =
Halt.

Aqua Prieta, Mexico. - During a
battle which resulted in the capture Of
this city by the rebels, commanded by
Red Lopez, American troops crossed
the border and stopped the fighting.
The action was taken after two had
been killed and several wounded in
Douglas and the continued firing was
endangering the lives of Americans on
United States territory. Douglas was
under constant fire three hours.
Aqua Prieta is the terminal of the
Nacozari railroad into Sonora and is
the most important point on the bor-
der between Ell Paso and the Pacific
ocean.
Story Of the Battle.
Lopez captured the Nacozari train
on it's southbound trip Wednesday and
held it near Frontier until when, with
his troops aboard, numbering $50, it
steamed back to Aqua Prieta. Scarce
ly had the rebels detrained when the
firing began. The rebels deployed the
firing line up and down the Nacozari
railroad tracks from Aqua Prieta sta
ton to the American customs house.
With the opening of the battle there
began rush of American sightseers
from Douglas toward the International
line, the greater number passing at
| the customs house. The rebels with
little PUSHES kept moving northward
| toward the customs house until they
were within it's shadows. The Gus
toms house is surrounded on three
sides facing Aqua Prieta with YER
| anda, which was crowded with Ameri-
cans and Mexicans from Douglas.
One rebel attempted to run from
the embankment to an adobe house a
| few feet to the rear. He doubled up
in his tracks. Another followed drop
ping dead at the door, Another, los
ing heart, threw down his gun and
broke for the American line, only a
few feet away, when Lopez leveled
his gun at the fugitive, fired and
brought him to earth. A faithful dog
remained by this mans side through
out the battle
On International Line.
The rebels swung up along the in
ternational line. taking possession of
the Mexican guardhouse, which the
federals had made their ammunition
magazine. A squad of Is fought from
| this shelter with Lopez commanding.
This house is only 20 feet from the
| line vuhnra of
| stood.
| AS the rebels swung around to this
flank it brought the federal fire from
Aqua Prieta directly into the Amer-
can customs house. Telephone poles
were spattered, spots dug up in the
sand, but the sightseers, mad with en-
thusiasm of the fight, stood their
ground.
Dickson, an American who was shot
through the thigh, had taken up a po-
sition behind little dirt embankment
to the south of Nacozari station on
the Mexican side, with a station en-
ploye. Both waved their white hand
kerchiefs at a squad of federals, but
the sign of peace was answered by a
volley of shots, one of which struck
Dickson as he lay on the ground.
With another rush a squad of rebels
took possession of a second guard
house by the international monument,
where they hoisted their red, white
and green flag, as they had done at
the magazine.
On the tallest of the adobe build
ings, the commissarious headquarters,
stood two federal officers, calmly not
ing the rebel movement and directing
their own force. They drew the fire
of the rebel rifles UNDECIDED, the Amer
leans cheering their bravery. Sud-
denly one of them crumpled up and
fell. A moment later the federal CON-
mander ordered his men out of the
Quartet. Dynamite charges, placed in
| the rear, were exploded and the whole
! wall was blown out to give them an
! exit.