The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-04-20


A great throng gathered at Fifth
street, 500 yards from the international
line, intent on witnessing the battle,
The American patrol forced back all
persons except those carrying passes.
Twenty men were detailed to take
the field en- the Mexican side Of the
line for Red Cross work. and about 100
volunteers were held on this side to
care for the wounded. A train on the
Nacozari railroad was made ready and
a number Of automobiles were run to-
the line in preparation to go out and
bring the wounded back to the city.
The first string of wagons and automo-
biles started for the front to collect tho
wounded at S:45 a. m.
Oscar K. Coll, who accompanied thu
Associated Press correspondent, was
struck by bullet on the side OF the
head while he was watching the prog
rcss Of the fight from Fourth street. A
long cash was cut I'm his scalp and
blood streamed over his face. He was
not seriously wounded, however.
Coll was the first American struck
on this side Of the line in today's fight 4
ing. He Is a newspaper man employed
in Tombstone. and was formerly i'm
migration commissioner OF Cochise
county, Arizona. He was treated at the,
Red Cross hospital.
The Associated Press correspondent
crossed the line and found Red" Lopez,
one of the rebel chiefs who commanded
the garrison of the town. All of Lo-i
pegs men had been engaged since the.
early firing began. Said Lopez:
I'VE concentrated our fire Of sharp
shooters on the two machine guns that
the federals brought into action and
succeeded in putting them out of busi-
ness. The loss of life is undoubtedly
heavy. At this hour believe we have
beaten the federals badly. AS fast as
h. a. ..w.,
into the draw Immediately south OF
Aqua Prieta the fire of our troops
moved them down. Our men are hold
ing every position taken by them so far
and have repulsed the right wing Of.
the federal army which attempted to-
swing around toward the American
border. We expect Juan Cabral to ar,
rive at any moment and reinforce us.
But we are going to hold Aqua Prieta,
anyway"
Fighting IL Renewed.
BY this time firing had been renewed.
The rebels in the bitches along the.
American line were engaged and the
American party in the automobile was
American party In the automobile,
Douglas. The federal troops paid no,
attention to the warnings not to fire,
from low ground. elevated their aim
and the bullets carried far into the
city Of Douglas.
On a little knoll where a Mexicanl
cemetery is located, the rebels had
erected dirt fort three feet long. Thel
federal fire directed at this point
SKINNED the ground and whizzed into
the streets of the American town. The,
whole section Of the city between Fifth
street and the international line was
deserted.
The American customs house was un-
der fire continually and the citizens,
sheltered there took shelter in a deep
ditch. Shots from the federal battal-,
ions which had position little to the
southwest of Aqua Prieta crashed
through the Fifth street home Of Rob
ert Rae, chief auditor for the Copper
Queen Consolidated Mining company,
the local Phelps-Codge corporation. Mr..
Rae and his family were driven out.
The American soldiers exposed to the,
fire behaved with courage and GOODNESS.
At 9 o'clock they alone maintained,
their positions along the line. Thou-I
sands of spectators covered the house i
tops farther back and filled the streets,
commanding view of the battlei
ground.
At $3.50 a. m. the firing was con-
tinuing. but the federal machine guns
were heard no more and appeared to
be out Of commission
Work of Machine Guns.
The federal machine guns were orig
inally placed in the center of the fed,
eral battle line to the southeast of
Aqua Prieta which extended fan-like in
two directions, southwest and north.
east. The machine guns would be
rushed forward and fired until hot. then
the soldiers would close up and hold the
line while the guns cooled.
After a moments rest they would be-
rxro oh d nrs6 q has
came in close contact with the rebel
trenches, the machine guns appeared
to have been silenced and the federal
line fell back.
At 10 o'clock tho federals rushed,
another column of men to this point.
They crossed through the short mes
quite brush up from small draw, run.l
ming at full speed AS they came with
ing firing range Of the rebel ranks, they
dropped fiat to the ground and fired at
the rebel trenches.
Here the battle ragged with fury. Bul-l
let's raked all the ground between!
Aqua Prieta and the international line
and also large zone in Douglas. This
section Is a flat, open territory and the,
constantly falling bullets which kicked
up little gysers of dust gave the whole
district the appearance Of smoking
ground.
Rebels Hold Every Position.
At 10: 80 the firing ceased. The rebels,
still had every position which they oc-,
cupied at the beginning Of the battle.
They Immediately began digging a new
line Of trenches within 100 feet Of the
international line running diagonalIyl
to the American boundary.
Mrs. Alice Gattliff, the American,
woman who remained in Aqua Prieta
with the stars and stripes flying aboyei
her little curio store, telephoned to
Douglas at 10:40 a. m. that she was
still unhurt. Lopez. who had been in,
her store, told her that the federals.
advancing across the open ground, had
lost heavily in killed and wounded
AMERICAN ADvENTURER
BELIEVED TO BE DEAD
FL Paso, Tex, April 17.-Reports ap-I
parently authentic, reached Juarez to-
day that Oscar G. Creighton, the,
dynamite fiend," as the Mexicans call
him, met death while fighting for the
insurrectos near Juarez Saturday.
Creighton claimed to be a New York.
broker with a brother In Philadelphia
and mother in Boston. He was In
charge OF the insurrectos' efforts to
wreck railroad bridges in northern
Mexico.
BATTLE Is IMMINENT
NEAR, TOWN OF ALTAR,
Nogales Ariz., April 17.-AmericansI
coming nv autOmohila TODAY from, 20