Arizona republican., 1912-03-24
Federal and Rebel Forces Are Lined Up Wait ing for the Fight
 to Start
ROJAS PLACED
 UNDER ARREST
Question Affecting Loyalty Gets Subordinate and Men in Serious
 Trouble
I [ASS0cidfcd Press DiSbGtchl

CHIHUAHUA, March 23.--General Orozco regards it highly probable the first decisive engagement of the inSur- rection against the Madero govern ment will be fought at EScalon to- morrow. EscalOn is an adobe village situated on a sandy plain midway be- tween Jiminez and Torreon. All avail able troops have been sent there, 1eav- ing only the garrison at Chihuahua 8 mere corpOraTs guard at JimineZ, which has been the base of recent operations. EscalOn is now occupied by 2,S0O rebels while the federal force, which is expected to attack tomorrow, numbers about 1000. having been re- inforced by regiment and platoon of artillery today.
 CHIHUAHUA, March 23.--Generaf Antonio Rojas. of the revolutionary forces. was placed under arrest today by General Pascual OrozcO. comman- ,ler-in- chief. two hundred of ROjas' men were disarmed and their rifles given to men whose loyalty is not questioned. The remaining 800 men of Rojas' detachmentwere sent south to reinforce Generals Campa and Salaz- ar. who are in mOmentary expectation of attack at EscalOn.
 Rojas is the man who. when in com- mand of the garrison at JuareZ, footed the branch Me Xiean National Bank of T. 200 pesos. all that remained in che vaults. This action was condemned by his brother officers and Rojas ordered with his command to Chihuahua. He soon returned to Juarez. but Thursday again took his men to Chihuahua.
 It is saiG his arrest is due to insub- ordination in declining 70 obey Oroz- cos orders. Two emmisaries from Ojinaga have arrived here and inform ed OrOzco that Jose de la Cruz San chez commanding 200 federals at Ojinaga had decided to cast his for tunes with the revolution.
 Light skirmishing marked the day at the front between the outposts of the | opposing forces in the neighbOrhoOd of | CabailOs which is about 20 miles south. | The insurrectO main force is at Es- | calon. Reports from General Salazar | to OrOZcO make no mention of rebel ! losses as reported in the city of Mex 1 ico but such omissions are common in | such repor,s. The jespatches do state. | however. that the "elemy'S loss far | outnumberei our own
 | The report that Ojinaga is now a rebel town is correct. The insurrectos
 are in control of the entire state of | Chihuahua from east to west and from
 the north tO the southern army in front of r,scalOn.
 FL PASO. March 23.--A special to | the Herald from Chihuahua, says Oji-
 naga was taken today by the rebels
 without struggle. Jose Sanchez.
 commanding the federals there, joined
 the rebels
 MEXICO CITY. March 23.-Strict
 censorship of news regarding the bat
 tie near Escalon, midway between
 Chihuahua and TorreOn yesterday. left
 the result in doubt tonight. Federal
 officials reiterated the story of a gov
 ernment victory. but from no source
 were details obtainahle A dispatch
 from Torreon over censorsed wires
 purpOrted to confirm the rout of the
 rebels. though their number is esti-
 mated at from two to three hundred
 instead of 1900, as stated in the gov- ! ernment ddvices.
 FL PASO. March 2S.-Two gum
 runners who attempted to get four
 thousand cartridges across a ford of
 the Rio Granle few miles west of
 this city. were arrested tonight by ! American soldiers. They gave their
 names as George Graham and Abram Fernandez. The gun-runnerS paid $l0
 per thousand for getting the cartridges
 across the river to the rebels. l SAN ANTONIO. March 2S.-Half a | million dollars worth of grain and merchandise. consigned to Mexican points and held here and in this vii cinity on account of uncertainty of the meaning of President Taft's proc lamation bearing upon the exporta . I tions of munitions of war, has been l released for shipment across the bor- der. United States Marshal Nolle re- } voked the order because the ship lments of foodstuffs are evidently not l intended for consumption by indi-
 Viduals to whom they are consigned