The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-03-29
MEXICAN ARMY ROUTED
GEN. SALAS KILLS SELF
FEDERkLS SUFFER CRUSHING
DEFEAT AT CORRALlTOS AND
RETREAT TO TOR2EON.
ENEMY USES DYNAMITE ENGINE
Rebels Send Car Of Dynamite Head
on Into a Federal Armored Train
of soIdiers-Many Killed and
Taken Prisoners.

City of MeXico-General Jose Con
zalez Salas, who left the war ministry
TO take active charge Of the campaign
against OrozcO, committed suicide
Monday at Bermejillo by shooting him
self through the head while with a
part of his army he was retreatlng to
TOrreOn after reverse at CoTrahlos,
twenty miles south of Jimenez.
General Victoriano Huerta, formerly
In command OF federal forces in Mo-
relos. has been named to succeed him.
The suicide of Gonzalez Salas was
attributed to chagrin over the failure
of his first engagement. While min
lister Of war he had been subjected to
vicious attacks by hostile press and
his retirement from the cabinet to
take command Of the campaign was
an effort to rehabilitate himself in
popular favor. On Saturday with a
part of his forces he met and routed
some 5000 rebels between Arellano
and Escaon. Trucy Aubert with a
detachment had been sent to flank the
enemy and is reported now to be in
the rear of the rebels near Jiminez,
After Saturdays engagement the
rebels took to the hills, where Con
zalez Salas' artillery was useless, and
the general withdrew to Bermejillo,
eighty miles south of Escalon, because
of lack of water in the region north.
Meantime the rebels had reformed
at Corralitos and on Sunday General
Gonzalez Salas advanced against them
second time. Both forces were pro
vided with troop trains to move their
forces. With the locomotive of his
second train the federal commander
pulled his army back to Bermijillo,
where he put an end to himself, due tc
humiliation. There had been four
days of almost continuous fighting
and the governments army pressed
forward through the outposts OF the
Orozco forces and commanded them to
abandon the town of Escalon, where
the first serious resistance was offer
et. On Saturday the rebels fell back
toward Corraltos, which was selected
for the center of the real battle. Here
the fight was resumed Sunday and
continued with considerable energy
until the rebels executed the maneu.
yer which turned the tide against the
federals
Under General Campo 800 revolu.
tionaries were sent by circuitous
route some miles south from Corrali.
tos with instructions to fall in behind
the troop trains of the federal army,
which were still bringing up the
forces. In the meanwhile a locomo.
tive loaded with dynamite was pre-.
pared in the rebel camp. A volunteer
engineer piloted the machine out OF
town, and at a moment when the
troop train of federals approached, the
engine was speeded up with an open
throttle, the engineer jumping to safe,
ty In the explosion which followed
the collision of the locomotives eighty
federal soldiers were killed. The
move was a complete surprise and
threw panic into the federal army.
By this time Campa's deploying party
closed in behind the main federal
forces and completed the demoraliza.
ton of the federal forces.
In Sundays action General Banquet
was shot and Major Nicolas Martinez,
chief of staff, was killed in the explo,
sion of the dynamitelad locomotive
Reports state that fifty minor Of
ficers and many privates were cap
tured by Orozco's men.
BY special instructions of General
Orozco, the prisoners sent north were
received with all the honors of war al
Chihuahua, their wounds being given
the best Of attention and the soldiers
fed and treated with every respect
The number of privates captured is
not given.
Federals are said to be pouring into
Torreon exhausted and panic-stricken
by their complete defeat. For days
they had been advancing under the
greatest discomforts of heat and short
rations and are said to have been in