The Sentinel=record., 1913-12-09
FLEEING FEDERALS AND CIVIL. FANS FROM CHIHUAHUA AR
 RIVE AT THE RIO CYANIDE
PRESENT PITIfUL SPECTACLE
Marched Eight Days Through Sand Storms and Heat to Reach Haven of Safety-offcers May Be Arrested if They Cross the Line

Presidio, Tex. Dec. S.-The com 7letc sout Of Huclta's federal army in northern Mexico, with the frantic flight of his generals for safety to the border and the demoIaliaziton of the unpaid troops, was established with the arrival today at Oinaga, Mex. op- posite Prealdio of the civilians and eoldiers who deserted Chihuahua City.
 In the remarkable heglra the par. icipants in which struggled for eight days over an lS5-mie trail through the desert and endrued great aard- ships fer want of food and water were General Salvador Mercado. Heurta's derosed military governor and com mander of the federal trocts in the north; General Paseual Orozco, Gen oral Antonio Rojas, General Marcelo Caraveo, General YRez Sa'azar and @ host of subordinate officers They had deserted their post in fear of General Francisco Villa's rebel army and virtually had surrendered 10 the rebels in Chihuahua, the state capital and the argest of the far northern cities.
 Along with them cama. burdened with what property they could carry, men, women and children, represent ing some cf the richest families in the republic. Their flight with the army was in the face of reports that they might expect no mercy should they Terrazas, a wealthy, land owner re- puted to own half of the state ol Ch'- huahua. was said to have brought with him a vast fortune in cash, fearing mieht be seized by tho rebels if h. remained in the evacuated city.
 Witnesses viewing the oncoming throng from the hills of Ojinga re- ported the refugees were scattered in thin line for several miles into the interior and that the broken down wagons, d;sabed artillery and mingline of di .hea-tened soldiers and famished civilians, as they slowly moved over jhe desert presented spectacle Of despair
 The fear of being unable to kee nace with the eseortinE army. of beine lost on the desert, or caught by th rebels added tc the miseries of those who fled so preciptately Their ar rival in a panic, but unmolcsted bt the rchcs, formed one of inc most tragic incidents of the present reyolu. tion
 Many who started ont in vehicles later marched on foot; scores who at tempted to carry their treasures had to abandon them through sheer wearl ness. so their tracks were literally strewn with discarded impediments. clothing. brlcabac and valued trinkets which they had hoped to carry to safe ty Behind them they lcft the black cned as es of camp fires, marking at eight stage, on the tri1 the eight nights where they had camped The travelling in the day was sometimes
 
 n'e to estimate the number of refugees but observers say they would total sey' eral thousand.
 Whether the federal officers and the soldiers would attempt to seek refuge in the United States was not made known on their arrival. Just before the approach of the federals. whose oncoming was announced by twenty exhausted soldiers early in the day the few rebels at Oiinaga, who were greatly outnumbered by the advancing federals. left their garrison and re treated to the field This left the way opan for ire federals to advance to the Rio Grande river without fighting. II was believed they probably would re main on the Mexican side so long az they were not pressed by the rebels Genera, Villas rebel forces had been in pursuit of the fugitives, but the fed erals. bv evacuating tho city unawares had an advantage in point of time ahc Villas forces were unable to oyertakt them
 United States troops were on th' hordar to take action in case or any infringement of the neutrality aWs II was known that the authorities hae teleg-aWhed to Fl Paso for capia' for the arrest of General Orozeo, wi'