Arizona republican., 1913-12-09
Retreat of Thousands of Disorganized Soldiery, Famished Citizens Carry ing Household Goods Re SembleS ROut.
HEGIRA STOPS AT
 RIVERS MARGIN
No Attempt Is Made to Cross; News from Mexico Has Huerta's Family Again In Secret Flight from Capital.
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATCH1


 PRESIDIO, Texas, Dec. 8.-The complete rout of Huerta's federal army in northern Mexico with the frantic flight of nts generals to safe ty on the border and the demorallza- ton of his unpaid troops was es- tablished today with the arrival at Ojinaga, Mexico, opposite Presldlo or the civilians and soldiers who desert ea Chihuahua city. In remarkable hegira which struggled for eight days ever 1S5 miles of trail, through the desert and endured great hardships for want of food and water were General MercadO, Huertas military governor and commander of the fed eral troops in the north, General Orozco. General Rojas, General Car aveO, General Salazar and a host of subordinate officers. They deserted their posts in fear of General Villas rebel army and had virtually surren- dcred Chihuahua to the rebels, and also the largest part of the northern section of the country. Along with them and burdened with what proper ty they could carry were men, women and children representing some oI the richest families in the republic Their flight with the aImy was in the face of reports that they might expect no mercy should they fall into the hands of the rebels.
 Luis Terrazas, a wealthy land own cr, reputed to own half the state Of Chihuahua, is said to have brought with him a fortune in cash, fearing he might be footed Py the rebels 1T he remained in the evacuated city.
 Witnesses viewing the arrival of ;he oncoming throngs from the hills S,t Ojinaga reported that the refugees were scattered in a thin line for several miles into the interior and that a dusty confusion of broken down wagons and disa bled artillery, mingling with the Gisheartened sol diers and famished civilians as they slowly moved over the desert, pre- sented a spectacle of general despair Their arrival in a panlc, but unmo- tested by rebels formed one of the most tragic incidents of the revolu- ton.
 The journey required nine days Often they encountered sandstorms. The nights were cold It is impos- sible to estimate the total number of refugees, whom the observers believe will number several thousand. Wheth- or federal officers of soldiers will at
 
 States or not was not made known Cn their arrival
 Just before the approach of the advancing federals, whose oncoming was announced by twenty exhausted soldiers, a few rebels in Ojinaga, who were greatly outnumbered by feder- als left their garrison and retreated irto the field. This left the way open for the federals to advance to the Rio Grande river without fighting. It is believed they will probably re- main on the Mexican side as long as they are not pressed by the rebels General Villas rebel forces have been in pursuit of the fugitives. but the federals by evacuating the city una wares, had the advantage in point of tune. The rebel forces were unable to OVertake them. United States troops were on the border to take octiOn in case of any infringement of the neutrality laws
 The civilian refugees began cross- ing over to the American side late tonight. Automobiles were in readi- ness to take them to Maria on the