Norwich bulletin., 1913-12-24
Villa Cut Off
 From His Base.
FEDERALS PULL DOWN WIRES
 SOUTH OF JUAREZ
TO DESTROY PROPERTY
Now Plan of Campaign by Huerta's Forces-RaiIroad Bridges as We'll as Telegraph Wires Are Destroyed.

Juarez, Mexico, Dec 23-A flying wedge of federal troops swept into
 rebel territory today and, adopting the tactics of guerilla warfare, began a
 campaign to destroy railroad bridges and telegraph lines, according to rebel.
 reports.
 Their first act was to cut off com munication between General Francisco Villas S0,000 rebels at Chihuahua and
 the rebel base at Juarez By pulling the federals temporarily isolated Villa in Chihuahua so far as direct com
 munication was concerned.
 Campaign of Destruction. The small federal band went out from Ojinaga on the border and was believed to have been commanded by
 General Ynez SaIazar, who is well sea- soned in guerilla warfare
 The plan of the federals as under stood by the rebel chiefs, is to operate extensively over northern Mexico and by working in circles to destroy all property that might be of use to the l rebels without engaging the latter in a, light According to report, Salazar's s ] men were headed for the Casas Gran
 des district, west of the railroad run ming from Juarez and were designing
 to burn houses and other property. Wires Can Soon Be Repaired. ! It is believed by the rebels that the federa1s will form nothing more than a fugitive band, destroying what prop erty they can reach and disappearing g before they can be oVertaken. Exten- sive destruction of railroads and tele- graph lines would handicap the reb- els, but so far no serious damage has been done, as the wires between Juarez
 and Chihuahua can soon be repaired. An attempted invasion by the fed erals of rebel territory was expected
 and it is said Villa regarded it as in-
 significant.
 Comparative Strength of Two Armies The total federal strength is about 1000 soldiers, the bulk of whom are at OJinaga, while with more than 10,- coo men Villa controls almost all of the country north of Torreon and west of Monterey,
 A train which left Chihuahua for
 Juarez before the telegraph was inter- rupted had not reached here tonight. although 1t was believed the railroad had not been impaired.
 American Admiral at Culiacan. HermosilIo, Sonora, Mexico, Dec, 23. Rear Admiral Cow1es and the cap
 tain of the United States cruiser Pitts burgh arrived today at Culiayan being brought to the state capital 0H a spe-
 cial train with Felipe Riyeros, eensti- tHfL0nal1St governor of Sif9afaa and in- surgeRt army officers. This inferma-
 tlon telegraphed here tonight did not
 make clear what business the Amer
 ican rear admiral had with the con- stitutienalist officers, although yester-
 day it was reported the visit was in connection with the state department S inquiry into the safety of w. s. Wind
 ham and J. M. Dunn, Americans who It was reported were held prisoners by the constituencies. The consti- tutiOnalists accounted for the where
 aboutS of the two Americans after the
 cruiser had started southwaFd.
 Another Federal Train Blown Ue.
 Mexico City, Dee. 32-Unaware of
 the presence of northern rebels at 8
 point 50 far south, train carrying &
 detachment of government troops on 8
 tour of exploration ran over a rebel dynamite mine near ChaFcos today and was practically destroyed. A majority
 of the federals who escaped death in the explosion were killed afterwards hVrt t1aa, 10oIc-