The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-25
HEAVY FIGHTING
AROUND TORRE0N
Refugees Report Great Loss
of Life. $4,000 Men in Bat
tie Since Monday.

( FL. PASO. December 24.--~Heavy
! fighting has been In progress at Tor
reon since Monday between rebel
and federal armies and reports reach
! ing Jiininez, midway between Chi
huahua and Torreon. say the rebels
have recaptured the city from Huerta
forces under General .Refugio VaIesco.
/ according to Mexican refugees. who
reached Juarez this morning on a
special train from Chihuahua, TO
which place they had come, from
Jminez
! AT least 5000 men have been en-
gagged in the fighting and the death
| list has been large. according to
those arriving here
/ The federal army OF some 5000
nen Is isolated from railway and
! telegraph communication with Sal
tillo. Monterey and Mexico City. and
| in case of a decisive defeat their po-
sition Will be desperate say the
/ Jiminez refugees.
! Twsnty-four hours of house to
house fighting in the suburbs Of
Gomez Palacio and Lerdo. within
eight miles of Torreon, elapsed Mon
1 day before the rebels gained a foot
hold IN the city itself. 1t is reported.
Tuesday morning they had secured
positions III Tprreon proper and were
slowly driving the federais before
them.
Railroads Behind Are Cut on.
II Huerta's soldiers are driven from
the city they will be tn terrible straits,
for the railways behind them are cut
and the nearest point or refuge would
be Saltilio, lab miles eastward. Three
thousand constitut!onaiists under GEN
eral Conteras, 2.00o under general
Luis and Pedro Arrieta- and 1 200 led
by General Robes, 500 commanded
| by Lieutenant Colonel Ebnito Garcia
and 500 more led by Lieutenant Coll
onei I. De Los Santos combined with
cavalry under General Monclovio
Herrera, have taken part in the
fighting, according to rebel reports.
More than 10000 rebels have been
engaged. according 10 these figures,
while the federal army is said TO
number 5000 men.
The federals under General yalesco.
occupied Torreon two weeks ago,
after few skirrnlshes with the
rebel forces, occupying the city. Cen
eral L. Garcia. well known rebel
| leader ~ the La Guna district, was
killed in enc Il the skirmishes there.
The Shortage of Ammunition.
| Curios ~ was aroused when it was
! learned that the constitutionalists had
evacuated Torreon without putting UP
q stiff fight, but shortage OF ammuni-
ton, according To recent reports, was
/ the real cause of the evacuation.
Since his occupation of Chihuahua.
Villa has devoted most of his ener-
gies to shipping ammunition south.
/ If he would expect recognition at
the hands of the United States and
/ the civilized powers OF the world,
Villa has been warned that he must
protect the rights of foreigners In
| his campaigns in Mexico. The United
States sent the warning officially, ac-
cording to Americans who have Just
raturned from his capital at Chihua-
hua. From the way villa appeared
I TO feel about it, the Americans be-
ilieve that the warning OF the United
States carried with Il almost q promise
lot recognition for the constitHti onal-
liatS IL the proprdetiee u ctvilixed war;
ifare are ohSerFed hereAtter and
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