Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-11-22
REBELS LEARN OF THEIR NEAR
NESS AND GO OUT TO GIVE
THEM BATTLE
VILLA IS IN The LEAD
coNsTlTuToNALlsT CHIEF lpE-
clDEs TO WAIT FOR
TROOPS ARRIVAL
PEDDLlNG QUEER STORIES
MEXICAN NEWSPAPER SAYS THE
UNITED STATES WILL REC
oeNlzE1 1HuERTA

oGNtzE 1HUERTA
El Paso, Tex, Nov. 90 Federals
are within 80 miles of Juarez, accord
ing TO the rebels nov holding the hoy-
der Mexican town and Pancho Villa
and 1000 men have gone out to meet
and fight them.
The statement was made at 1880
o'clock this morning in Juarez to an
Associated Press representative by
treaeral Jose Rodriguez, one of Villas
principal lieutenants. He declared
that Villa and chief of staff, Juan
N. Medina, had left an hour before
for the south, after receiving reliable
information that the federals had
reached samalayuca, 32 miles below
Juarez.
General Rodriguez declared lnsst g.
600 additional men were being pre-
pared and would go south just as soon
as they could be loaded ON the trains,
He said Villa and Medina took two
trainloads of men and that there were
trains enough to convey the other 81
900 men as soon as the engines could
be fired up. The two trains that Vii
la took out would return for rein
forcements in a short time, he de-
clared
Preparations had been made for a
big parade IN J1arez TINS morning in
celebration Of the victory of the reb-
els over the federals last Saturday,
but the preparations were called off
when the definite news came of the
near approach Of the federals.
Why the federals should have got so
close TO Juarez before villa learned
Of it is a mystery, if Villa has as
many men scattered south of Juarez
as ne has claimed. He has always
said that he had 1000 men outside
the oity scattered along the Mexican
Central railroad Evidently these men
were not there, or Villa would have
been advised sooner of the approach
Of the federals.
Villa GAINED yesterday that he
had 1900 men in Juarez Just how
near this figure was correct is known
only to Villa and his chief lieutenants.
The town was literally alive with
rebel soldiers; every street and every
house, it seemed. was full Of men. All
were being fitted out with shoes and
new blue overalls and jumpers. Some
were getting hats.
Villa gave it out on his arrival in
Juarez that he had destroyed the
Mexican Central as he came to Juarez
and that the federaIs could not fol-
low. One of his staff officers declar-
ed Friday that the road had only been
torn up in places and that the feder-
ais could easily repair it.
1--WE hope they do repair it and
come after us, said the officer for
if they don't come after us we will
have to go after them, and we would
rather meet them in the open than
attack them in Chihuahua again.
Villa carried considerable artillery
with him this morning when he left
Juarez.
villa returned to Juarez at IL
o'clock, after having distributed his
1000 men along the railroad imme-
diately south Of Juarez. and began
supervising the entraining of the
other troops. He said he did not in
tend to advance today to Samalayuca
to meet the federals there, but ex-
pected to, concentrate his men about
ten miles south Of Juarez to give bat
tie to the federals there when they
should come closer
Battle az O'Clock
Fighting IS reported to have al
ready commenced between Villas adj
vance guard and the federal advance
guard. villa expects to fight the fed
erals about Is miles out and believes