The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-04-23


wounded to Cananea. During the
fight, which lasted about one and a
half hours, many bullets landed on
| this side of the line and three OF our
soldiers while in camp quarter OF
a mile away from the line, were
wounded, though not seriously, and
many bullets went through the SOL
diers' tents. The caves of our immi-
grafton Office were also punctured by
bullet which afterward took a chip
out of brick in the wall and bounded
back. l have the bullet as souvenir.
From this time on, night or day,
the quiet was frequently broken by
rifle, cannon or machine gun fire. At
about 10 o'clock p. m. on the 10th inst
and at a. m. on the 18th, attacks
| were made on the town and were sim
liar in sound and effect to the one
described above, the cannon being APP
parently too much for the Maderistas
to face. The Maderistas were always
claiming that they We're just getting
in some cannon to attack the town by
bombardment, but they never materi-
allied. The cannons which they cap
tured at Cananea We're rendered use
less before the surrender. BY this
time we are getting used to the war
and it's noises and no ordinary clamor
would excite us. We used to call the
usual afternoon cannonading matt
nees" and would be disappointed and
peeved if we were denied the usual
entertainment, as we did not consider
the effect was really very dangerous.
One afternoon, however, we heard
sharper rifle and machine gun fire
than usual and before long we saw 10
federals being marched to our camp
as prisoners, they having been driv-
en- from their position and they
claimed, We're not aware that they had
crossed the line. One federal cap
tain was mortally wounded in this
skirmish and a number of other men
killed or wounded. Only rs men had
been sent out to reconnoiter and not
half of them returned to their camp.
But the big event, the one we had
been waiting for for four weeks, &C.
tually took place on Sunday morning,
April 18th, just one month from the
time that Gen. Ojeda and his army
first entered Naco. At $3.50 o'clock
a. m. the dull boom of the cannon, the
sharper pop of the rifles, the purr OF
the machine guns, and the quaking
earth caused by the exploding bombs,
warned us that the struggle for SUI
premacy was still on. This time the
attack seemed to come from all three
sides (and there are some who affirm
that part OF the attacking Yaquis
actually came down one OF the streets
near the line on the American side),
causing the federals to divide their
forces. The cannon fire did not seem
to be so frequent as before and by(
$50 a. m. it seemed to be stopped al
together. l was sleeping in an adobe
house, which is fine protection against
rifle fire, and did not get up any earlier
than common, as l thought the slack
ening of the fire told of another Ma
deristas defeat. Many of the resi-
dents who had no secure place of
refuge from flying bullets, took shelf
er in the church or opera house, which
places were constructed of adobe (sun
dried brick). Between I and o'clock
in the morning it was noticed that
the Mexican custom house was burn
ing, and it being situated on the line
and diagonally across the street from
where our own frame custom house
was located, l was afraid that the fire
would spread to this side and perhaps
burn our Office as we'll. There was
very little breeze, however, and what
there was was favorable. Perhaps a
half-dozen buildings were burned be-
fore the flames were spent, but none
Of them We're occupied at the time. 1t
was about this time that l first heard
that the Maderistas had succeeded in
the town and were staying
and fighting from house to house, and
that already some so or 60 federals
had crossed the line and surrendered
to the U. S. troops. These soldiers
stated that their ammunition had Civ
en- out.
Most of the buildings in Naco, So
nora, are made of adobe, which, with
holes punched in the walls for port
holes, make excellent defense against
rifle fire. The federals had prepared
some of the outlying houses in this
manner and also built barricades
across some of the principal streets
so that they had the advantage of the
position. The Maderistas having no
cannon, manufactured some hand |