Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1913-12-25
March OF REFUGEES
WORSE TRAN Retreat
FROM MOSCOW
BY W. II. DURBROUGH
STAFF Photographer and Correspondent
Shreveport Times

Shreveport Times
Preside, Texas, Dec. H.
The march of 1000 refugees
will 90 down in Mexican history
as one of the republics most
thrilling events.
Two thousand men, women
and children, wild with fear.
without food part of the time,
half-crazed with thirst, marched
100 miles in nine days over the
desert from Chihuahua City to
the Rio Grande river-and safety
on American soil.
| came to Preside to await
the arrival of the caravan. On
the afternoon before it reached
the river, | saw it from bill,
with the aid of spyglass. The
caravan stretched out in snake
like line, fully 30 miles long.
back into the cruel desert-auto-
mobiles, wagons, buggies, men
on horseback, many afoot, and,
last of all, a body of Federal sol
diers, the latter fugitives with
the rest.
Why this heartbr e |; n &
march? When Rebel General
Villa beat the Federals at La
Mesa, Chihuahua was at his
mercy. He announced that he
would hang all the bankers, of
chihuahua, including the Rookie
Teller of Mexico, Don Luis Ter
razzas. He declared he would
make the city pay dearly for
helping Huerta and the Federal
army.
Panic seized the people Of bet
ter means. Don Luis gathered
50, 500, 900 in gold and placed it
with other valuables in three
automobiles. Bankers, business
men and others followed his ex-
ample. Two days later the cara
van was formed and the dreadful
march began
The supply Of food was insult
ticient. Only a few casks of
water were taken and the desert
yielded but little more. There
were 1000 Federal soldiers, in
Guiding the beaten Huerta gen
erals, Orozco, Salazar, Mecado
Caranca, forming a rear guard.
OF the 1000 in the main body
more than a thousand were wo-
men and children and there were
over fifty babies. All were
of the vel! to do class, unused tc
any hardships.
The men were heroic. They
gave up food and water for the
weaker ones. Horses and mules
were killed for food and the
former riders trudged over the
hot sands and stony ridges.
Don Luis, with his bag of gold
and automobiles, might have
saved himself in half the time by
a swift dash, but he refused to
desert the rest.
There were constant alarms.
1t was feared that Villa, the re-
sentful rebel who had hanged
and shot many, was following
close with his victorious hordes
Hysterical, fainting women
and screaming children was of
ten situation that added to the
desperation Of the men.
People had started from Chi
huahua carrying heavy satchels,
household valuables, brio a-brac,
rich clothing. The line of march
for more than 100 miles is strewn
with their goods. A pack train
could today pick up staff of a
value of 500, 900 and more.
Twice small bodies of rebels
attacked the TANKS Of the cara
van. They were quickly beaten
off, but this meant lost time and
increased fears.
The days were very hot and
the nights were freezing cold.
Clothing and blankets thrown
away in the days forced march
were badly needed at night and
the suffering was intense. There
was little wood in the desert and
in consequence very few camp
fires.
Conditions were pitiful the
seventh day on the route. A
dozen women lay unconscious in
wagons and buggies Men, weak.
ened by lack of food and water,
with feet raw and bleeding, lay
along the line of march, weeping
or in dumb despair. The sol
diers gathered them up and
many a horse carried two to the
banks of the Rio Srande.
The last three days food was
SO scarce that few of the men
had anything to eat at all. The
little water that still remained
in the casks or was found in
waterholcs was guarded by men
with drawn reyolvers and doled
out in the smallest quantities.
II TOOK two days for the long
line of exhausted refugees to
come into Oiinago, the Mexican
town across the river from tho