El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-02
ARMY
IS READY FOR
THE ADVANCE
Only Waiting Word From
Villa to Attack Torreon,
Federal Fortress.
FEDERAL MONEY
is 0UTLAWED

* HIHDAHDAs ASAAOO' 4 ~ ..
certain as to when they viii be
~ ordered to begin the attack on
+ba federal army at Torreon, the scene
of the next important military conflict
in Mexico. 10000 rebels mobolized at
.Timsnez and along the railroad south
Of there. await the coming OF Gen.
Win their forces drawing in from
the sOucn, west ana easy 5-i7 - 1 - ~
and with the troops moblllzed 70 lne
north, the rebel generals assert tu aI
thev will attack the city with a loLa1
strength of 5000. The reDeI army Is
divided into the commands OF I'VE IEI DIIg9-
adler generals including MaclaVlo
Herrera, ROsalia Hernandez ana IOf1-
bio Ortega- with PanchO via eommanq-
ing the division. and, Wnile Lue4E MAN
body is still more than 1OO nnlIes nor u. ~
of TOrreon. their advance GUARDS are
said to extend to within few miles OF
the citv About 40 field pieces and great
quantities of ammunition nave Deen
shipped sOuthWard in readiness LOT the
AGAINST the rebels the federal gar
rfsOn under Gen. RefugiO NelaSco VIII
put forth as formidable defence as
their means viii permit The IeqeraI
strength is estimated by the reDelS at
from 5000 soldiers upward. II IS e2-
pecued that the rebels viii outnumber
the federals at least two to one Cen
Ve1asco's soldiers, however nave tne
advantage of positions and are salu 70
be supplied with superior artillery.
Important Place.
TorreOn. with 25 600 population, an
important railroad center ana the IN
dustriaI seat of the Laguna cotton as
trict, besides having the largest soap
and shoe factory in Mexico, has a nat
ural defence 10 the west. 1t IS tlanked
on the west by series Of mis- ana
CANYONS. On these hills, which nave
sweeping command over the CITY
over a river to the north and over the
flat Laguna district eastward, the led
erals have planted their cannon one
hill in particular, known as La Cruz,
has been converted into a Veritable
fort, bristling with long range guns
It viii be for the possession Of these
hills that the preliminary DattIe VIII
be fought, for, in the opinion OF the
rebels neither side without the hills
could hold the town
FederaIs Bottled Up.
In case Of defeat, the tederals orQl-
narily would follow the railroad south
ward to Zacatecas or eastward to Sal
tillO, but the rebels operating in those
districts have been ordered to cut off,
If possible, railroad communication in
both directions and TO completely bot
tie TOrreOn before the attack begins.
Because of these preliminaries it is
likely that the attack on the city viii
be deferred for some days.
Villa, Herrera and Ortega have had
perviOus experience in attacks on Tor
reon. The city has changed hands sew
eral times. In the Madero revolution
attention was attracted to TorreOn be-
cause Of the massacre there Of several
hundred Chinese, Wnen MaderO's rebels
took the place.
Currency Declared Counterfeit.
Currency issued by the bank OF So
nora, the bank of Minero and other
gime, viii be treated as counterfeit
money after Feb. 10 under a decree
issued by the rebel government. The
free and unlimited coinage of silver
VIII be offered as a means of prOVid-
ing ample money.
The embargo against the old bank
currency, which is frOwned upon as a
survival Of the cientifico davs when
the CreeIs and Terrazases were in now
er, viii render worthless in the rebel
territory millions of dollars in paper
money. The circulation Of all paper of
individuals and corporations is prohib-
tied after today.
A mint has been established for the
coinage Of silver bearing the 'COnsti-
tutionalist' stamp. The offer of free
viii be extended to all bullion
owners, but il has not been indicated
to what extent the offer viii be &C
cepted.
The rebel government already Is in
possession Of much bullion which will
be coined to enrich the treasury.
Rebels as Butchers.
While exhorbitant prices are asked
for food products in Chihuahua, the
rebels have assumed control Of the beef
supply and are selling it at six cents
a pound. The proceeds go into the
treasury. All dealings in cattle, chief
~ off the Terrazas ranches, are affairs
Of state, directed by PanchO Villa.
Confirming assertions of Villa that
his power is supreme in Chi
lUahua state, he nevertheless is second
70 Gen. CarranZa, all the official DOE.
lments refer to Carranza as the chief
Fhis is set forth in the "Peroidico OIL
.ial," in which Carranza's DEGREES are
published. Homes of the CreeL Ter
'azas and other rich families continue
o fall into the hands of the rebels who
Use them as government stables and
luartels.
villa the Whole Thing,
In the absence of Carranza. Villa
continues to WELD the power Of the
.ourt, the legislature and all govern
mental functions. He recently granted
sufficient to yield their
.wners large incomes.
Villa is expected to return from
uarez within a few days to begin fbe
against TOrreon. Adyices
rom the south today were that the fed
rails at TOrreOn would present a sinh
.Orn front to the rebel advance The
ebel base has been moved soutbuarS |