The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-16
WALLOPlNG PUTS VILLA BACK AGAIN
 AS ARMY'S CHIEF
Carranza's Tactics Bring Crush ing Defeat to Natera. Heavy Losses Are Reported in Meagre Dispatches From
 ZacatcaS.

Carranza's experiment in trying to carry on the constitutional campaign south of Torreon without the aid of General Villa has resulted more dis astrously than was at first known. The rebel army under General Fian- flo UIatera, not only was defeated at zacatecas last Friday, but was routed erations will be impossible until Vf- las army can reach the zone of light ing.
 Not a word about the constitution alist reverse has been allowed to come over the telegraph wires. but private reon fully confirm ths report which General Medina Barron. commander at Zacatecas, has made to Mexico City, save in the matter of rebel loss- es. These are aScribed as very heavy, but no figures are given.
 Those constitutionalist leaders who eympathize with Villa in the present situation and those who owe allegi- ance to the rebel cause without regard to factional differences are bitter at. Carranza for what they term his 1olaying politics at a. critical time. They hold the first chief responsible for the disaster to the rebel arms in that he placed an untrfed man like Natera over villa, thus upsetting the military program which the latter had fVOT4E6Q out TOT CAo LA7tcdI6CSlS e1l4O koe441 Luis Potosi campaigns
 Nateta, too, 1t is held, had an i'm sufficient force at his command and | was almost entirely without artillery, although it was well known to the constitutiona1ists that General Barron had plenty of good artillery and men at Chapu1t tepec training to operate it.. It is greatly feared that Carranza's blunder will widen the breach be- tween the first chief and Villa, all though the later will not allow per- sona1 feeling to prevent his doing ev- erything in his power to turn the for-
 Advices here state that Villa is still in TorTeon, but that his whole army is on the move. From Torreon to La Colorado. the veterans of Torreon, Go- meg Palacio, San Pedro and ParedOn, be made ready to transport them Euselsfo Calzado, the railroad genius. who worked miracles in repairing torn up roads and getting Villas army south from Berme5iIIo toward Tor reon two months ago, only to be fore ed into a recent resignation by Car ranza, supposedly because of his in- timacy with Villa, is now being relied upon to save the situation.
 Up to Sunday, Carranza had not for rnally accepted his resignation as di- rector of railroads, and it is not be- lieved now that he will be in any hur- ny to accept it.
 Villa, at last reports, is still in Tor reon, where he has been personally directing the troop movements by tele- graph since his return from La Cobra do. The best of the rebel artillery is in Torreon and Villa is experimenting it's removal south. As soon as the last of the army is out of Torreon, Villa l'mand- It is not expected that there will be the slightest technical objec- tion by Carranza or any one else to his directing the military operations from now on.
 | According to information reaching here, General Natera. met his Water loo on Friday afternoon. when, after l two days of fighting at long range. during which the federal artillery worked havoc in the rebel ranks, general advance upon three positions was ordered by General Natera in the hope Of taking them and siIencing the artillery These positions were the hills of Fl Grillo, veta Grande and La Bufa-
 The constitutionalists charged cour- ageously, but met with a whitening l fire before which they soon were obliged to retire. Four times charges | were made with the same result. fifth charge was made on La Bufa, where the heaviest of the federal ar tillery had been placed, and it result ed in complete disaster.
 
 whole companies, and when a retreat was ordered the field was strewn with dead and dying For about five miles the federal cavalry gave pursuit and the retreat became rout. The scat tered, torn up constitutionalist army is reported to have finally reached l Fresnello, where they defeated a fed eral column several days ago. There l they will remain until Villa can come to their rescue.
 Information is that General Natera | had six thousand men in his com mand, but it is believed here that his army did not number more than four 1 thousand fighting men. outside of Gen. Domingo Arrieta, who with sixteen hundred Durango men consented to 1 operate against Zacatecas, but only. | on condition that he be allowed to l fight as he liked. It is now believed here that Arrieta was more of a. mem | ace than an assistance to Naibera. | General Barron's army at Zacatecas seven days ago was estimated at four | thousand men, but it is believed that 1 in some way achievements reached him from san Luis Potosi and that he ! had at least seven thousand troops during the battle last Friday. | General Villa asserts that his army consists of twenty-six thousand men and that with what is left of Natera's s force he will be able to move against Zacatecas with approximately thirty thousand fighting men. Villa also ex- poets to recruit heavily as he goes along. The size of army in the territory through which Villa will ad- vance is dependent almost entirely on the ability of the commander to arm volunteers.
 HISTORIC REEvEs
 MANsTON ON FIRE