The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-20
0JINAGA REFUGEES
Limp INTO MARIA
Bcdragglcd Army Of More Than
1000 End Long March
From PrcsidiO.
REACH Ell PASO TO-DAY
Last Of Huerta's Troops in
North Will Be Placed in
Prison StOckadc.

MARIA, Tex. Jan. l9--The men who de-
Tended Ojinaga IN the name Of the Huerta
Government In Mexico. almost 1000 in
number. piled into Maria this afternoon.
limp. tired. footsore, prisoners on for
eign soil. with them trailed over "A thou
sand women and children.
After -four days OF marching over the
rough. narrow. dusty roads the last REM
nant of the Federal army In chihuahua
came here tonight beside tine railroad in
this Texas town TO await orders to be
loaded aboard trains and transported to-
morrow to FL Paso to be driven Inside
barbed wire stockade and held until no.
body knows when.
The men of the army. most of them.
had fought hard and successfully for over
Il week in defence OF their last fort on
Mexican SOIL fought SO hard that they
had beaten the enemy once back. then
came the defeat and the fight to ii
foreign soil because 1t is openly charged.
their commanders lacked the courage
possessed by those IN the trenches, those
who are suffering most 20 night
Heading the procession as II marched
silently. obediently into Maria tonight
was Gen. Salvador Mercado. bent and
silent, the deep lines in his travel-stained
face betokening as deep mental SUFFERING
as that which hundreds Of his barefooted
the evacuation of Ojinaga.
Blamed BY his Government and ac-
cused By many OF his men for outline
the fort before the last shell had beer
fired. suffering beneath the criticism from
home and abroad. the aged Genera
showed plainly the strain he has suf
fered His foot sore men tonight said
little and accepted the situation. but i
was plain that the majority of them be
lieved they should still be In Otinnga %
marching VIGOROUSLY back to thihuahu;
and that they believed this would have
been 40 IL their commander and his eigh
other generals had stayed by the flag as
long as their men stayed In the trenches
Whatever the fault. the 5000 soldier
who defended OjInae. against week.
assault by the rebels. then fled at the frs
onslaught in the second attack. are TO
night sleeping their last night for man!
weeks, perhaps months, outside the prison
stockade. Tomorrow night tn" first %
them will be inside the hastily provided
prison at Fort Bliss and by the next nigh
the entire command of 1000 lighting mel
and their women aud children will h'
huddled behind one great prison wall
paying the penalty of somebody's fail
ure.
Suffering Ia Great.
Although the dreaded march 10 the rail
| road is over, there was little rest to
| night in the great camp Of homeless mel
| and women. the most remarkable gather
| ing OF It's kind that has ever Ctunped upoi
| United states soil. a whole army corps q
prisoners OF an army with which II is no
| at war. There were groaus of men in pail
| from old wounds. groans of men who's
| sandalcd feet We're bleeding from the fou
| days march over She rough roads. groan
| OF mothers tired amos, 10 exhaustion
| from carrying babies over IA" long sixty,
| five miles OF barren country, groans -
| eXpectant mothers and newly made moth
ers Everywhere there is suffering.
| Men. women and children SILVER, pul
| their tattered clothes or thin blanket
| where they are fortunate enough to pos
sess them. closer and huddle nearer tn
| smoking bontires that flicker In n grea
| circle about the outer edges of the i'm
prisoned army. Like silhoucttes agains
the black background Of night march III
| khaki clad troops Of the United STATE
cavalry on guard just outside the flaming
| circle 70 prevent the eScHp" Of any of tn
prisoners There is little danger Of Is
cape, however. Few could walk very IA
| II they esCaned.
| Back to Mexico they CHunot 60. for
Is hundreds of miles To III" nearest F,d
eral line. and capture 10y the rebels mean
execution.