The Penn's Grove record., 1914-03-27
VILLA WINS HIS
WAY To TORREON
Captures Outer Defenses After
An Albright Battle
CHOLERA RACES IN CITY
Triumphant Forces, to Avoid Spread
Of Epidemic, Fire Barracks, and
City Presents Scene Of Con-
flagration-FederaIs Desert.

Ell Verjil, Durango, Mexico.-General
Villa won a complete and sweeping
victory at Torreon. The former BAN
dit and refugee is now the absolute
master of Northern Mexico. He has
routed the Federals to the north, scat
tering many of them over the United
States border for their lives. He has
smashed and driven everything before
him, from the United States border to
Torreon.
There are only meagre Federal
forces to resist his occupation of Mon
terey, Saltillo and Tampico on the
east and Mazatlan on the west.
With the Huerta army under We
lasco scattered and broken beyond
repair the road to Mexico city lies
open to Villa. The capital lies six
hundred miles to the south of him.
Villa has moved steadily south and
has not met a single reverse since
his men drove the Federals out Of
Bermejillo. He is being cheered by
his men and his generals as the great
military genius in Mexico.
Gen. Velasco knew he was defeated
when his forces were smashed and
driven out Of Gomez Palacio. He had
realized that there was the place
whose natural advantages gave him
his best chance Of stopping the adj
vance of Villa with his 10000 men
against Velasco's 5000. The artillery
equipment of the opposing forces were
about equal.
Fleeing from Gomez Palacio in ut.
ter rout, Velasco's men got no res
pfte. The rebels pursued relentlessly.
The Federals' only hope was to hold
the Nazas River against Villa with
their batteries there. But their w
guns were turned against them from
the north, covering the advance of
the forces of Villa and Benavides
from the northeast, and when the
Nazas batteries were silenced Tor
reon was doomed. And had there
been greater resistance Villa had
forces to the west and south.
With 1900 Federals estimated to
have been slain in the terrific fight
ing at Gomez Palacio, which ended
in the rou of Gen. Velasco's forces.
Gen. Villa mercilessly pursued the
beaten forces, and then with Torreon
surrounded, Villa and Gen. Benevides.
with his famous zaragoza Brigade.
led an onslaught from the east and
northeast.
The fierce hand to hand fighting in
the streets, the flaming of buildings
put to the torch and the devastation
generally that fell on Gomez Palacio
have been also visited on Torreon.
In the fierce fighting hundreds of
Federal troops broke from their ranks
and deserted to Villas army. They
were held in the trenches under the
onrush of the Constitutionalists only
by the actions of their officers, who
shot bullets in the backs of men who
tried to flee.
The loss Of life on the Federal side
is the heaviest of the present revolu.
ton, for Velasco's army fought in
massed formations against a terrible
artillery bombardment. And, besides
those who fell from shrapnel, bullet
and sword, Villa on entering Tor
reon found an epidemic Of cholera
raging in the Federal ranks. Corpses
of cholera victims were strewn in all
the trenches.
Fearful of an outbreak of the dead
~ disease in his own ranks, the CON
queror issued orders for the burning
of all barracks and hundreds OF other
buildings that might be suspected of
having harbored the cholera stricken.