The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-12
.4500 EX|LES
At PRESIDE
IN SAD PLIGHT
Twenty-eight Hundred Mexi.
can Soldiers and 1900 Civil
lians Who Crossed Border
Lack Food and Shelter.
OROZCO ESCAPES
FROM THE REBELS
General Villa Jubilant Over
Taking of Ojinaga; Declares
He Will Soon Begin His
March to Mexico City.

Preside, Tex, Jan. l1.-Twcnty.
eight hundred Mexican federal soldiers,
six generals, 100000 ROUNDS Of ammuni.
ton, two cannon, four large field pieces
and 1900 civilian refugees were in the
custody of the United States army Dor
der patrol today as the result of the
federal my's evacuation of Ojinaga,
Mexico, its fight to American territory
and the occupation of the Mexican vii
lage by General Francisco Villa s rebels
The distress of the refugees is great
They have scant food and no shelter
Men, women, children, dogs, chickens
and cattle are packed together in a
space covering several acres. About
them arc scattered all the wreck and
turmoil which they brought i'll fleeing
from the Ojinaga battle,
Urgent requests for the immediate re-
moval of the soldiers and refugees TO
some other place were sent by Mayor
McNamcc TO the war department
through Brigadicr General Bliss,
Other results of the rebel success
\ which place General Villa 5 army iu un-
disputed control OF vast section Of
northern Mexico, are; Federal generals
Mercado, Castro, Orpinal. Romero, Ad-
uno and Landa are in custody Of the
United States troops awaiting their dis
position by the war department
Escape Of 0rOzcO.
GcucraI Pascual Orozco and General
|a}ueG SaIazar, federal volunteer com
tnanders, escaped along the border TO
point remote from Fresidio Salazar
was wounded. They were accompanied
BY General Carayeo and General RoJas
and 800 cavalrymen. Salazar and Oroz.
GO are being watched for in the United
States ON indictments charging them
with violating the neutrality laws,
General L.auda said he was certain
all the federal generals escaped the
rebels
Charges of cowardicc were made
against Urozco, SaIazar and RoJas. Gen.
eral Mcrcado asserted these generals
abandoned their troops at tho beginning
of the battle and thus weakened the
federal defense
The only generals who quit the bat
tle6cld with honor, General Mercado
said, were those who accompanied tho
federals across the Rio Grandc Cen
erll Mercado reiterated that the fedcr-
ais were compelled 10 cvacuate because
OF lack of ammunition. He said al the
retreat his soldiers had an average
OF only seyeuty-cight cartridges
Announces Success.
Campcd in Oinaga, for the posses
sion of which be had been fighting less
than twenty four hours previously, Gen
eral Villa started the work Of establish
ing rebel government. He telograpbed
TO General Carranza: ~ have proved
my ability to capture Ojlnaga.
After the confusion incident to the
evacuation of Oiinaga by ono army, and
its occupation by another, the battle.
held opposite Presidio at daylight re-
realed scene Of dcsolation.
The whole sweep of land leading to
the heights of Ojinaga appeared to have
bccu ploughed up by tho frantic rout
OF the federal army and the eager
scramble into the village by General
Villa s rebels
cannon topplcd muzzlc downward,
bloodstained sabcr sticking in the
muddy river bank, rifles thrown in
heaps, the crumpled forms among the
cactus and mesquite, and the unclosed
eyes which peered here and there from
among the rocks, were among the mute
suggestions Of what had gone before
Wounded Left TO Perish.
Yet there were many living remind
ers OF the battle. Those who went across
10 behalf of the Red Cross found many
"onnded who had remained uncared for
ior hours. They wero traced in the
trenches by their groans. II wns the
U nellef OF the American army physicians
snst many soldiers died because neither
iennrals nor rebels had hospital corps.
Inc 1900 civilian refugees who rushed
scross the river when General Mercado
vent through the streets Of Ojuaga,