The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1914-04-10
TORREON FALLS
BEFORE REBELS
Desperate Resistance to Last
By Federal Defenders.
Rebels Lose HeaDily; Villa Thinks
Federal Loss Almost Total
Villa Feeds Hungry.

VttIU TCCUS dun0Ty.
Juarez, Mex.-Torreon fell complete
ly into the hands of the rebels at
1920 o'clock Thursday night, accord
ing to announcement made here by
General Venustiano Carranza.
The news was first announced to
the world when the bugler in front of
Carranza's residence blew the STAG
cato notes of victory. The paean, Car
rama said, was sounded even before
it was heard in Torreon, Villa delay
ing out of compliment to his chief
The meager bulletins, excitedly an
nouncing victory after the bloodiest
series of battles known to modern
Mexico, said that Villa captured a
large number of prisoners and that
the fleeing remnant was being pur-
sued.
With Torreon at last completely in
his hands, General Francisco Villa
was already preparing next day for
attacks on Monterey and Saltillo. In
the meantime his men were doing
their utmost to get in food supplies
and make the city habitable. A thor
ough cleaning up was urged, if pes
thence was to be avoided. The in
habitants were on the verge of star
walton.
Considering the number of men en-
gagged in the past II days fighting the
losses were enormous. Of the rebels
200 were killed in Sunday nights fight
inn oil koI
federals were slain and 1000 wounded
the same day. Villa put the number
of rebels killed after his men got in
side the city at 500 and the wounded
at 1900.
Asked how many rebels fell from
first to last, Villa replied: you'll
not go far wrong if you say the federal
loss was total"
Villa promptly put his prisoners to
work burying the dead, caring for the
wounded and clearing up the wreck
age. The damage done by shells,
bombs and fire was enormous, and
the removal of the debris will be a
heavy task.
The food problem, too, was serious
one. Supplies were ordered rushed
from Chihuahua city and Juarez, and
details we're sent out to drive in herds
of cattle from neighboring ranches.
Soup kitchens were opened under mil
itary management, and all applicants,
men, women and children, federals
and rebels, combatants and non-com-
batants, shared alike while the food
lasted.
To facilitate the assault upon Mon
terey and Saltillo, Villa had forces of
federal prisoners at work repairing
the railroad eastward and rebuilding
the bridge over the Nazas river, which
was destroyed during the fighting.
Villa was inclined to think both
Monterey and Saltillo would fall east
ly In view of the Torreon garrison's
destruction and the city's capture,
with a greater store of artillery and
military supplies than the Huertistas
possessed anywhere outside Mexico
City, he could not believe it would be
deemed worth while to reinforce the
defenders of either of his next points
of attack. And unless they were
strongly reinforced, he felt confident
of making short work of them.
The fighting at Torreon over, the
rebels and their federal prisoners fra
ternized readily. By their desperate
resistance-a resistance which was a
great surprise to Villa-the federals
had won the rebels respect. On the
other hand, the federals were surpris-
ed at being fed and well treated. Many
of them would have surrendered SOON
er, they said, but their officers con-
vinced them they would be tortured
to death if captured.
It was opened dramatically. Riding
along the line of his troops, General
Villa pointed to the city and shouted:
Comrades, there's Torreon. We must
take it. Will you follow me?"
The response was a thunderous
chorus of cheers. "Esta bueno!" cried
Villa. LET us CO."
The roar of the rebel artillery and
the rattle of rifle fire followed imme-
diately. From that time forward the
constitutionalists closed steadily in on
the town. The federal artillery and
riflemen fought coolly and courageous
ly, but their enemies advance was at
no time even checked.
What surprised the rebels most was
the federals' continued resistance af-
ter the former were actually in the
streets of Torreon. They had expect
ed fight to get into the town, but
once inside they had believed it would
be over.
Instead, the thoroughfares were
found strongly barricaded and held
by federal troops, who contested every
step of their foes advance, fighting
from behind the barbados and pour
/ ing murderous fire into the rebel
ranks from the tops of flat rooted
adobe houses.