Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-04-11
LATEST FROM TORREON
FEDERALS LEFT TCRREON BE
CAUSE OF EXHAUSTION. SAYS
THE AMERICAN CONSUL
SPANIARDS ORDERED FROM CITY
Villa Follows Up Setreating Federals,
and San Pedro viii Probably Be
Scene Of the Next Battle.
Burning the Dead.

Juarez. NIcN George &. Carothers.
special representative OF the state de
partmcut. who has been through the
Torreon engagement with General
Villa. returned 10 Juarcz Tuesday 10
assist in negotiations looking 10 the
welfare Of the 600 SpauiardS ordered
out OF Torrcon by the rebels. He
brought with him the first nonpar
tisan eyewitness account of the battle
Mr.. Carothcrs kept a brict diary OF
events which me Witnessed
The rebel loss" said Mr Caroth-
ers. was coo killed and l.4oo wound
ed. We don't know the federal loss
accurately except that Villa found in
the hospital $40 Of their wounded.
Asked why VeIasco, the federal
commander, evacuated the city. Mr.
Carothers said the federal leaders
one excuse was that he had run out
of small arm ammunition.
However" the state department
agent smiled. Il think he Was mis-
taken about that, for when he started
burning his ammunition We could
hear the rifle cartridges popping, and
it seemed TO me as if there must
have been 1000. 600 of them. more or
less
Il am convinced that the real rea.
/ son was that Villas tireless hammer
/ ing wore down his men until they
could no longer fight. They were on
the scantiest of rations of both food
and water and we're all in, as the
phrase has it,
The evacuation was accomplished
in an orderly manner with soldiers
and Huertista refugees loaded or
trains.
villa has 5000 men pursuing them
and while they are supposed TO b,
making for Saltillo, their exact where
abouts. was not known when | lef
TorreCn.
AT San Pedro there is a fedora
garrison and battle is expected Their
at any moment.
There can be no doubt that Villa
grievance against many OF the Spar
iards was we'll founded He was yer
angry at first, but with success h
has grown more lenient and the innC
, cent doubtless will be restored
= their properties and home in due tim
after an investigation.
They all have money and will M
be a charge upon the community her
"Torreon fell on the night of Thur
day, April ., as reported by Generi
Villa TO General Carranza. Up to tn;
time there was not the faintest bas
> for reports that the town had falle
y The evacuation began at O'Clock
: the morning of Thursday, and at III
l. time. and indeed, until the evacuatiC
was complete, the federals held eve
y position in the city of Torreon whi'
they originally possessed.
1T was not until after the eVacu
ton Thursday that rebels permanent
II held any position in the city. Vii
It attacked repeatedly from the outsiC
y His men would rush into the tow
ID making desperate assaults with the
handgrenades, but they never reta
= ed a position until after the flight
II the federal troops. Fighting &C
~ tinued almost to the last minute
General Velasco left placards on
hospitals saying he left the wound
to the kindness of the foreign cons'
" and to the mercy of General Villa
al San Pedro, twenty-six miles nor
3 east of Torreon, it is said, in all pr
|! ability will be the scene of the M
battle.
7u San Pedro, a hill-girt city, wh'
he natural defenses must be approach
&c over flat country, held a fede
garrison all the time Torreon was
sieged. but this force was proven
by a rebel column from assisting G
10 eral Velasco.
Us Recently a comparatively su
Vi force of rebels attempted to take
lie town. having underestimated
nc strength of the garrison, whose I
ne numbers were developed by the
" tack.
en- General Villa has been building
his force in the last few days to rel
the assault. The defeat of the fede
at San Pedro would, it is said. rem
ing the last federal force from this
trict