The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-27

Sunday, IL not by tomorrow. without a
doubt.
The newspaper correspondents with
Villa have been completely bottled up by
him. The only dispatches they have been
allowed to send from his camp for several
days have been tinged with reports Of
unvarying rebel victories. All wires be
tween Torreon and Mexico city have been
cut and no couriers have got through for
some time. The only communication Is
by wireless.
Both sides admit that fighting is still
going on In the vicinity of Torreon and
that the loss on both sides has been great.
The rebel officials in Juarez say that
when villa went to I'll Nerjel on Wednes-
day he was In almost complete possession
OF Gomez Palacio and that his army was
then beginning the assault on Torreon IT.
self. the long range guns doing great dam
age to the city. Before this the rebels had
told OF the victory OF the rebel left wing
In the outskirts OF Torreon. They now
admit that report was premature.
The rebels attribute the variation OF re-
ports W ednesday afternoon and last night
to misinterpretation OF code message
from Villa on his arrival back 10 III Var
jei. They thought at the time that he had
been driven back. Then he reported his
men "assaultinE" Gomez Palacio shortly
after he had reached FL Nsrjel replying
to their message OF inquiry a. to how the
battle was going, and they thought he
was rallying his men for a second at
tack.
To-day they say that their chief had =
harder time taking Gomez Palacio than
they had expected. His message Tuesday
morning that he was in complete posses
sion, they say. was premature. He had
, reached Gomez Palacio, but had not taken
the entire town. His confidence that he
would be able to do SO led him to re-
port its capture and send part OF his
forces away TO Gen. Benavides. and then
the Federals-instead of rallying In Tor
reon az first reports had n-rallied at
the edge OF Gomez Palacio and returned
to the fight Maciovio Herrera. they say.
came up in nick of time and saved villa
at Gomez Palacio.
Juarez officials assert that Torlbio Or
tega and Pancho villa commanded the
attacking army that took Gomez Palacio
and that later Macloyio Herrera came UP
and Joined in the attack AZ the Federals
were rallying on the southern outskirts OF
Gomez. 1t was In the fighting here they
say, that Herrera took one OF the Federal
barracks mentioned In previous des-
patches. The barracks were located on
the Gomez Palacio side Of the river. bu,
nearer to Torreon than to Gomez, In "A V
form at a crossing OF the Gomez Palacio
street car line and the Mexican Central
! railroad tracks.
When Herrera took his location. the
rebels say. the Federals fell back into
Torreon and have not been out of the
place since then. They admit that the
! + ederals allowed Villas men to get inside
! OF Gomez AT one time and then rallied and
made rush that cost the rebels many
! lives but they assert that after once
getting Gomez they were not driven back.
Rebels Trapped, says DtebOld.
! Huer,a's Consul at III Paso gives an
entirely different version of the fighting
at Gomez Palacio. He declares that the
Federals drew Villas command into q
trap at Gomez Palacio. The Federals
| offered stlff resistance to the attacks
OF the rebels for four hours he says. II
! the meantime removing all nOn-combat'
, ants from the town. When Villas force
was attacking from three sides the Fed
erals evacuated the town, and when thu
rebels pursued them 127 dynamite mines
were exploded and numbers OF rebel'
killed. Before the dust from these eN
! plosions had blown away the Fedora
: cavalry galloped into the town and tool
| 500 prisoners. according to this story.
Consul Diebold also says tina. the rebels
have been panic stricken by the suddei
sallies Of Gen de In Penas cavalry. armed
with machetes. Gen. Pena and his com
mand not long ago butchered in one en-
gagement 1000 Zapatistas, dashing int
their ranks and cutting them down OF
every side.
Gen. Pena, according TO Diebold, Il
doing deadly work among the rebels be
fore Torreon, with the result that the APP
pearance of his machete armed cavalr.
has In every instance caused pan
among the rebels, who, instead of Mt