The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-04-01
At
T0RREON STILL
MUCH IN DOUBT
Rumors That General Villa
Has Captured the City Are
Current, but Confirrna-
ton Is Lacking.
BATTLE RAGING YET,
LATEST INFORMATION
Excitement Is Intense at
Juarez When 1t Is Reported
That the Stronghold
Had Fallen.

JUAREI, Mexico, March 31.-At S
clock tonight General Carranza stated
positively that while there was every
reason to hope for the early capture of
Torreon, the town had not yet fallen
and that the position of the troops has
not materially changed in the last
| twenty y-four hours,
This information was given out
through Roberto V. Pesoueira, conf
Dental agent of the constitutionalists,
and Alfredo Breceda, secretary to Car
rama. They also traced to its origin
| the report this afternoon that the city
had fallen. The town burst into flame
when rebel official exhibited to two
Americans telegram sent yesterday by
Theodore Hamm, American consul at
Durango, to Secretary of State Bryan
1t said he had been informed that Tor
reon had fallen.
"The situation in NUTSHELL said
Senior Pesqueira, "is that the fall of
Torreon seems certain, but no one can
predict when.''
Excitement Is Intense.
Juarez was thrown into state Of
high excitement this afternoon when it
was reported that Torreon had fallen,
but the report failed of verification.
The rebel officials telegraphed to
Gomez Palacio asking General Villa if
the news were true. The operator there
replied that he was under orders to
transmit no messages Of any kind.
The first report had it that Marion
Letcher United States consul at Chi
huahua, had transmitted to Secretary Of
State Bryan a report from Vice Consul
George Carothers, who has been at the
front with Villa as d representative Of
the United States, that Torreou was
captured at 1:30 clock this afternoon.
CapitulatiOn Announced.
On the heels of this some rebel Off
cial telephoncd to the offices Of the
Mexico G. Northwestern railroad here
that the capitulation Of tho federals
was officially announced.
The rumors spread rapidly and in q
few moments the streets leading to the
telegraph office were jammed with peo'
pie. At the international bridge there
was a stream Of interested persons pour.
ing in from FL Paso and orders were
issued that all be searched for weapons
The saloons, which were allowed to re-
open last night, were again closed.
That something was wrong with the
news began to DC suspected when rebel
officials were observed among the seek
ers for information. Singly and in
groups they returned from General Car
ranza's office, shaking theiE heads, ano
went to the telegraph office. Here
too, verificatiou was lacking and final
10 FREDERICK Gonzalez Cara telegrapheC
directly to General Villa, only to be
informed by the operator that his mes
sage could not be handled,
Battle Still Raging.
The whole incident left the impres
sion that something of importance wa:
taking place in the south and it was
i hoped that official announcement Of
victory was merely being delayed foi
some purpose known to Villa alone.
A telegram from him to General Car
rama, sent this morning and given ou
this afternoon, felicitated Carranza OF
his welcome TO Juarez and said tina
Villa hoped to announce the surrende
of Torreon in few hours Anothe
telegram purporting to come from VIll'
said that he WAS meeting with desper
alto resistance in attempting to tax
tbe general barracks, the last position
. hsId bv the federals, and was about Il
I dynamite buildings in the neigh borhoo'
!, 40 that he could bring his artillery Int
c play. ht .h.t G.nor,
|, Monclovio Herrera, who has been en-
j oaped In the fighting at Torreon, ha
SaSnn a march eastward with the ex
nsstation of meeting federal reinforce
menfs marching on Torreou from Sal
!, tillo. uo, ,s so
g nartrre. it was said that the situation
r at Torreon proper was unchanged
: Message Unreliable.
9 WASHINGTON, March 81. : Thre
official kilograms were received at Tn
state department tonight from Consu
Wamm. the American diplomatic repre-
.cntatiye at Durango. Mexico, concern