The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-04-04

GOMEZ PALACIO. April ten.
Francisco Villa now issues his orders
from Torrcon
After almost l. days of lighting, in
which his forces won four general
engagements and one pitched battle.
with only single reverse. he has all
northern Mexico at his mercy. OF to
the eastward Generals Herrera and
Ortega are chasing the remnants of the
Federal troops who escaped from the
doomed city Thursday afternoon and
are trying desperately 10 reach Mon
terev. POO miles distant Other com
manders are pressing hotly on the de
moralized forces which attempted to
re-enforce the city. Villa himself.
showing his mixed blood in his smiles
and his Ioosened cartridge belt. sits
back in his chair and waits for reports
while he watches the blue denim clad
regular soldiers of Mexico pile dead
bodies high in the streets to be Satur-
ated with petroleum aud burned. He
knows only regular soldiers among all
those captured are alive Those who
fought with the irregular troops OF
| Pascual Orozco and Ynez Saluzar. the
{ q
| are among those whose bodies lie in
I the streets while he dictates messages
! Of congrotuaticn and triumph to Gen.
| Nenustiauo Carranza. his titular chiet
ut .Iuarez lie has no worry over Mon
terev, third largest city Of the republic.
or over Saltillo. They will fall into
! his outstrctched hands whenever he eX.
teuds them.
Greatest Battle of Revolution.
The history Of Mexico contains no
record of harder more desperate fight
ing than that which ended in the fall
/ Of Torreon. Every tradition of Mex
can warfare was violated in the cam
paign Mexican soldiers. repulsed Ia
one charge by the devastatioHs Of ma
chine guns, repeated at once. and they
fought at night. which was without
precedent From the day the advance
guard went into Bermeiillo. now l.
DAYS ago. until the remnants of Nalas
60 : command stole from the city lat,
Thursday i'm dust storm thert
was every sort of fighting known, lons
distance artillery fighting, machine gun
sorties in automobiles, cavalry charges
infantry charges and sharpshootlng
suiping from roofs, hand grcnades from
windows, but always a steady. inexor
able advance toward the goal.
Villas Men Fought in the Open.
Villa may have had 1000 men t
900 Of the Fcdcrals, but stratcgicall
he was always at disadvantage. Hi
men charged over level ground broke
by irrigation bitches against artiller
behind ramparts; his cavalry wen
against infantry and artillery intrencl
ed on mountain sides. Until his me
under Ger Herrera on Sunday crep
under the cover of adobe huts in To-
. rcon they had fought morning, moo
and night in the open, but they alway
: fought The history Of that six day
lighting in the city where one side wa
Il lodged on one side Of street and tn
II other side on the other has few eoul
terparts in the history Of the world.
The losses cannot be told Viii
saws that he has at least 500 men kille
Il and ut least 800 wounded Tho>
II figures are not official and the trut
II NAV never be known. 1t has been sai
Il that 900 Fedcrals are lying dead
III the streets of Torreon today or
II the wells and cisterns where the
II bodies were thrown, while $500 al
II wounded The truth Of this cannot
II vouched for.
II Villa himself was asked regardir