Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-03-30
.TORREQN STREETS
RUN WHIRLPOOL
Machine Guns Keep up Muir
derous Fire With Mine
Explosions.
MANY MOVED DOWN
Velasco Said to be Hemmed in-Un-
confirmed Report That Villa Was
Wounded in Conflict.

Ell Paso, Tex, March 30.-Mines eX-
|Iploded in streets of Torreon, under
the feet of the onrushing rebel hosts,
and the rain Of bullets from machine
guns secreted behind parapets of ev-
cry adobe house, are responsible for
the heavy loss of life in the seven
day battle which is still in progress.
Hemmed in on all sizes, General We
/ lasco and his loyal federal brigade,
/ is still holding Villas men at bay at
the plaza of Torreon.
Passengers from Chihuahua, VINO
reached here tc;ay, brought tales OF
the fighting in Torreon which confirm
the general opinion that the battle is
the most sanguinary in the history
of Mexico. The hospitals of Chihua-
lhua arc filled with federal officers and
men wounded in the weeks engage
mert.
Velasco by his daring stand in the
face of almost certain death is hailed
as the newest hero Of the revolution.
It is believed he cannot hold off the
invaders much longer, because neith-
er he nor his men had proper nourish-
ment an; but little sleep during the
siege.
There has been no confirmation of a
renort that General Villa himself has
been wounded Ccnstitutionalist Off
cials at Chihuahua deny it, but a
wounded soldier who arrived there saw
the rebel commander-in- borne
! from the battlefield and taken to the
rear for treatment.
Stories told by constitutionalist SOL
diers show that the Lerdo, Gomez Pa
Ilacio and Sacramento battles, which
ce.ed the attack on Torreon Itself
were desperate in the extreme. Gen
cral Yelasco succeeded in drawing
Villas men into two disastrous traps
In the first Gomez Palacio attack
! the federals fought desperately, for
shot time, and then retrcated toward
ITorreon. Villa sent his cavalry for
! ward at a gallop to ride down the fed
erals and followed with his arlainn COL
umn of infantry. AS soon as they
rushed into Gomez Palacio, the reb'
els foun; themselves in an ambush
! Mines were exploded in the street;
Sundcr them. and moved the rebels
down by the scores. Before the sur
prised Villa could reorganize his shat
tered forces and withdraw, his loss
was enormous. Immediately Velas'
! co.'s troops re-occupied Gomez Pa'a
clio, and held it until Thursday morn
ing against terrible odds.
At Sacrenenteo, Gen. Eugenlo bena
vides' Zaragosa brigade, which nae
borne the brunt of the fighting W
! to that time, was also led into
trap. narrowly escaped annhlIatlon
The federals used almost the same
methods, but their mines and hldder
imachine guns were less effective tna'
at Gomez Palacio later.
One-quarter of the whole briga,S
had been killed OF wounded before
/ Benavides rallied them and renewed
1.-The attack. The survivors of the brl
rade covered themselves with honel
lin this battle, charging on the rur
ovor the bodies of their fallen com
Trades to sweep away the federal de
tenders anG take the town. The en-
paeement gave Villa the control o1
1.-THE railroai situation eastward Iron
Torreon. 1t is said General Benavlde:
himself was wounded here, but thi!
has not been confirmed. .i1-
What purported to be a private mes
sage received from Ell Paso was san
/ to have contained information fra1
:. Torreon that, in addition to the Cerr
de Ia Cruz, the rebels have capture
the curatel general and two smaIIe
!lcuratels. This dispatch said betwee
ooO ar,s 1000 rebels had been stai
, and as many more wounded.