The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1914-04-10
REBELS BURN THE
DEAD IN TORREON
Federal Losses Are Now Esti-
mated at | 500.
ONLY ONE NURSE REMAINS.
Villa Declared To Have Been the
Spirit OF the BattIe-LIow He
6uoyed Up the Courage
OF His Men.

Torreon, Mex. - This city, from
which Gen. Refugio Velasco and most
of the uninjured of his command fed
was occupied by the rebels in force
and the work of burning the bodies of
the dead, clearing away the wreckage
of shell-shattered abode walls, street
barbados and barbed wire entangle-
ments was begun.
When Villa took considerable num-
Der Of prisoners Velasco escaped from
the Canyon de Huarche with a con-
siderable proportion of his force He
was pursued by Gen. Hernandez, who
reported that he had fought a small
rear guard engagement with the re-
treating force, and later Gen. villa
with endorsements left here to make
TIN attempt to capture or annihilate 1t.
NONCOMPLIANCE here, estimated
Velasco's garrison did not number
more than FIVE thousand men, of whom
1900 were killed or wounded. When
velasco fed he left behind in the mill
tary hospital two hundred wounded.
When the rebels entered the place
they found only one nurse, Dorothea
de la Cruz, in attendance. She said
that the other nurses followed the
army.
Wounded Cheer Villa.
The patients were in high state of
anxiety, for they had been told that
Villa took no prisoners. They were
treasured by P. S. Cunard Cummings,
the British Consul, at Gomez Palacio,
who entered the hospital first, climbing
over the bodies of the wounded who
had died there. The air was foul with
the odor Ct dried blood. The British
official announced that Villa had as
sured him lone of the wounded would
be harmed. Those who had the
strength raiued themselves on their
elbows from pallets on the floor and
from their cots and cried a feeble
"Viva Villa"
The nurse was soothing dying pa
tient, when with his last breath, joined
the cheering and then sank back dead
Persons who say they were eye-wit-
nesses declare that Velasco summarily
executed three Spanlards whom he ac-
cused of firing on his troops. The wife
of one of these, Lotero Lopez, at
tempted to shield her husband and
the same bullet killed both.
Three hundred and fifty Spaniards,
including women and children. took
refuge in bank building under the
protection of American Consul Ulmer
who remained in town throughout the
battle. The insurgents have shown
no disposition to harm those Spaniards
who are known to have remained
neutral. Other foreigners, including
ffty-five Chinese, SyTians and
Austrians and 100 Americans were I'M
harmed so far as could be learned.
1t was reported that Gen. Velasco
himself was wounded, but this report,
like the one that he went insane in
the trenches, could not be confirmed
and the impression prevails that he is
still at the head of his troops. Two
federal generals were killed and three
wounded.
On Verge Of Mutiny.
It is said here that Velasco's re-
treat was brought about by his losses
In the night assaults made by the
rebels and indications that his sol
diers. worn out by the prolonged fight
ing and fearful of the cruelties which
they were told Villa practiced on the
wounded prisoners, were on the verge
of mutiny.