The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-08
Copyright by Information


the west of Gomez and commanding IL
absolutely. The fire from the guns was
poor and bad ammunition made 1t slow
Soon the Federals found the range
and began dropping shrapnel uncom-
fortably near. The mules OF artillery
and the caissons were withdrawn. A
man was hit by Mauser bullet, none
as far as I saw by shrapnel, and in a
short time the artillery was moved to
less exposed position. The artillery
was handled in the same manner az
long as the fighting continued. A few
shots would be fired and then the guns
moved az soon as the better served
Federal cannon found them out.
Throughout the fighting the Consti-
nationalist artillery. though outnumber-
ing the Federal guns two to one. was
almost ludicrously ineffective The Fed
erai fire was better. but the guns We're
poorly placed as a rule and the fire
usually directed to vacant places. Some
| so of Villas army were wounded by
shrapnel. however, and a proportionate
number killed
Entire Army In second Attack.
The second attack on Gomez was
made. as the first had been. at night.
villa for this attack had assembled all
his troops. the attachments sent east
and west having effected n junction
and a body unddf Gen. Contreras and
some of Urbinos men having come In
The heaviest attack was made on the
left, and the outskirts of the city fell
to the rebel forces. The iiring was
heavy. the Federal volleys being dis
tinGuishable from the Constitutionalist
individual firing.
Gomez. protected by the Cerro de
la Pila and deep irrigation bitches.
seemed impregnable. Had the Fed
erals really fortified the place II might
easily have proved SO. on the cerro
key to the whole position. key to Tor
reon also. the Qualifications consisted
Of a few stone breastworks. so unsub
stantial that they would have been
shamcd by a New England farm wall
and they were able to give protection
to omT aratively few men. Many Fed
eral dead lay where they had fallen
unprotected except by the natural
roughness Of the stony hillside,
The fortifications Oh the north and
east of the city consisted of few
loopholes in the adobe walls Of houses
ana "A line of very shallow rifle pits
spaced far apart and suggesting haste.
Yet the Federals had weeks in which
to make preparation. Yet these fort-
fications which villa was unable to
wholly break through cost him some
600 wounded and almost half as many
killed.
The evacuation came TO most as "A
surprise. l had seen a movement of
troops in the centre of the city in the
afternoon. and when in the evening the
first firing brought no answer l went
to the rebel headquarters and asked
whether they had heard yet OF the evac-
uation of Gomez. They knew nothing
about 1t and scoffed AT the idea.
Finally a messenger came and / was
allowed to file my story. The messen-
ger stated absolutely that Torreon was
also evacuated and the censor insisted
on my suppressing the words ut Ii
reported and simply stating facts. 1t
took almost two hours to get the story
on the wire and there were endless
tramps in the dark from headquarters
to the telegraph office under q tree to
persuade the officials that the embargo
was lifted. Walking in the dark was
extremely disagreeable, as the sentries
insisted on shouting "Quien vive?"
stopping me In spite OF my saying
"Gringo; corresponsal' and sometimes
holding a cooked and loaded rifle un-
comfortably near by stomach while
explained that I was In hurry.
No Rejoicing Over Victory.
After Gomez Palacio fell there was
no visible enthusiasm among the
troops. Villas worried look passed
away. however, and he became boyishly
genial again. The only enthusiasm
saw in all the campaign was in the
Headquarters car when the news Of
the fight from the Federal side was
brought in. A list OF two Generals