The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-01-15

Elk DAYS eHulHH last SUNDAY he nAu
fousht pluckily against odds. The
rebels fired more than 100000 rounds
into b federal trenches without avail.
1t was not until villa, now the military
head OF the revolution, but once q
bandit. appeared on the scene that the
reverse came for the federals. Gen
eral Villa arrived In the vicinity of
presence, together with the coincidence
that the federals had only 80 rounds of
ammunition left for each man, seemed
to TAX from the federal generals their
last vestige OF hope. N& au
None OF the weird scenes in the
moonlight while the rebels We're pour
ing into Ojinaga M the federal army
was rushing in disorder, was more in
tensely pathetic than that Of General
Mercado, an old campaigner in various
revolutions, who appeared at the river
bank n Informed an orderly OF the
| United States army that he wished
asylum in a foreign country.
General Mercado was taken at once
to Major McNamee, the commanding
| officer. r@ 81 a ~. a.-..,
In the little village on the Mexican
side at midnight there reigned among
the victorious forces much merriment;
Fires were built, such music as could
OF rebels, still grimy with the smoke
Of battle. surrounded General Villa
49,, Villa Man Of the Hour.
This man, who six months g en-
tered the revolution In obscurity and
with nothing more than a borrowed
revolver. but who later captured
Juarez opposite FL Paso, and then oc.
cupied Chihuahua, a city OF $4,000 pop.
| ulation, was hailed as a leader destined
to depose Huerta. 1t Is understood thai
as o % as he clears from the poroei
any possible remaining fugitiyes from
Ojinaga, General villa Will return ta
! Chihuahua and there resume his plans
for carrying the fight southwark into
| the heart of he republic.
After the confusion incident to the
evacuation of Ojinaga by n army
and its occupation by another, tns
battle field opposite Preside at day
light revealed a scene or desoiatlon
The whole sweep Of land leading TO inc
heights of Ojinaga appeared to have
been plowed up by the frantic rout on
the federal army and the eager
scramble into the village by Generai
Villas rebels.
A cannon toppled, muzzle downward,
a blood stained saber sticking IN inc
muddy river bank, rifles thrown IN
heaps, the crumpled forms among the
lcactus and mesquite, and the uncioseo
| ewes which peered there n there
| from among the rocks were among the
mute suggestions of what had gone
before.
Many Wounded Found.
Yet there were many living remind
ers of the battle. Those who went
across in behalf of the Red Cross found
many wounded who had remained un-
| care for for hours. They were traced
In the trenches by their groans. II
was the belief Of the American army
physicians that man. soldiers died be-
cause neither rebels nor federals had a
hospital corps.
The 1900 civilian refugees who
rushed across the river when General
Mercado went through the streets OF
Ojinaga telling the people to flee sur
fered as much Distress as the soldiers.
Scores Of women camp followers had
lost their children in the scramble and
were crying piteously in the corral
provided for them on the American
side. Others were without clothing
sufficient to protect them from the cold
and all were drenched from wading
through the river. The scene or dis
order was almost as bad on the Ameri-
can side as on the Mexican. ..~
Scores of federal guns had been
thrown into the river and were pro-
truding out Of h mud. Federal and
rebel wounded, who had crawled to the
river bank side by side and were wad-
| Alb dNASoog WIN AASAhS ~ NNS AAS
can soldiers.
Less than 500 c~avalrymen handled
the panic stricken mob Of almost 10
times their number. Although man. of
tho federal soldiers had loaded rifles
and ammunition the rounding up and
disarming was done without any un-
toward incident.
Victor and Vanquished.
Both General villa, the victorious
rebel leader, and General Mercado, the
defeated federal commander, standing
on opposite banks Of the Rio Grande.
discussed the incidents in Mexican
history in which they had just taken a
part. General Villa sat triumphantly
in the little adobe palace Of the plaza
In Ojinaga. General Mercado, a refu-
gee, sat in the camp of the border pa
troll.
TT was hopeless" said General Mer-
cado. Our men had left only 78
rounds Of ammunition Inc we could
1t would have been a massacre. l or
dered the evacuation M flight to
safety across the river on grounds OF
humanity.
Hundreds Of women and children
refused to desert the soldiers. These
have been killed in the confusion. We
also had many loyal soldiers and Of
f1cers who had reason to believe they
would have been executed IL captured.
THE loyalty of the government
forces was unquestioned. There was
no indication of a general desertton.
When I saw there was no hope / had
to command the soldiers to leave. I
chose to place the lives Of the men In
the hands of the United States rather
than risk them to the rebels. We are
grateful for our hospitable asylum
here"
General Villa said: The credit for
this victory is due to Gen. Torbino Or
tega. He led the original attack a week
ago. We knew the federals a only
limited supplies Of ammunition. Our
tactics were to exhaust that supply.
General Ortega started an attack to
draw the federal fire and succeeded"
ON TRAIL OF THIEF