New Britain herald., 1914-04-16
SAN PEDRO TOLL
 WAS VERY HEAVY
Both Rebels and fedeTaS Suffered
 Great Loss on Battlefield.
BLOODIfST FIGHT OF REVOLUTION
Five American Neyyspaper1nen Seized
 By CollstitutiOnalists-V Orders Prisoners to Be Treated With Every
 Consideration and Sent to TOrreOn.

Consideration and Sent to Torreon.
 San Pedro De Las Colonias, Coahuila, April 15, via Torreon, April 16.-A survey of the battlefield of the last week shows that the battle for possession of the city was the blood fest of the revolution.
 The battle was at it's climax Satur- day, Sunday and Monday, and on the last day the rebel loss in wounded alone was $50 men. In all 1,20O rebels were wounded so seriously as to require hospital treatment during the engagement. The rebel dead may never be known owing to the wide area covered by the battle.
 Federalss Lost $500.
 The federal loss was at least $500 in killed, wounded, prisoners and "dispersed." By dispersed is meant those federals who were separated from their commands and fled, in- dividually or in small attachments, to the hills or into the dessert, prob- ably to perish there for lack of water and food. Twelve hundred regulars were captured by the constitut1onal- ists. The men were mustered into the rebel ranks and their officers will be held as prisoners. number Of so- called volunteers, or "red f1aggers, were captured and executed. These men were former followers of Madero, who are alleged to have joined the Orozco revolution which overthrow him.
 Prisoners Sent to T0rreOn.
 All the prisoners including one major, three captains and ten lieu tenants, are being sent to Torreon.
 The last days fighting was begun with the, Herrera and Benavides bri- gades attacking from the south. while Villa. with two brigades, and Gen. eral Contreras charged from the west Generals Ortega and Hernandez at tackled from the east. Failure of the rebel column assigned to attack from the. north to arrive on time probably saved the federals from annihilation.
 Federals Fought Desperately.
 The assault was met by wither- ing artillery fire. The federals were all but surrounded and fought des- perately, their fire tearing great gaps through the rebel ranks. They fought from the cover of irrigation ditches and adobe houses over a line twenty miles in length, but grad ually they were forced toward the center of the city Their escape was through the north, left open by the non-arrival of the troops as- signed to that position. The fugi- tives, ohce clear, turned east in the general direction of Monterey.
 This was at 5 o'clock in the af- ternoon after ten hours of terrific fighting. The retreat was almost a rout In the streets five hundred federal dead were found. Three thousand men were sent in pursuit of the fugitives
 Surprise to Villa.
 The presence of General Velasco. who evacuated Torreon April 2, at San Pedro was surprise to Villa. He learned from the prisoners that when the federal generals De Moure and Maas were driven from the town last week, they sent word to Velasco, then at Parras, sixty miles south, that they were in danger of being surrounded.
 Velasco by forced marches suc- ceeded in joining them April 10 at Bonavides Junction, only a few miles from here. Later the troops of General Argumendo and General Campo came up and the rebel garri- son then here was driven out on April Il. That night Villa, with 5000 re- Inducements and 20 field pieces, ar rived and began an attack which cul- minated Monday in the flight of the federals.