Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-03-31
FIGHTING FOR ToRREoN
Villa Captures Gomez PaIaeio After
Four DAYS Battle.

Villa Captures Gomez Palaoio After
Four Days Battle.
Gomez Palacio, Mexico, March 81
Four days Of fighting, including three
desperate assaults by the rebels, were
crowned today when Gen. Francisco
Villa moved into Gomez Palacio and
established his headquarters on that
side Of the town looking toward Tore
on and within three miles Of that great
goal Of the campaign.
The final and deciding assault was
delivered yesterday. 1t was preceded
by bombardment, after which the
infantry and cavalry dashed into the
streets.
Rifles, machetes, pistols and hand
grenades were used in 100 different
encounters in the narrow thorough
fares. The grenades Of home manu-
facture were lighted by cigarettes, an
unofficial part Of the equipment Of ev-
cry Mexican soldier.
Gen. Villa does not know his own
loss, except that 1t was heavy. The
wounded suffered terribly from thirst
and many died for lack Of water and
surgical attention. The dead Of both
sides were mingled in the streets or
found huddled under adobe houses or
corrals wrecked by rebel shells.
Veterans say no more furious battle
ever was fought in Mexico.
Prepares to Move.
Gen. Villa did not stop to mourn his
losses, but with characteristic energy
began preparations to move on Torre-
on. He expects to cooperate with 400
men under Gen. Herrera, who is under
orders to attack the town from the
east.
Newspaper correspondents were per-
mitted to enter the city with Villa Ev-
erywhere rebel soldiers were rescuing
the injured and taking them to the
railroad on improvised stretchers.
The air was hot and redolent Of
stale blood. Those with flesh wounds
disdained to desert, and soldiers limp
ing from a wound in the leg or with
one arm supported in blooj-stained
bandage were among the stretcher
bearers.
Villas first assault in force took
place four days ago. There was COM
paratively a small number Of federals
In the city and premature reports Of
victory were sent out. Soon, however,
the federals received reinforcements
and Gen. Villa withdrew after hard
fight.
SheIIed the City.
The next day (Wednesday) Gen.
Angeles, artillery commander, shelled
the city all day and part Of the night.
Villa had learned that the federal COM
mander, Gen. Velasco, was concentrat-
ed in force in the town and himself
was in the trenches inspiring his men,
and the rebel leader under cover Of the
bombardment concentrated every man
for fresh assault.
This was delivered Wednesday night
but 1t was not decisive, although the
rebels held the stone roundhouse and
few other natural defenses in the
outskirts Of the city.
Last night the third and final assault
was delivered. Gen. Villa, grimly with
dust and sweat, a red bahdana hand
kerchief about his neck, participated.
He rode up and down the lines. swear
ing and cheering, cursing and calling
on the saints. At times he apparently
was calm and again in fury. Through
it all he urged his men forward and all
seemed to realize that the attack was
the last one. The scene was a con-
fused blur of blood and fire, where
men in their dying agonies whined for
water or cried out uncanny viva's, pc
titions to Our Lady Of Guadaloupe"
and other jargon Of delirium.
On the way into the city from FL
verjel early today, and particularly In
the streets of the town itself, Gen. VII
la was constantly called on to return
the salutes Of the wounded.
Marching to Front.
Some Of them were limping, not to
the rear, but to the front to catch up
with their comrades. Some already
placed on hospital trains, returned to
their commands. Others, regaining
consciousness as they were being borne
away in iitters, promptly cursed their
wouldbe rescuers and tumbled out,
joining the scattered procession follow
ing in the train Of the general.
viva Villa! Viva Madero! Viva ell
Constitution! they cried In cracked
voices from parched throats.
The remarkable endurance Of these
poems and their mad obsession to re-
turn to the front greatly impressed
the Americans in the train OF Gen.
Villa. In that strange procession were
men with deep gashes across their
cheeks, men with great masses OF
flesh torn from their backs or sides,
in uniforms literally soaked with
blood; with arms and legs torn and
lacerated and blood matted hair past
ed over their eyes.
There was more than patriotism to
inspire the rebel assaults. for behind
them lay the most cruel desert in
Mexico and ahead the possession OF
the enemy, food and shelter and the
cooling streams Of the irrigation
bitches.
The wounded in the outskirts Of
the city were the first to receive as
sistance, but the small hospital
corps, although working heroically,
was inadequate. The dead who fell
early in the assaults or had been slain
by federal shells were buried first.
Danger of Pestilenee.
At every water car station there
were groups of wounded. In plain
sight Of the dying the dead were re-
moved and the bodies dragged into
shallow trenches 1t will be necessary
to incinerate many Of the bodies as
Gen. Villa is anxious that they shall be
disposed of Immediately to avoid a pos
sible pestilence.
In the course of the battle there
were instances Of detachments, all oil
whose officers had been lost, running
wildly about calling for new officers to
Iaad than or Joining other commands