The Elbert County tribune., 1914-09-25

mine was safe now-and he was safe.
Aragon dared not raise hand. So he
sat himself down on the broad veranda
aud listened with boyish interest to
Don Juan's account OF the war.
What. have you not heard of the
battle?" cried portly Don Juan. delight
ed to have a fresh listener. Aqua
Negra has been taken and retaken
and the railroad will soon be repaired.
My gracious! have you been out in
the hills that long? Why, it was two
weeks ago that the rebels captured
the town by coup. and eight days
later the federals took it back.
"Ah. there has been real war. Mr..
Sud- You who have laughed at the
courage of the Mexicans. what do you
think of Bernardo Bravo and his men?
They captured the last up train from
Fortuna: loaded all the men into the
ore cars and empty coaches: and.
while the federals were still in their
barracks, the train ran clear into the
station and took the town by storm.
And eight days later, at sundown,
/ the federals took it back All. there
was awful slaughter averted. senior!
But for the fact that the fuse went
out two hundred Yaqui Indians who
led the charge would have been blown
into eternity.
| Yes, so great was the charge of
dynamite that the rebels had laid in
their mine that not a house in Aqua
Negra would have been left standing
II the fuse had done its work. Two
tons of dynamite. Think of that. my
friend,
But these rebels we're as ignorant
of its power as they were of laying
a train. The Yaquis walked into the
town at sundown and found it de-
serted-every man, woman and child
had fed to Gadsden and the rebels had
fled to the west
But listen, here was the way IT
actually, and not as com
mon report has it, for the country is
all In an uproar and the real facts
were never known. When Bernardo
Bravo captured the town of Aqua Ne
gra the people acclaimed his a hero
He sent word to the junta at Ell
Paso and set up new form of gov.
ernment. All was enthusiasm, and
several Americans joined his ranks
to operate the machine guns and can
non. AS for the federals. they occu
pied the country to the east and at
tempted few sailies. but as they
had nothing but their rifles. the artiI
lery drove them back.
Then, as the battle ceased. the
rebels began to celebrate their vic
tory. They broke into the closed can
tinas. dtsobeying their officers and be
ginning the loot of the town. and
while half of their number were drunl
the federals. being informed OF theii
condition, suddenly advanced upor
them. with the Yaquis far in the lead
''They did not shoot, those YaQuis
but. dragging their guns behind them
they crept up through the bushes ant
dug pits quite close to the lines. Then
when the rebels discovered them and
manned their guns. the Yaquis shot
down the gunners.
Growing bolder, they crept farther
to the front-the rebels became disor
ganized. their men became mutinoue-
and at last. when they saw they woult
surely be taken. the leaders buriet
two tons of dynamite In the trenches
by the bull-ring and set time-fuse
to explode when the Yaquis arrived.
"The word spread through the towr
like wildfre-all the people. all ths
soldiers fed every which way to es
cape-and then. when the worst wa.
expected to happen. the dynamite
failed to explode and the Yaquil
rushed the trenches at sundown."
i Did those Yaquis know about tn,
dypamite?" Injured Bud
Know" repeated Don Juan. wavini
the thought away. mot word! Thei
commander kept II from them. ever