The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-05-14
BY THOMAS p. COATES.
Special Staff Correspondent OF the In
ternational News Service.

BY THOMAS p. COATES.
Special Staff Correspondent OF the In
ternational News Service.
VERA CRUZ, May 14.-Tampico's
fall has hastened the doom OF Presf-
dent Huerta. The Constitutionalists
are now in complete possession of the
north, and the scene of civil war is
transferred to the south, with the
rebels boasting that they will dive
Huerta from power within month.
With the capture of Tampico the
Constitutionalists have gained sea-
port that will be of vast advantage to
them. Through Tampico they expect
to gain the munitions Of war that was
cut off by the renewal of the Ameri-
can embargo on the border.
The Federal defenders, led by Cen
eral Zaragosa suffered terrific losses
in the bloody conflict at the Oil town.
/ At least three thousand Federals were
killed or taken prisoners, according to
reports that have been received here.
When the rebels opened their attack.
General Zaragosa had seven thousand
| men. Only two thousand resulted
| to have made their escape on the Mex
| ican Central train that had been made
up for preparation for flight.
Rebels Lose 5000 Men.
| The Constitutionalist loss was, also
heavy. 1t is estimated that from 1,500
| to 1000 rebels fell in the grand assault
on the town after their artillery had
been taken.
There is little prospects that the
| troops who fled from the city will be
able to make good their escape. The
railroad to San Luis Potosi has been
cut at Cardenas. sixty-three miles from
San Luis Potosi, and at that point the
1000 Federals will have to take to
the jungles and escape large force
i Of rebels under General Eulato Gui-
| terrez. 1t is believed that the Fed
erals will be unable to make their
way through the jungles and morass
in that section.
! General Morelos Zaragoza, whose
! gallant defense of Tampico command
ed the admiration of even the rebels.
could not be found after the battle.
and it was not known whether he had
been killed or not. 1t had frequently
been the boast of this soldier that he
would fight until the last cartridge
had been expended" SO the theory
was held by many that he had fallen
among his followers.
Generals Body List.
| The proba ability that his body would
be found was made uncertain by the
quick disposition of many of the Fed
| eral corpses. Some were smeared with
crude petroleum and burned. others
were dumped into trenches filled with
Quicklime, while still others were cast
into the Panuco river and borne to
the sea upon the bloody, oilcOvered
waters of this stream.
The desperate hand-to-hand fight.
which smashed the final defense of
the Federals, ended an attack which
had begun last Friday night, and
| which went on intermittently until
the city fell.
At times the firing was terrific with
all the artillery and small arms on
both sides engaged. Then it would
die away until the stiffness was broken
only by scattered rifle shots between
the outposts. The rebels kept advanc-
ing inch by inch, moving forward their
artillery and throwing up fresh breast
works as they did SO. They were able
J to seize the peninsula lying between
Tampico proper and the Gulf of Mex
leo on the west, and planted batteries
from which they shelled the three Fed
eral gunboats lying in Panuco river.
Rebels Hold Territory.
All the territory on both sides of
the lagoon, north of the city. was held
by the rebels, and their outposts ex-
tended completely along the western
side.
The three Mexican gunboats were at
anchor with the Bravo nearest the
gulf. Then came the Zaragosa, while
the Vera Cruz was anchored west of
the city where the Tamos river flows
into the Panuco river.
All the shore batteries of the Con-
| ioti foa hoir
recting it first against the gunboats.
then against the city. One shell set
fire to a tank owned by the Eagle Oil
company, and this blazed for two days
and two nights. Under it's fitful glare
the battle went on at night, and un-
der it's pail of greasy. black smoke.
continued their firing throughout the
day.
Occupy Cemetery.
The Federals occupied a strategic
position in a cemetery about a mile
from the Plaza de Armada. They had
built barricades of bags of sand and
tombstones, but the cemetery was a
new one, and there were not many
gravestones for such utilization.
So fierce was the Federal fire from
this position that General Gonzales
decided to take it by storm. Under
cover of darkness he ordered a rebel
detachment to drive the Federals from
their position in the cemetery.
With their hands full of gernades
the rebels charged upon the breast
works, but were met with a fire that
sent them reeling backward. Again
they charged and got a partial foot
hold within the Federal lines. After
a bloody hand-to-hand fight the Con.
stitutionalists were driven off, leav.
ing many dead and dying behind.
, FederaIs Repulse Attacks.
The rebels stationed on the strip OF
land between the mouth of the Panuco
river and Tampico proper tried time
after time to fieht their way into the