Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-04-01
'T | IS TAKEN [: \.
REBELS, COMMANDED BY GEN
VILLA, cAPTURE5FEDERAL
a3 STRONGHOLD. Fl;
.H ii LOSES 1900 MEN Nj ! /
Victorious Troops Fire Town to Wipe
Out cholera-Federals Flee Panic
Stricken and Are Shot BY Their !
Officers. i, Il az gf3ssS. a, II " { ID:

Ell verjel, Durango, March 26.--Mlext-.yy
can rebels under command Of General
Villa captured Torreon on Tuesday at
five O'Clock. The former bandit Lead
er is now the absolute master Of north
ern Mexico There are only meagers
federal forces to resist his occupation
Of Monterey and Saltillo and Tampico
on the east and Mazatlan on the
west. S;t 81 ~ y
With the Huerta army under Velas-.
90 scattered and broken beyond repair
at Torreon, the road to Mexico City
Flies open to Villa Villa is being
cheered by his men and his generals
as the great military genius in Mex
leo
General Velasco knew he was de,
feated when his forces were smashed
and driven out Of Gomez Palacio. He
whose natural advantages gave him
his best chance OF stopping the ad.
vance Of Villa with his 10000 men
against Velasco's 5000. The artillery
equipment OF the opposing forces we're
about equal. Fleeing from Gomez Pa
lacio in utter route, Velasco's men got
no respite. The rebels pursued relent-,
lessly. The federals' only hope was to-
hold the Eazas river against Villa
with their batteries there. But their
own guns were turned against them
from the north, covering the advance
OF the forces Of Villa and Benavidess
from the northeast, and when the 3
Nazas batteries were silenced Torreon3
was doomed. HE
With 1900 federals estimated to-
have been slain IN the terrific fighting
at Gomez Palacio, which ended in the
rout of General Vslascos forces. villa \
mercilessly pursued the beaten
forces and then, with Torreon sur.
rounded, Villa and General Benevides,
with his famous Zaragosa brigade, led !
an onslaught from the east and north. h
east.
The fierce hand-to- hand lighting In !
the streets, the flaming OF buildings
put to the torch and the devastation
generally that fell on Gomez Palacio
also were visited on Torreon.
In the fierce fighting Of the last 4s /
hours hundreds OF federal troops broke
from their ranks and deserted to 4
Villas army. They were held in the
trenches under the onrush Of the con-
stitutionalists only by the actions OF
their officers, who shot into the backs
OF men who tried to fee. The loss of
life on the federal side Is believed to
have been the heaviest of the present
revolution, for Velasco's army fought.
In massed formations against q ter.
rible artillery bombardment. d
Corpses Of cholera victims were
strewn in all the federal trenches.
Fearful OF an outbreak Of the deadly
disease in his own ranks, the con-.
squeror issued orders for the burning I
Of all barracks and hund redss of other
buildings that might be- suspected OF
having harbored the cholera stricken
30 that Torreon is in condagration.
Whetted by the crushing blow adj.
ministered to Velasco's army at Gomez
Palacio, nothing could stay the adj /;
vance OF Villas men. The way led Tor
four miles through apparently i'm.
passable territory. The gun carriages
went into the mud to their hubs;
barbed wire barricades were every few
hundred feet Of the way, quagmiress
and canals had to be crossed and all
the time q pounding fire was in their
faces from the batteries on the Nazas
river. s5$g I'll ri 81 M "
4 Benevides added terror by setting
fire to all buildings along his approach
to the plaza and issuing orders to his
men to shoot down all found with !
arms. Velasco's men heard the shouted
orders. and began hnging away their
weapons and scurrying up the streets.
The federals utterly abandoned their
wounded in the fields Of Gomez Pala'
clio and Torreon. Y \,