Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-30
Wounded at Chihuahua
Tell Horrible Details
of Six Days Battle.
VANGUARD IN A TRAP
Reported Leader of $4,000
Force Received Slight In
iurieS and Had to Retire.

Juraez. Mexico. March 3O.-There
vere no reports from Villa this morn
ing. and it is assumed that fighting
Al TorreOn continues.
e Paso. Texas, March 3O--Nilla's
army. II not defeated at Torreon, is
having a desperate uphill fight This
opinion is based on the absence of ad-
vices from impartial observers at the
front. statements of the Mexican fed
erzI consul here and stories of Amer
icans from Chihuahua and other Mex
ican cities. According to the federal
consul at Eagle Pass, Texas, rebels
were drawn into a bull ring trap yes
terday and mines exploded under them.
Chihuahua. Mexico, March 1910
day constitutionalist sympathizers
and rebei officers in Chihuahua were
again most anxious as TO the fate OF
General villa and the remnants OF the
L 900 men who marched on Torreon
20 engage in the revolutions first de-
cisive battle There has been no news
Of Villas progress for many hours and
army officers here fear the rebel forces
are in a most dangerous situation. Re
ports that heavy reinforcements are
being rushed TO relieve Federal Com
mander Velasco were received here
with misgivings.
For seven days Villa ragged battle
against Torreon- For six days the
fight was the bitterest and the loss of
life the most tremendous in the history
OF Mexico. judging from dispatches
from The front and storiess tod 7<114J
By some OF the SIS Wounded in nos
pitais here. According 20 the~founded
the rebel vanguard ran into a tray at
Gomez palacio which cost tsem dearly
In men and ammunition
A report originated at one OF the
hospitals after more wounded arrived
In Chihuahua that General Villa had
been wounded slightly and forced to !
retire from the front.
Sees Villa Wounded.
This report was based on the word (
Of wounded soldier. who insisted he /.
had seen Villa wounded. He declared 4
that for moral effect the news was 4
withheld from the ranks Of the rebel
army.
Wounded rebel soldiers continued to
arrive by train. bringing the number
in the city TO 5SS. Several hundred
other wounded were provided for at
Jiminez, and patches Of wounded were
distributed at Parral and Santa RO-
salia.
This evidence of the sanguinary con-
ilict at TOrreon. with the suggestion
that the list OF dead on the rebel side
necessarily would be great, tended to
make rebel headquarters reticent
about the progress OF the battle. If
Federals Now Down Rebels II
A German military observer VINO ar
rived from the front said:
The federal army lured us right
into Gomez palacio. a suburb north OF
Torreon. before they opened fire. Then
hey let loose such a hail Of rifle and
machine gunshot as would have de-
noraiized an ordinary Mexican army. ,
The men fell By the score
One cotton bale platform by the
railroad tracks was so covered with
dead rebels that a man could not walk {
across it without stepping on body. ]
General Villa had such a large j
army that ne felt he could sacrifice 1
many men TO get a foothold in the '
,own. c
Almost the whole Zaragosa brigade {
'nder General Aguirre Benavides was {
nus wiped out"
The observer added that he believed
General Benavides escaped death.
The shock and surprise to the rebel
roops. who had expected TO scare the
'snerals and walk into Torreon with
iule fighting" he said in conclusion, e
resulted in a temporary withdrawal. c
Three or four days OF fighting up TO d
ne time left, failed TO bring any re- I
glts" b
Americans Released. {
Washington. ID. C.. March 3O--Dr. a
Smbert. an American physician ar
ested BY Mexican authorities at Los
iochis after a constitutiOnalist officer
whom he had operated died, has
cen released.
Charge O'Shsughnessy reported that
lrse Americans, Goldschmidt. Dona-
re and Grossthwaite, charged with
ding rebels. had been freed by HUI
rts n