Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-03-21
VILLA THROWING
NET ON T0RREOA
Rebel Army Closely Invest
ing City and Mounting
Artillery.
D ESERT H ARDSHIPS.
Dispatch Announces That Urbina Has
Routed Federals and Captured La
ma, Near Torreon Besieged City.

Constitutionalist Headquarters, Yer
mo. Durango, Mex, March 2l.-Gen.
Villa and his army of $4,000 rebels
are investing the Federal stronghold
Of Torreon.
The khaki-clad columns occupied the
environs of the city without opposl-
tion, and yesterday was spent in
dragging the field pieces into position
to she'll the Federal trenches, which
have been dug at every point where
the Federal commander, General Re-
fugio Velasco, expects attack. The
Federal army is estimated at 5000
men. South and southwest of the
city, their position is regarded as al
most impregnable by reason Of the
mountains, through which only three
passes run, and these have been rend-
cred almost impossible by fortifica-
tions anil barbed wire entanglements.
In other directions the city is reach
ed through the desert and high hills.
Villas recent progress has been slow,
because it was necessary to repair the
railroad tracks and bridges; but the
road IS row open from Yerno, where
the troops have been mobi!izing, to
Mapimi and Bermehllio, which are
only few miles north of TofreontaE--!
are virtually suburbs of that city.
(. At these two cities, after suffering
long hours in the freight cars, where
they were stuffed like figs IN box,
with but scant supply of water, the
troops detained and formed in columns
in the intense heat. There was little
loss of time in plunging into the des-
ert. some mounted and others on foot
I, Great clouds of desert dust marked
atheir progress 2hout hummocks OF
car.ti crowned sand, and through dry
water courses. Great tank wagons
laden with the water supply which has
been Villas greatest problem, rumo-
led I'M the trail, the wheels at times al
most hub ,eept. in the sand. In these
emergencies branches of the tough
MOSQUITO bush and, soap We're matted
i.1nder the wheels. sturdy, poems put
hands to the spokes; streams of pro-
family were addressed to mules in a
langusges esss,iid TOD e in this respect the
most adequate in the world, and the
column would proceed.
The lips of the few foreigners in the
arny were cracked arl swollen from
theSheat ana alkali dust, but the Mex
icass, trained; to Ysuch conditions, COW
cred their ,rouths with fola is of their
biaakets. and Jared, better. All: eyes
were bloodshot. In this way amid the
suffeang which the harshest waste
of arid land in Mexico can, furnish,
the outskirts Of .Torreon were reached
Ell Paso,, TEX, March, PA brief
dispatch received early from an Amer
ican correspondent with Gen. Fran
cisco Villas constitutionalist army al
Torreon, statedsthat the advance guard
of the rebel forces were at. Iermo'
sixtv-five miles north of Torreon. An
other dispatch was received by the
constitutionalist information bureau IN
Juarez at midnight which is supposed
to give detailed information regard
ing the movements of Villas men, Inc
Juarez officials: however, would make
10 Eetails public, lnierely; saying:
t"Adyices from Yernfo are to the Ell
feet that the consfitutionalists are II
possession of all the points abandon
ed by the federals.""