Omaha daily bee., 1914-04-05
Villas ENTRY INTO
TORREON INFORMAL
Work of Clearing BarricadeS and
Burning Dead Begins.
vEIASCO ABANDoNs WOUNDED
Two Hundred Patients i'm Hqspitai
Feared They wouid NE Killed
---AI Nursss But One
Flee.

ToRREoN, Mex. April 4--via FL
Paso, April 4l-This city from which
General Refugio veiasco and most OF
the unlnjured Of his command FLED yes
terday was occupied by the rebels in
force today and the work OF burning the
bodies OF the dead. clearing away the
wreckage OF shell shattered adobe walls,
street barricades and barbed wire en-
tangelements was begun.
When villa took a considerable num-
ber OF prisoners. Velasco escaped from
the canyon de Huarache with large
proportion OF his force, He was pursued
last night by General Hernandez, who to-
day reported that he had fought a ANAL
rear guard engagement with the retreat
ing force, and later General Villa with
reinforcements left here to make an at
tempt TO capture or annihilate It,
Non-combatants here with whom the
Associated Press correspondent talked to-
day. estimated that Velascos garrison
did not number more than 5000 men OF
who 1900 were killed or wounded.
When Velasco fled he left behind In
the military hospital 900 wounded. When
the rebels entered the place they found
only one nurse. Dorothea de Ia Cruz, in
attendance. She said that the other
nurses followed the army when It evacu-
ated the city.
The patients were in a high state OF
anxiety for they had been told that Villa
took no prisoners They were reassured
by H. S. Cunard- -Cummlns. the British
consul at Gomez Palacio, who entered
the hospital first, climbing over bodies
| os the wounded who had died there. The
air was foul with the odor of dried
blood. Speaking in clear. even tones, he
British official announced that villa had
assured him that none OF the wounded
would be harmed. At this those patients
who had the strength raised Themselves
on their elbows from pallets on the floor
and from their cots and cried feebly
viva villa"
! The nurse was soothing dying
pstlent, who with his last breath Joined
the cheering and then sank back dead.
VeIascO Executes sDAnIards.
Persons who say they were eye wit
nesses declare that Velasco summarilS
executed three Spaniards whom he &C
cused OF firing on his troops. The wifi,
OF one OF these. Lotero Lopez ATTEMPTED
I - hAlNlh HHsbhAN anu NiAN hhl
let killed both.
Three hundred and fifty spaniards, in
cluding women and children. took refug,
in a bank building under the protection
OF American Consul Ulmer. who remained
lin town throughout the battle. So IA
tho insurgents have shown no disposl
ton TO harm those spanlsrds who ar
known to have remained neutral. Othel
foreigners including fifty-five Chineses
syrians and Austrians and 100 American
we're unhRrmed so far as could be learned
ltoday.
II was reported that General Velasct
himself was wounded, but this report
like the one that he went insane in TN
trenches, could not be confirmed Rnt
tho impression prevails now that he Il
still at the head OF his troops. Two fed
eral generals we're killed and three
| wounded.
Il is said here that Velaseo's retTea
was brought about by HIS Losses in th'
night assaults made by the rebels anS
indicated that his soldiers. worn out b.
the prolonged fighting and fear OF th'
lcruelties which they were told Villl
| (Continued on PAGE TWoJ