Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-07-16
Prisons Are Crowded and Fed
erals Word is No Good
Kind to Wounded.

Kind to wounded.
REBEL HAS CHARMED LIFE
Gregory Mason. Stan Correspondent OF
the Outlook. writes from Mexico. under
the title. campaigning In -Coahuila.'
We had not been In Hipolito half an
hour when I've s%tretchers passed our
car, going toward the hospital train
behind us. S~uspecting that an outpost
skirmfsh had taken place, we rushed
to the Quartet general for Information,
only to learn that the stretchers con-
Ltained the first days toll OF accidental
shootiEg-One dead n four wounded.
Soon the doctors had their hands full
handling and with those who rolled
from car roofs or t~houghtlessly went to
sleep under trains.
A Mexican Is careless OF life. includ-
ing his own. Though trains were
clanking up and down the eight tracks
at Hipolfto all day long. women and
children played tag under car bottoms.
his blanket roll on q rail for a pillow
n compose himself for a mar with no
apparent fear Of d~ecapitation. Two
ladies' on the q just ahead OF ours
quarreled over the attentions u an
Adonts OF the ranks, and n e q big
black woman who looked like a ne
gress, lighted 2 hand grenade one eve
ming n blew off her rivals head.
All Generals Killed.
AS we were pulling out of Hipolito
for Fraustro, a town by virtue of q
railway switch, but at that time a ter
minus. thanks to the misunderstanding
federals, word came that 5000 men UNI
der Generals Raoul Madero and Pablo
Robes had taken Paredon in q fight
that was fined before villa could get to
the scene OF action. The constitution
aiists lost only 80 men and captured
one-fourth OF the 1000 defenders Of the
town: SO men M IS officers Of the
enemy, including three generals, being
reported as KILLED in action" A NOR
tally OF nearly four officers for every
five men is rather suspicious: and 1t
was also a curious coincidence that the
only federal officer who came alive out
Of Paredon as a prisoner had been 9
classmate OF a constitutionalist general
ut q French military college. II Villa
does execute captured officers, how
ever, he cannot be greatly blamed for
It. The parole of an officer OF Huerta
is worthless, n the constitutionalist
prisons are already overcrowded. 1t Is
to Villas credit that he offers all the
captured regular federal rank and file
opportunity to enlist with him, and
treats the wounded soldiers OF the n
envy with as much consideration as his
OWI.
Shot At 10 Times.
THE luster OF Villas name Is bring
ing him scores OF recruits every day.
and foreigners who have just come to
Mexico via New Orleans from
Mexico City assure me that thousands
federals. disgusted with the bung-
ling of their officers, are itching to
get into the command of the forimer1
Chihuahua mule driver. The federalss
are convinced that he bears a charmed
life. Time and again their s~harpshoot-
ers have tried for him as he doomed UP
suddenly on his big bay horse, direct
ing the aim of the artillery with quick,
deep commands: Mas derecho"
("more to the rightly; or 'Foco mas
isqnierda" Ga little more to the left"),
he rode UP where the bullets whined
louder and dismounted to take a rife
in the trenches. One of these keen
eyed federal rifiemen when taken pris-
oner had the -brazenness to tell Villa
OF his efforts to bag the big leader.
II fred at you 10 times, mi general,
but It's no use. you bear q charm. and
my. old girl CHS riae) knew It and
The frown that had begun to cloud
Villas unsl,aved a broke into a
smile.
That's right, boy. No use wasting
On me. Now &c back and
tell that to your companions" He
waved toward the hills that sheltered
the enemy.
.But, mi general. I want to fight for
you.s. pleaded the little s~harpshooter.
do as / say: andale thurry up)'"
beloved Villa, and mot!oned to three
soldiers who threw the poor federal
onto q knock kneed, razor backed mule,
which under the urge OF 9 bayonet
thrust In the flank, spedsf for the distant
hills Mt q jack rabbits speed with the
unhappy soldier bounding on the ami
mails sharp back like a live crab on n
grill.
stories s sss . I. they !, dent. vs., sh N1s',a him a,,t before or
OF hts characteristic facial pucker-
inga, az he turned to helpsa brother
officer who was having trouble with q
new saddle.
Night Fighting.
Five or SIX miles rom. Fraustro our
train stopped for the night ! n q deep
and nRrr0v canyon. the worst possible
fla tlkH were unprotected, and 1000
OF the enemy sweeping overland from
Saltillo. only 20 miles away. could have
destroyed the seven trains with ease.
tornsaup h track. n cut villa OF
from his base OF supplies. Moreover,
there was tho danger that some Of the
5000 men who had been driven from
sRayedon were lurking IN the neighhor-
hood. We had Just two sources Of re
esnurance-namely the fast that Villa
had never heen surprised. and that he
had sthua Tar been the only Mexican
general 10 indulge night fighting.
Nevertheless. We gringoes were decid-
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