The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-10-29
MEXICAN BANDITS RAID
The TEXAS BORDER
SLEEPING UNITED STATES TROOP
ERS ATTACKED BY RAtDING
MEXICAN BANDS.
BANDITS WRECK TRAIN
Mexicans Who Wrecked Train and
Murdered Soldiers OVertaken by
Posse and Put to Death-Dead
Mexcans Found, Etc.


wounded United States soldiers and
five Mexicans, found dead after the
fight, is the toll of the attack early
Thursday morning on a detachment
Of fifteen United States soldiers at
Ojo de Aqua, seven miles west of Mis-
sion.
The dead; Sergeant Shafer, Third
cavalry; First-Class Private Joyce,
Company D, Signal Corps; Ftrst-Class
Private Mcconnell, Company D, Sig
nal Corps.
The wounded; Private Fred Behr,
Troop G, Third cavalry; Private Paul
Langland, Troop G, Third cavalry;
First-Class Sergeant H. R. Smith, Sig
nal corps; Corporal Lewis Candella,
Signal corps; Private Ben Hallenbeck,
Troop G, Third cavalry; Private L. T.
Stewart, Signal corps.
The sentry on duty saw in the dim
outlines Of the mesquite thicket NOV
ing forms rapidly maneuvering into a
skirmish line. The sentinel FASTENED
to the cot of Sergeant Shafer, awoke
him and told him that things looked
bad The sergeant was in the act of
rising when a volley was fired into
the very midst of the sleeping soldiers
and Sergeant Shafer fell dead,
A bugIe sounded among the attack.
ing forces and a charge was made.
The American soldiers, taken almost
unawares, were given little chance to
reach their arms. The wireless opera
tor FASTENED to his engine and was
in the act of cranking it when bullet
tore off his arm, penetrated the dyna-
mo Of the wireless and put that out
of commission, thus cutting off all
means of communication with the
local garrison.
The men rallied as best they could
and gave the attackers a fight that
will go down in the history of the Dor
der troubles as one of the gamest Of
these turbulent times. They with
stood charge after charge Of apparent
ly seasoned Mexican soldiers and gave
an account of themselves by cutting
down some of the attacking bandits.
When the day dawned and the count
was made, five dead Mexicans were
found.
The soldiers believe there were
others wounded and possibly more kill
ed, but the five were all that have
been found thus far. One of the dead
men later was reported to be a Jap
anese.
Brownsville, Tex.-Twenty to thir-
ty bandits, alleged to have been led
by Luis de la Rosa, supposed cosigner
with Aniceto Piazana of the plan for
'liberty of Mexicans in Texas" swoop.
ed down on the st. Louis, Brownsville
and Mexico railroad early Tuesday
morning, six miles from Brownsville,
ditched a passenger train, held up the
passengers, caused the death of Engi-
neer Kendall, and then with fifteen
unarmed passengers at their mercy,
killed one outright, fatally wounded
another and shot and seriously wound
ed three others.
The dead Corporal Albert T. Nc
Bee, Third United States cavalry, shot
in heart; Engineer H. H. Kendall of
Kingsville, killed under the weight of
engine timbers; DR.. E. S. Mccain of
Brownsville, deputy state health Off
Ger, shot in the abdomen.
Injured: Harry ]. Wallis, Came
ron county hide and animal inspector;
R. Woodall, fireman, of Kingsville;
Claude ]. Brashear, Troop A, Sixth
United States cavalry; C. H. Laymon,
Troop D, Third United States cavalry.
Intense feeling arose throughout
the section Wednesday as the result
of the occurrence and it was reflected
in the summary action taken by posses
who are reported to have captured and
shot or hanged nearly a dozen Next
cans suspected of having been impli-
Gated in the wreck and robbery.