The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1915-04-01
GUARD 70 BORDER
Three Batteries Of Artillery
Rushed 10 Brownsville
TO Menace Rebels.
GEN. FRED FUNSTON on JOB
Washington Gives Him Discretion I'M
Dealing with Mexieans Fighting
Near the Southern Boundary.

O.
Washington. March 30.-At the sug.
gestion OF Major General Funston,
commanding the American forces on
the border. Acting Secretary Brecken.
ridge OF the War Department has or.
dered three batteries Of the Third
Field Artillery to Brownsville, Tex,
as q demonstration to the Mexican
forces contending for possession Of
Matamoros that American livess and
property must not be endangered BY
firing across the line. A regiment OF
infantry also was ordered held in
readiness at Texas City to be moved
to Brownsville on short notice should
1t be needed.
San Antonio. Tex, March 30.-Three
batteries of the Third Field Artillery.
including $50 men and twelve guns. in
command Of Col. George w. Van Deu-
sen. have left here for Brownsville,
rushed to the border by special train
in two sections Of thirty-six cars each.
Gen. Frederick Funston departed
upon receipt Of advices from Browns.
vile after ordering out the artillery.
General Funston, commanding the
Department Of the South, will take
command Of the situation at Browns
vile and has been given discretionary
powers to act in the event firing by
either of the Mexican forces into
Brownsville continues.
Battle Near Border.
Brownsville. Tex, March 90
Brownsville faces one OF the gravest
of border crises-the apparent Ger.
tainty that the battle which began
yesterday for possession of Mata-
moros, the Mexican town across the
Rio Grande, will not be decided with
out the use OF artillery OF field can
non, firing 3-inch shells.
There was no fighting today except
occasional shots several miles south
of the city, and Villa officers an
nounced they were awaiting the ar
rival of artillery. The likelihood of
such shells falling in Brownsville was
demonstrated by the rifle bullets
which dropped here Yesterday during
the first villa assault on MatamOros
trenches, a costly failure of Villa
forces, in which their losses were
given officially as one hundred killed
and four hundred wounded. This at
tack was headstrong dash. Of two
Thousand mounted men firing rifles.
The Carranza losses were ten killed
and forty-five wounded. and two ply
sicians were struck by bullets in
Brownsville. being slightly injured.
When General Manuel Cheo's bri-
gade charged, his officers claim, they
once reached within ten feet of the
trenches, when by some blunder re-
treat was sounded. Three miles to
the rear the Villa wounded were fer
ried across the Rio Grande. Motor
cars on the American side picked
them up and rushed them here. All
available cots in the city were called
for.
Upon orders from Washington, Col.
A. P. Blocksom, commanding the
lower border patrol here, stopped the
bringing of wounded to this side, and
placed a guard over those here. Thus
far only two deaths have occurred
among the two hundred Villa wound
ed here.
Angeles May be President !.
Washington, March PA new fac
tor In the Mexican situation has lfeeHa4f-
ed up. He is General Felipe Angeles,
chief of artillery in Villas army, and
declared to be the real candidate Of
the convention forces for the provis-
ional presidency Of Mexico should the
combination finally
triumph. Angeles, highly educated, a
graduate of the Mexican Military
academy. made possible many Of Vii
las earliest victories and was re.
sponsible for the first break between
Villa and Carranza. He is now in
Monterey, and advices received here
say his claims to the presidency are
being widely promoted.
Pledges Religious Freedom.
In order to demonstrate his quallfl-
cations there has been circulated in
diplomatic circles here copies of his
address to the people Of Monterey
when he recently took that city.
other things he said:
I'VE have not come here represent
ing fanaticism Of any sort nor are we
here to commit atrocities or outrages;
but on the contrary. we are here to
give assurance of safety, to cooperate
with the people, to aid them in their
work. and to cooperate in the develop
nent Of the prosperity Of the country.
Between us there are no Catholics,
40 Protestants, NO agnostics; all Of
hem from the first 10 the last will |
70 respected IN their beliefs.