Licking Valley courier., 1915-11-04
U. S. TROOPS Line
DOUGLAS BORDER
Six Thousand on Arms Ready to
Keep Mexicans From
Crossing Frontier.
TRENCH MAZE ABOUT TOWN
Hundreds Of People Watch Desert
Awaiting the Villa Army on March
to Attack Carranza Forces at
Aqua Preta.

Douglas, Ariz.. Nov. 1.-Three hun
dred Villa troops were attacked and
dispersed by General Gales outpost
at Cabullana, south of Aqua Prieta.
Another Villa patrol west OF Aqua
Prieta was wiped out by Carranza
forces.
Douglas, Ariz., Nov. 1.-Niggerhead.
black butte which rises out OF the
desert nine miles east Of here, claims
the attention of all eyes as marking
the portal of mountain pass through
which General Villa Is expected to
swing about 5000 men to attack or
besiege the Carranza garrison OF
Aqua Prieta, Sonora. opposite this
place. Besides his 5000 soldiers,
Villa has 2S field pieces.
To oppose him Gen. +. Elias Gales.
Carranza commander, has approxl'
mately 2,700 troops. ten pieces OF ar
tillery and between 80 and so ma.
chine guns.
Unless re-enforcements coming over
American railroads via Eagle Pass ar.
rive soon, they will be too late for the
opening of the battle.
U. s. Troops on Guard.
AS they sweep westward toward
Aqua Prieta the Villa forces must pass
near an encampment Of American
troops stationed hardly mile north
Of the border, where Brig. Gen.
Thomas F. Davis, who assumed com.
mand Friday, has about 5000 soldiers
with IL three-inch field guns. The
United States troops have definite or
ders to keep Mexican soldiers on their
own side of the international line, and
to prevent them from shooting into
the United States.
General Villas army was last re-
ported IS. miles southeast of Aqua
Prieta, In Bernardino valley. This
placed him on a fairly easy march to
the barbed-wire entanglements front
ing General Gales elaborate system
of defenses.
Protected BY Trench Maze.
Although already possessed OF a
fairly labyrinthine system of protec
tive works. General Gales had his
men employ their final waiting hours
adding to mazes of trenches and re.
doubts.
Not blade of grass grows in Aqua
Prieta and dust whirls sent dancing
about by winds that constantly sweep
the treeless stretch Of country, coated
the brown faces of the soldiers as they
| labored with picks and shovels under
the eyes of swarthy women and chill.
dren, who fringe every Mexican mill.
tary encampment.
The city of Douglas extends right
down to the border line, but is sparse.
ly built for perhaps half a mile north
from the boundary. Facing this open
space the Carranza soldiers finished a
trench line which completed around
Aqua Prieta band of defensive works
that extend roughly three.quarters oi
mile north and south and about q
mile and quarter east and west.
The town itself, with its adobe build
ings, tents, go-downs and leanto bar
racks, housing thousands of refugees
driven in by the Villa advance, lies
within and overlooking this elllpse o.
defensive works. The refugees, most
ly women and children, will bt
brought over to the Urited States.
Plans also have been made to brlnt
over the Carranza wounded II tn,
general hospital comes under fire.
The trenches are the work OF Col
Max Jofre, Chilean engineer, Th'
three lines of defenses are fronted frs
by lines of barbed-wire entanglemenis
which, It Is said, can be charged will
deadly current Of electricity, BE
yond this lie fields of mines that ex
plode by contact Of by electrical.
controlled firing devices.
Two Surgeons at Hospital.
The general hospital is located II
an adobe building, which formerly wa
the post office. Here DR.. j. |. Ho
lingsworth, an American, and DR.. T.
Harrison of Toronto, Can, who Jus
, returned from Belgium, are in charge
The Mexican girl nurses, whose onl
, insignia consists of white cloth
wrapped in turban fashion abou
their heads. and six "practicantes, O
hospital stewards, are the only al
sistants of the surgeons.