Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-31
Three Thousand Infantrymen
oh Mexican Border Ready
for Orders to Fire.
VILLA WITH HIS ARMY
NEARING Aqua PRIETA
Battle With Carranza Forces Ex.
pected Monday-U. S. Soldiers to
Protect Fellow-Countrymen.

| DOUGLAS, Ar1Z., October 3O.-Three
thousand men of the 9Th United States
| Infantry Brigade were placed in
trenches today within a few feet of the
| Mexican boundary, ready to interfere
| If an attack on the Carranza garrison
of Aqua Prieta, Sonora, by the Villa
army, expected Sunday or Monday,
should result in shooting into Ameri-
can territory.
Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Davis, COM
mander, said he would take every pre-
caution to prevent any firing into Dou-
glas.
IT do not propose to see an American
town shot up," he said.
| Gen. Davis issued instructions to resi-
dents on the American side of the
| boundary to keep within doors, get be-
| hind adobe walls and not trust to
| wooden barriers to keep out bullets.
Villas advance guard. under com
| mand of Col. Thomas Franco. reached
San Bernardino, twenty miles east on
the border, today. Col. Franco gave
the first definite information that Gen.
Francisco Villa himself was with the
army. He said Villa would arrive at
San Bernardino tomorrow, indicating
that a battle, If battle there Is to be.
will occur Monday.
Gen. P. Elias Gales, commanding
Aqua Prieta, also received reinforce
| ments late today. The first of nine
trains bearing troops and equipment
from Laredo. Tex, arrived. 1t bore
| munition and vehicles of all sorts. from
taxicabs to an old-time Tilbury. Other
trains were expected tonight and to-
| morrow.
Says Villa Is Friendly.
Col. Franco declared Villa felt friend
ly toward Americans and desired to
avoid trouble.
Villa. Franco added, had $4,000 men
and sixty 314-inch field guns. Pre-
vious reports credited Villa with 1000
men and twenty-eight guns.
Further Information concerning the
Villa forces was given by Juan Men
doza, sixteen-year-o boy. wounded
in the leg In a ekirmish at Cabullona
yesterday and brought to the CarranZa
Hospital at Aqua Prieta-
I'VE have had no beans or -four since
we left Casas Grandes, the boy said
Our food has been just plain cow"
The boy said the Villa men were tired
and hungry; nevertheless he was GER
tain Villa would take Aqua Prieta
villa will be here for me in three
days., he asserted, smiling despite the
pain from his shattered upper leg bone
The movement of the American troops
i -,
las. to points along the border began
this afternoon.
Few Yards From Border.
The 22d Infantry moved from camp
to station directly south, few yards
from the barbed wire fence separating
Mexico from the United States The
18th took position west of the 22d,
while the 11th Infantry was assigned
to position directly facing Aqua
Prieta The goth Infantry and part of
the 7th were ordered into reserve at
the camp. The entire forces began in
trenching and their work provided en-
placements for about thirty machine
guns If they should be needed.
AS the llth Infantry swung down the
road running through the American
town and on into Aqua Prieta, prac-
tically the entire garrison and popula-
ton of the Mexican town crowded
against the barbed wire barrier to
watch as American picks and shovels
went into action.
point few feet west of the United
States customhouse and within less
than twenty yards of the Carranza
trenches at the rear of Aqua Prieta.
Mexicans working in these trenches
dropped their picks and shovels and
Joined the throngs of gesticulating
Mexican men, women and children
watching the work Of the American
troops.
Twenty-Five Americans from Ell
Tigre. seventy miles southeast of here,
| for whose safety fears were expressed,
crossed the border today at Naco. Ariz.
Besides the infantry regiments. Gen.
| Davis has one regiment of cavalry. the
9Th. and four batteries of the 9Th Field
Artillery. The disposition of these
troops has not been disclosed, but ar
| tillery officers already have positions
| picked for the guns on high ground
east Of Douglas. just north of where
Villa will have to debouch from the
| mountains to launch his attack.