South Bend news-times., 1915-06-09
BY John w. Boberts.

BY John w BOberts
Especial Correspondent
SILAO. Mexico. June Cen. villa
wants me 10 write everything ] see in
the fighting which is 10 take place to-
night He promises that IL will be
one OF the greatest battles ever fought
by his men. lie has been teasing me
so much about American correspond
ents always reporting battles away
from the actual fighting that ] prom
ised him j would follow wherever ne
led. I am not going to try 10 color
my story. but simply to write things
as 7 see them.
(Four Hours Later.)
am in the advance trench with
Gen. villa and his staff. IL is an old
dry ditch four feet deep. Nearly
5000 soldiers are in this place. the
rest OF the Villa army having taken
positions on the hills 10 our right. So
far there has been no shooting. The
only sign OF the enemy is an enOr-
nous cloud OF dust four miles away.
No one seems to be excited. 1t
seems as though we are going to have
a huge picnic. The soldiers are build
ing fires out or mesquite wood in this
trench aua their viejas are preparing
suppers of corn tortillas and broiled
COW.
A mounted officer just informed
Villa that it appeared as though OBJ
regon's forces are going 10 take the
offensive and that already more than
1000 Carranzaista troops were max
ing towards another ditch two miles
ahead. Villa seems TO take this as a
huge joke.
Let them come" he said. laughing.
Before morning more than half of
them will have turned their toes up
wards toward the skies"
villa invited me TO peep over the
trench and see the enemy through his
field glasses. I could see nothing but
"A lazy cloud Of dust two mixes long.
There IS not a breath Of wind. but
somehow the dust slowly rises to great
heights and blurs the brightness OF
the terrific sun. This reminds me
that there is regular conglomeratlon
Of sweating men around me and al
though we are in the open air a heavy
smell OF human bodies pervades.
Villa has gone 10 place his artillery.
He told me to stay where / am; that
I would see plenty OF lighting and
that he would be back In a short while.
have been friends with one Man
uel SOssa. He has been soldier IN
Villas army for two years and has
never been wounded. He Is a good
natured fellow and is always grinning.
7 like TO see him smile. A long row
of perfect milk white teeth makes an
attractive contrast TO his black oily
face.
His soldadera (woman camp follow
err has begun to broil a couple or
chunks OF beef on the fire which Man
uel built She unrolled them from a
dirty bandanna handkerchief which
she carried with other food supplies
and kitchen utensils on her back in a
shawl For n woman OF her class
she is not bad looking. Manuel
Wit "a
kindly smile
You must eat with us, amigo, -
Manuel said as he borrowed n oigaret
from me ct may not he as fine a
meal as you get in your country, but
Il will keep you alive. What is that
you are writing"
He leaned over my note book.
II am going 10 tell my people how
YOU Mexicans fight" I answered. Tn
fact at this moment L am writing
about YOU"
This seemed to please him immense
ly.
What are YOU going TO say? What
is there about me that you can write? +?
You've never seen me fight. although
I am a very brave man." he chuckled.
I'm going to tell my readers that
you have offered me some of your
food and that L am hungry and am
going 10 eat it.
'Bueno. bueno!" he laughed. slap
ping me on the back Tell them
that in the last battle We had / broke
my gun while dashing the brains out
of a Carranzaista after he had shot
twice at me-"
That's already done" 1 said after
writing.
"Oh, but you write fast 1t takes
me an hour to sign my own name.
That's all 1 can write. Do all Amer
an
We have just finished eating Al
though the meat was sizzling hot.
NIanuers wife pulled a chunk out of
the fire and handed IL TO me, which
cropped instantly.
That's nothing Manu- said.
Give that 10 me.
While bis wife handed me a second
niece which I received in my hat,
Manuel brushed the dirt from his and
buried his teeth in the meat When
ne discovered the fact that his wife
had no flour to make tOrtillas Manuel
visited a neighbOring campfire and re
turned with a handful OF tortlllas
which he distributed equally among
the three. 1 asked MN II ne hdu Ho
children.
"Si. senor. we've had two, hut dur
ing the battle OF TorreOn while they
we're sleeping under tree. a smell
struck them and we never saw them
again"
I'm sun was hidden behind low
Gordon Of billowy clouds in the west.
II gives the sky an appearance or be
ing on fire Manuel saw me LOOKING
and laughed.
That's sangre," he said pointing 10
the west "God predicts the spllhns
OF much Carranzaista blood tonight
God Is on our side That's why We
always win. That sky and these battIe-
fields viii be Of the same
An Internal sound like the ripping
OF canvas split the silence overhead.
A moment later a whistling explosion
was heard in our rear. ] dropped my
pad and pencil and jumped from
where I sat trem bling violently. Man
ueI didn't even look up as he exam
ined his gun.
The enemy has begun its cannon
ading." he grinned.
am the only excited person IN the
whole trench. The soldiers who have
not finished their suppers are still
eating The soIdaderas don't seem 20
he afraid either 7 asked Manuel why
"a r.ra aN1H HH. 81