The Washington herald., 1915-04-10

BATTLE Is NOT DECISIVE
Officials Here Expect No Definite Re-
suit for Several
Days.

Doubt was cast on the Carranza claims
OF an important victory over Villa and
his forces near Queretaro by the receipt
of dispatches at the State Department
yesterday stating that the Carranzistas
retreated after the first contact with the
Villa troops and are expected to make a
stand at Qneretaro.
Wednesday and Thursday the Carrnn-
zistas were maintaining that Gen. Obre-
gon had inflicted a decisive defeat upon
Gen. villa at Celaya, not far from Ira
quato. The Villa agency here made no
claims In this connection, and yesterday
pointed to the State Department reports
as sufficient proof that the Carranza
forces have not yet won a decisive vic
tory. Nevertheless the Carranza agency
last night repeated Its claim Of q great
victory. declaring that villistas lost 5000
men and that Villa was the first to flee
from Gen. Obregon's troops.
Dispatches from Vera Cruz stated that
though 1t had been announced there by
Carranza that Gen. Obregon had won a
great victory. it was subsequently ad-
mitted that fighting was still going on.
Only Preliminary Fight.
In Official quarters 1t Is believed that
nothing more than preliminary engage
ments have occurred SO far. 1t is ex-
pected that 1t will be several days before
any definite result is discernible from the
meeting Of the Obregon and Villa forces.
The State Department is making rep
reservations to the Villa authorities at
Chihuahua with regard to a new decree,
the terms Of which require that all mines
shall be operated continuously, under
penalty Of forfeiture Of the properties.
The British embassy has also taken steps
to protest against this decree and has
discussed the matter with the State De-
partment British and American capital
control practically all the mining prop
critics in Northern Mexico.
The Carranza agency last night issued
a denial OF statements published yester-
the name of George Addison Hughes.
representative of the international COM
mittee In Mexico City. to the effect that
Carranza deliberately sought to spread
pestilence In Mexico City by having
corpses Of smallpox and typhus victims
taken from Vera Cruz to the capital
The agency challenged the correspondent
to produce the proved official record"
which he stated exists in the State De-
partment. or otherwise to establish the
truth Of his statement.
Reply by Mr.. Hughes.
Mr.. Hughes last night made the fol-
lowing reply:
at is highly significant that Of the
many charges detailing atrocities against
foreigners in Mexico City Mr.. Carranza's
representative in Washington can bring
himself to deny but one. 1t Is neither
my desire nor my intention to enter into
a newspaper controversy with Mr.. Are
dondo.
las regards his denial Of this one state
ment. suffice 1t to say that it represents
the corroboration from a high diplomatic
source in Mexico City Of an atrocity
which was common knowledge In the
Mexican capital. and common report in
Gen. Carranza's capital at Vera Cruz.
IF this statement Is q lie. then every
affidavit gathered by the International
Committee at Mexico City is a perjury
and the ninety-ei photographs Illus
trating those afidavits are fakes