Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-05
FIGHTING ON THE BORDER
Villa Makes Unsuccessful U Assault on
Aqua Prieta,

The assault by troops under Gen.
eral Villa on the Carranza garrison in
Aqua Prieta, just across the American
border from Douglass, Arizona, which
was commenced Monday evening,
lasted we'll nigh all night and was
finally abandoned as hopeless.
Some five or six thousand United
States troops were entrenched along
the border to prevent the combatants
from violating American soil, and it
was believed that the troops had or
ders to interfere as soon as either Of
the contending armies commenced
firing across the border.
The battle is described as having
been unusually fierce. The town had
been surrounded by barbed wire en-
tanglemeats. The Villa forces opened
on these entanglements with artillery,
for the purpose of battering them
down, and then made a reckless
| charge. The Carranza forces in the
town met their assailants with ma
chine gun fire, and eventually drove
them back. American army officers
did not hesitate to say that the firing
was the most furious they had ever
heard.
Gen. Gales. in command Of Aqua
Prieta, gave out that his killed num-
bered As and his wounded rs; but
unofficial reports have it that the kill
ed and wounded easily aggregated
ESQ. Villas dead and wounded were
found lying within the barbed wire
entanglements and just without these
distractions in large numbers. Just
what his losses were has not been
definitely known.
Although it was anticipated that
the American troops would interfere
as soon as anybody should be hurt
on the American side Of the line, this
expectation did not develop. Several
American were killed and wounded
and a number Of houses were shatter-
ed, but the Americans did not inter-
fere. Unofficial advice went out from
General Funston to the effect that they
leave the MeXicans to fight it out
among themselves until one side or
the other should make an overt attack
against Americans.
1t developed Wednesday and Thurs
day that Villas troops were short of
both provisions and water. They had
been without sufficient food for a week
or ten days, and many Of them were
living on raw wheat and corn.
The American troops were instruct
ed not to allow the Villa forces to
have either food or water; but dur
iiS VI "SiS
seen carrying pals Of water from the
| direction of the American border. 1t
was evident that the American SOL
| diers had winked at the proposition,
not being willing to deny the poor fell
| lows the means Of quenching their
thirst.
During Wednesday Villa was MAX
| ing desperate efforts to purchase food
supplies for his men, and the state
| ment was that he got considerable re-
| lief during the day. Just what his
plans were was not then known; but
| it was expected that he would proba-
| bly, refresh his men as much as pos
sible and then repeat his attack upon
I Aqua Prieta.
A dispatch Of yesterday from Naco,
Arizona, said that. Gen. Villa had
reached a point near that place, with
| 5000 troops and 1000 more had gone to
another place 90 miles away. Large
| quantities of supplies were being re-
| ceived. Villa reported the death Of
four Americans during fighting be-
tween his own and CarranZa troops.
He was sorry but could not help 1t.
In his report of the fighting at Aqua
Pricta. General Funston said that
both sides had tried to prevent firing
across the border: but nevertheless
both sides were responsible, and he
did not feel warranted in taking the
side Of one against the other.
The Americans who were killed
were engaged in Red Cross work.