Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-29
NEW CRISIS ON MEXICAN
BORDER FEARED BY U. S.
Brownsville, Across River From Mat
amoros, VIII Be Endangered in
Event Of Artillery Duel.
COSTLY FAILURE FOR VILLA
Losses Of 100 Killed and 400 Wound.
ed in First Assault on Trenches.
Halts Siege Pending Arrival of
More Guns and Men.

BROWNSVILLE, TEX, March as-
faihns In their attempts yesterday
and last night to dislodge the Car
rama garrison by rife and machine
gun fire. Villa forces besieginK Ma3s.
moros virtually ceased their attacks to-
day. awaiting, 1t was announced the
arrival Of artillery. In the event or
an artillery duel. Brownsville. directly
across the Rio Grande from Mata-
moros. would be endangered. and To.
night one OF the gravest OF border
crises was feared. The likelihood or
shells falling in Brownsville was dem.
onstrated by the ride bullets which
dropped here yesterday during the frst
villa assault on Matamoros trencbes
costly failure OF Villa forces. in
which their losses were officially given
Az 100 killed and 400 wounded. This
attack was n headstrong dash Of 1000
mounted rifiemen
The Carranza losses were ten killed
and forty-fve wounded Two persons
were struck by bullets in Brownsville.
Neither was seriously Injured.
The coming villa artillery must be
powerful enough to cope with nine-Inch
field pieces OF the defenders, none or
which was fired yesterday. In addi
ton, the Carranza troops are said to
have four 1-2-inch guns
BRILLIANT SUCCESSES
WON BY CONCEALED GUNS
Concealed machine guns won several
brilliant successes for the Carranza
forces In the opening fight. \ troop OF
2oo villa cavalry. circling five miles
south OF Brownsville. approached, un-
Willingly. at town named Rositas
machine guns, trench hidden by brush
They were trotttng past thin trench
when the machine guns opened fire.
Nearly the entire villa dead were said
to have fallen mt this point. while al
most to man the others wero
wounded.
General EmelIano p. Nafarrate, COM
manding the Carranza garrIson Of
1900 mon In Matamoros, gave tho As
ISOLATED Press this account OF yester-
days cavalry attack:
There were three separate cavalry
charges. In the first, led by General
Jose E. Rodrigues, not more than 500
men participated. Tho second was
made with about 900 men, by Com
mandc Chief Cabral. Tho third as
sault comprised about 1000 villa
troops. Like the other two 1t was
beaten off. I was on the firing line
and during the third attack noticed n
great number OF villa soldiers were
dismounting. At first ] thought they
intended to fight on foot Later dis
covered they were falling off their
horses. either killed or badly wounded
With tho aid of machine guns, tho few
men had were equal to the thousands
Of the enemy. The villa troops came
to within fifty PAGES OF where we were
machine guns loose and NOV them
down."
NAFARRATIc WILL
DEFEND CITY TO LIMIT
Nafarrate said he would defend the
city to tho limit. Flags captured yes
terday floated in front OF his head
quarters to-day, the band played on the
plaza. and men and women OF Mata-
moros celebrated flling the streets
with color. One flag la inscribed
Second Brigade. M. Chao." This bat
talon. the Constitutionalists claimed.
was almost wiped out by its dashing
assaults on the brcastworks Both
villa and Constitutionalist soldiers say .
three Villa troopers were killed. An
other flag is inscribed villa Brigade"
These and the other two captured
banners were bloodstnined.
General Precopio Elizondo, Of the
Continued on Fourth Page)