Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1915-10-30
texas BORDER Scene
OF MUCH TROUBLE.
MEXICAN PRISONER CoNFEseES
TO PLAN TO FREE ALL MEHi-
CANS NOW HELD IN TEXAS
MORE SOLDIERS ON DUTY
Several More Companies Of Soldiers
Have Been Ordered to Texas 5or'
der for Patrol Duty by War De-
partment at Washington.

Brownsville, Tex.-A border bandit
confession. claimed to have been re- |
ceived by the sheriff's department
from a prisoner, not only admits par
ticipation in last Monday nights train
wreck and murders near Brownsville |
but involves several other Mexicans
and leads the officers to believe they
are on the trail of the chief offenders
in the Texas border terrors of the past
three months. The sheriffs depart
ment is making arrests every day now
and has eight men suspected of COM
plicity In the past weeks depreda-
lions.
The confession says that the prime
object of the series of raids has been
to secure liberty and independence
for Mexicans in Texas" Robbery and
loot, ii says, are of secondary impor-
lance.
Brownsville, Tex.-Soldiers Of the
Fourth United States Infantry and
Mexican bandits engaged in another
skirmish Sunday night at the scene
of the train wreck, robbery and series
of murders last Monday. But one
American soldier, Private Herman E.
Moore of French Lick Springs, Ind,
was wounded in the fight. according
to reports received at Fort Brown.
Moore was struck in the abdomen and
In the arm by q Mexican bullet
Ectr ~ Hnr11-
pany c, Fourth Infantry, was in COM
mand of the detachment attacked. He
reported to Fort Brown headquarters
that five Mexicans were seen to cross
the railroad track just beyond where
the infantry was stationed.
The firing lasted about five minutes.
Probably one hundred shots were
fired. Private Moore probably will
not survive his wound. There were no
Mexicans killed so far as known.
The plans of the Mexicans are be-
lieved to have miscarried. 1t is thought
they intended surrounding the Ameri-
cans to deliver a surprise attack. This
was prevented, it is believed, by the
vigilance of the soldiers who saw the
five men crossing the track. Reports
from the scene said there seemed to
be about sixteen Mexicans in the band.
The Twenty-eighth Infantry, which
was ordered from the Texas State fair
at Dallas to the Texas border country,
has arrived at the scene, and this week
companies of the Twenty-sixth and
Twenty-eighth Infantry will be dis
tributed along the Rio Grande in COM
pany and half strength, from Villa
nueva, four miles up the river from
Brownsville, to La Grulla, near the
Starr-Hidalgo line.
Mission, Tex.-Three dead. and eight
wounded United States soldiers and
five Mexicans, found dead after the
fight, is the toll of the attack early
Thursday morning on a detachment
of fifteen United States soldiers at
Ojo de Aqua, seven miles west of Mis-
sion.
The dead: Sergeant Shafer, Third
cavalry; First-Class Private Joyce,
Company d. Signal Corps; First-Class
Private Mcconnell, Company d, Sig
nal Corps.
The wounded: Private Fred Behr,
Troop G, Third cavalry; Private Paul
Langland, Troop G, Third cavalry;
First-Class Sergeant H. r. Smith, Sig
nal corps; Corporal Lewis Candella,
Signal corps; Private Ben Hallenbeck,
Troop G, Third cavalry; Private L. T.
Stewart. Signal corps.
The sentry on duty saw In the dim
outlines of the mesquite thicket NOV
ing forms rapidly maneuvering into a
skirm1sh line. The sentinel FASTENED
to the cot of Sergeant Shafer, awoke
him and told him that things looked
bad. The sergeant was in the act of
rising when a volley was fired into
the very midst oe the sleeping soldiers
and Sergeant Shafer fell dead.
A bugle sounded among the attack
ing forces and charge was made.
The American soldiers, taken almost
unawares, were given little chance to
reach their arms. The wireless opera
tor fastened to his engine and was
in the act of cranking it when a bullet
tore off his arm, penetrated the dyna-
mo Of the wireless and put that out
of commission, thus cutting off all
means of communication with the
local garrison.
The men rallied as best they could
and gave the attackers a fight that
will go down N the history of the Dor
der troubles as one of the gamest of
these turbulent times. They with
stood charge after charge of apparent
ly seasoned Mexican soldiers and gave
an account of themselves by cutting
down some of the attacking bandits