Albuquerque morning journal., 1915-06-01
More Than Fifty Thousand
Men Charge and Counter
charge on Plain Strewn
With Dead and Wounded,
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
or BLOODY STRUGGLE
Correspondent Tells of Crude
Field Hospital Work Behind
Villas Advance Against
General 0bregon,
BY Floyd T.. Gibbons.

Copyright 1915; BY The Chicago Tribune)
Leon, Mexico, May 24.-Two par
allel lines of steel fifteen miles long.
eighty cannon and $4,000 men charg-
ing and counter-charging across =
plain strewn with dead and wounded.
That is the present meeting of Gem
erals villa and Obregon here In the
once peaceful valley of the Rio de
Leon.
The battle started at dawn on Sat-
urday. Although the first days fight
was the fiercest, the bloody nature #
this struggle for Mexican supremacy
has been modified little during the
subsequent two days.
Thousands FALL i'm Battle.
Both sides have lost heavily in dead
and wounded. There is no means Of
computing the losses other than to
say that they extend into the thous-
ands. The opposing factions each
have gained and lost advantages Tho
tide Of victory is still flowing back and
forth across the battlefield. TIL ere
hoe been nothing decisive for either
side.
The battlefront. which Is said to lie
the longest ever maintained in Mexi-
co, is between the railroad stations
Of Leon and Trinidad. The valley ex-
tends to the east and west Villa 5
headquarters are hero 10 Leon, with
Aguas Callentes as his base of opera
tions.
Irrigation bitches as Trenches.
To the east the first railroad point
held by Obregon is Trinidad with 81
lao and Irapuato as his bases. The
railroad flsects Villas firing line
about six miles east of Leon. A
thousand yards beyond are the iIri-
CATION bitches occupied by the Car
ranzistas,
For three weeks the contending
forces have been maneuvering f1T
positions i'm the valley and there has
been hardly day in which there
We're not attacks at one part of the
line or another.
Villistas Take Aggressive.
General Feline Angeles was spon-
sor fer tie defensive tactics, which
proved irksome to the Villistas, VINO
are accustomed to push the fighting.
The tactics. however, succeeded IN
stopping Cbregon's advance into the
Villa territory, and also elevated the
morale of the troops. which had been
somewhat Jared by the defeat at
Celaya.
on Saturday the Villistas took the
aggressive. Late Friday afternoon |
rode cut Of Leon with the staff ct
General Angeles. The column ad-
vanced with horses at the walk on
account Cf orders rot to arrive ut the
front before darkness.
Roads Crowded With Refugees.
The ncws Of the impending battle or
the next dav had spread throughout
the hac,enGas and small farms, ami
hundreds of country people we're leaY-
ing the fields and flocking to the
city. Their burros and OK carts,
loaded down with women and children
and household goods, almost blocked
the road.
We reached a point near the north
crn extremity of the line at dusk Inc
horses were unsaddled at the base OF
a small mountain called FL Mirador
and blankets were unrolled
Leaders on Mountain Peak.
The uppermost peak of El Mirador
is capped with a small white turret Of
lime rock, to which the religious
country folk in other days made pill
grimages for the saying of prayers
or the execution of unusual penances'
The stone structure overlooks the en-
tire valley. A yellow dab of lght
shone in one window of the round
house.
Major Solomon, the veterinarian oil
the Angeles brigade and my compah-
ion at the fattle of Ramones, told me
that Generals villa and Angeles hau
preceded us by auto and had estap-
lished headquarters in the white mouse
on the mountain.
Save for the bowling of disturbed
coyotes on the hills and the muIiled
clank of accoutrements in the road
that winds about the base of FL Mira
dor, the night was still There was
no firing. A half moon shone pia-
cidly. on the scene.
Solomon and ] moved our bedding
off an anthill whose occupants had
made objections to our presence.
There will be no moon at ma
night said Solomon. 'The troops are
to be moved up in the darkness, VIVA