New Britain herald., 1916-04-07
BANDITS OUTW|TTED
 AT THEIR OWN GAME
American Troops Show Skill in Slipping Through Mountains
TWO SOLDIERS SCARE 200
'Lcs Amcricanos,'' Shout Outlaws in Fear as They Hurry to Cover in Surrounding Uplands-Negro Sol dierS Show Their MettIe

diers Show Their MettIe.
 General Pershing's Camp at San Geronimo Ranch, Mexico, April 3, by Aeroplane and Motor Truck to Columbus, N. M., April 7.-News of the second Villa defeat, which reached here late today, was taken as a sharp moral defeat for the Villa forces, because the American cavalry men had outwitted them at their own game, that of slipping unseen through mountain passes. The news came in after General Pershing had teen out of touch with General Funston for two days, on account of bad flying weather, and a temporary shortage of gasoline, which prevented the aero squad from carrying mes ss ges back to the wireless at his field headquarters.
 Losses to the Villa forces, given as thirty or more dead and forty horses captured in the Aguas Calientes fight, are not considered of as much significance as the manner in which the coup was executed.
 Ever since the Villa forces re- treated from Guerrero, the presence of Villa bands in some force between Guerrero and Bachiniva, 55 miles north of Guerrero, has been known. It also was evident from the reports to headquarters that these Villa forces under Manuel Lopez were in clined to rely for safety on their in- timate knowledge of the mountain Easses. That they were relying on nothing else than their speed in mak- ing for difficult passes was indicated last Friday, March 31, when two American scouts inadvertently fright ened the entire band, estimated at bout 200, out of the town of Rachiniva.
 What Two Americans Can Do.
 The scouts got into a bloodless duel with two Villa outposts at Bachiniva The sound of the firing aroused the Villa force, which at the some time was camped in the Plaza of the town They scrambled for their horses and with shouts of Les Americanos'' rode out of the noun talns in a hurry.
 Saturday and Sunday two separate columns of cavalrymen were on the trails which this band had taken. In spite of fast riding, or rather fast walking, for it is by walking and leading their horses most of the way that the cavalry gets around and directly over the mountain tops, neither of these troops was in position to catch the Villa forces.
 Apparently that is what the bandits had expected, but they had not ac- counted for the unexpected striking power of the American cavalrymen. n1xyi, merely two columns of troops to box the Villa forces.
 Negroes Carry the Day.
 Below Bachiniva, where either the Villa forces did not know of their presence, or where they considered them too far away to be a menace, were 200 negro cavalrymen under Col. W. c. Brown.
 These negroes have the reputation of being among the best trailers in the army They caught the Villa forces after the bandits had ridden only a few hours out of BachiniVa. Like Dodd's fight at Guerrero, it was a case of quick work for few mo- mcnts with rifles and then chase. The Americans did not stop to report what they had done but stayed on the trail so that tonight, two days after the fight, no details have reached headuuarters camp, other than the bare report of a skirmish and the story of two Mexican ranchmen giv- irg the location of the encounter and Villa losses.
 The news of the encounter caused no surprise or special action in this camp.
 We expect to get them," was the usual comment of the officers when asked whether they were surprised at the hiding Villa bandits so soon again.