The Topeka state journal., 1916-06-22
MEXICAN PITFkLL
Confined from Page one,

ported evacuation over the telephones.
No Details of Battle From Persh1ng.
Details of the engagement at car
rizal were awaited anxiously here
General Bell said at an early hour TO-
dav that no reports had been received
from General Pershing. the American
expeditionary commander. or from
anv of his subordinate officers. Con-
fidence was expressed, however, ihdt
the American version of the clash
would be received later in the day
stress was laid upon the fact that the
battle was fought approximately
sfxty-five miles from Colonia Dublan,
General Pershing's field headquar-
ters and that with no means OF WIRE
communication available, it would
take i courier some time to reach the
expeditionary commander with a re-
A new version of the engagement
was brought here today by Mexican
civilian who was in Villa Ahumada
early Yesterday afternoon and who
said he assisted in dressing some of
the Mexican wounded. He said that
Gen. Felix Gomez, the slain Carranza
commander. had been aware of the
approach of the Americans fer twelve
hours and had sent a number of cour-
iers to them warning them to return
to their encanpment.
When they persisted in their ad-
vance he said. a pitfaN several hundred
feet in length was dug directly in the
trail over which the cavalry men must
ride This was cleverly concealed with
brush. As the Americans unsuspect-
ingly came through the sand dunes
toward the entrenchment General
Gomez lay concealed some hundreds
of yards away in the mesquite. The
horses of the American vanguard
plunged into the pitfall. unseating
their riders and injuring a number of
rf,Car7 tod t1O
Carranza forces lying in ambush raked
/ the American ranks with a machine
gun.
Captured in PitfaH.
The heavy fire forced the Americans
to withdraw to re-organize their line
and the MexiCans captured II SOL
diers who had been thrown into the
| pit He asserted that it was then that
General Gomez went forward under a
flag of truce and that before the pro-
posed parIey began an irresponsible
soldier again started the machine
gun fire. A small number of cavalry
men starred toward General Gomez
and his party who were in the center
of a field directly between the two
Mexican leader.
According to the story both COM
mands withdrew. The Mexican was
unable to estimate the Mexican dead,
but asserted the American dead mum
bered forty, his statement agreeing
with the Mexican official report num-
! ber forty. Military authorities here
expressed no doubt that both com
mands suffered heavily in the fight
but pointed out that no information
concerning the engagement other than
that from Mexican sources has been
received. Even the two Americans
J. c. Maxey and ]. w. Hubble, who
soon after the engagement passed
through Villa Ahumada, which is nine
miles from Santo Domingo ranch or
which the battle took place, said that
their informants were all Mexicans
Hope was expressed that the American
casualties will not prove as heavy as
the Mexican reports have said.
Expect Pershing to Act.
1t was not considered unlikely thai
General Pershing already has taker
steps looking toward the reinforce
ment of the cavalry command engaged
and to a swift punitive action. 1t wa.
expected he would take such steps a.
are possible to rescue the captive
| Americans who now are on their way
to Chihuahua City, to be held subjec
to the orders of General Trevino
commanding Carranza's army of the
north.
Reports of the evacuation of towns
held by Carranza garrisons in the ter
ritory occupied by the expeditionar.
/ command continued TODAY and 1t wa
| thought, that General Trevinc had or
dered the re-disposition of the troop
which composed the ring which ha
surrounded General Pershing's force
for some weeks TO offset a re-align
, ment which the American commando
began yesterday.
Ell Paso Mexicans Cross Border.
During the night upward of 100
MeMcans crossed the border from E,
Paso to Juarez and today the exodu
continued. Many of them left imme
diately for the south while the towi
itself was being rapidly depopulated
Through the night a steady stream o
wagons carrying the household good
of citizens of the town poured ou
along the roads leading to the south
Whether the civilians had bee,
warned by the military authorities t,
leave the town could not be learned