Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-03-18
VILLAS ALLIES
 THIRST, HUNGER
 AND MOUNTAINS
Pursuit Over Ground Gov cred by Miles in Geronimo
 Campaign.


 Washington. March 17.-Genera al Iershins. plunging south in pursuit oy the bandi, Rancho Villa and his cutthroa S, has other enemies to fight than the crafty Mex can leader In Chihuahua and Sonora are some of the hott st and driest deserts in tho world, waste lands given Over to the uattlesnake and the mosquito brush, where no human can live except o;i the supplies and he water he brings witt him. !!
 Ths bandit chief will probably in time retire to the tfaStneSseS of the Sierra Madre mountains or other lofty ranges. Here to thirst and hunger will be added for the American so' diers the hardships of climbing high passes, and traversing entracked rough regions which are bare of rail- roads. highways or even good trails.
 The army mule must emulate the rnhabited region of thousands of square miles, in which Villa and other Mexican outlaws have often defied the forces of law and order. Here Villa hid from Porfirio Diaz for seven years in the old days before the rise of Francisco I. Madero.
 Yet American soldiers have tracked a human fox to it's lair here before and can do it aga if de facto Presi dent Carranza leaves their hands free. In 1886 General Miles captured the Indian warrior Geronimo, who lad married the border for forty years, although the aboriginal knew and used every lurking place of the mountain fastnesses.
 Geronimo Campaign.
 In Human Life" General Miles tells the story of the Geronimo cam paign. describing the land in which Villa is now hiding as follows:
 "In vast area of rugged noun tains and narrow valleys, with water only at scattered points, one of the most desperate tribes of Indians of the west was hidden, sweeping down in sudden raids on the frontier settle ments, carrying death and devasta- ton.
 Dur ng the summer we established thirteen stations in New Mexico and fourteen in Arizona. The preliminary plans were rapidly pushed and soon arrived at stage where it was nsces- sary to select the force to resort to their ,favorlte tactics of retreatin5 into Old Mexico. The command was perfectly equ' 'pped and provisioned as abundantly as possible in a man. ner 10 make it independent of wagon transportation.
 Before we were entirely ready the hostiles themselves commenced opera ticns by a reckless raid from the suit of two hundred miles the Apaches were cornered in the Purito Mountains, ill Sonora, Mex co. A spiyitless engagement followed, in which the Indians were defeated. The greater number. however, succeeded in escaping.
 "In broken detachments to the south and west their trail was again taken up. The. story of that exciting campaign would fill scores of pages. The Indians were pursued and sue cessfully found in several engage nlents. In the mountains the Indians regained something of their strength and dividing into guerilla bands, com- menced series of vicious attacks on the exposed settlements.
 Striking with such sudden force that it was impossible to anticipate their raids, they left literally crim- son trail. Still on their track toiled our pursuing forces by relays with an endurance and pluck that I believe have seldom been duplicated in any army. The obstacles in their path daily increased.
 ''The heat was so intense at times that the men could not place their hands on the metal parts of their rifles. Much of the country had been burned by the Indians as they ad- vanced, and for several miles not a shred of grass could be seen. The water was so scarce that at few peri. ods during the pursuit could the sol d;ers obtain sufficient quantity.