Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-18

guineHl iOr withdrawal or the Amer
lean troops. adding that his own forces
had sought to stop the firing. There Is
nothing to support that in the Amer
lean advices beyond the fact that the
Mexican military commander person
ally made such an effort with his men.
while his men appear to have been
doing most of the shooting.
Ell Paso, Texas, April 1S.-The
American punitive expedition into
Mexico has virtually come to halt
in its pursuit of Francisco villa. Dis
patches from the front say that only
small attachments of cavalry are OPP
Grating in limited zones out of the
army base at Satevo Mexican officials
here still believe that Villas body has
been found, though no confirmation
of the report has been received.
| officers of the de facto government
| call attention to the fact that Villa
never has been reported south OF San
| Francisco Borja. where his body is
| said to have been located and that the
American forces are only following
blind trail if they proceed over the
Durango Chihuahua line.
If Villas body has been found, 1t
should reach Cuishuiriachic sometime
within the next 4S hours.
There have been no further reports
of clashes between the American
troops and civilians since the Parral
affair and dispatches to General Ga
vira, military commander at Juarez.
state that the Carranza officials have
the situation we'll in hand. Reports
to mining interests here state the ty-
plus epidemic has spread rapidly in
the Durango district.
Recalls Advance Attachments.
Reports were received here today
from Mexican sources that the Ameri-
can advance detachments had been re-
called by General Pershing and that
the expeditionary force was being
concentrated in three places, strong
detachment being encamped near Sa-
tevo, the main column near Namiquipa
and a third division at Colonia Dublan
These reports also stated that the Par
raj fighting had had most unfortun-
ate effect on the people of northern
Mexico and had greatly infiamed the
Ianti-American feeling. The Parral in
cdent, it was said, had been manifest
ed by anti-American and anti-Carranzs
agitators into a great battle in which
the Americans were badly beaten. The
Mexican dead were accounted for al
unarmed citizens who had been killed
by the Americans before the PARA
garrison could interfere.
Excitement Increases.
The excitement of the people hat
very much increased, according to tn,
same reports, by their knowledge tina
Villa dead or alive had never gone a.
. far south as Parral and their conse
quent inability to understand why tn,
American cavalrymen were in that dis
trict except on the assumption tina
they were really invading Mexico.
The misery of the poems. ravaged b,
disease and facing starvation, is max
ing it more difficult than ever for tn
authorities to keep them in control, j
is said. They have been taught 81
: long to regard the Americans as thei
bitter enemies ard the cause of mos
of their woes that it is an easy matte
for the agitators to rouse them agains
the United States soldiers.
= RumOr Still Unconfirmed.
The failure of the Mexican official
> here and in Juarez to obtain any con
. firmation in two days of the reporte,
: discovery of the body of Villa has al
> most extinguished hopes here Of tn
report being true While neither Con
= sui Garcia nor General Gavira ar
willing to abandon hope other Mexi
cans well informed have gone over t
= the DeSSimiStS