Evening star., 1916-11-24
ASSAULT RENEWED
ON CHIHUAHUA CITY
Villa and His Command Again
Force Fighting, Message to
Juarez Says.
CARRANZA OFFICERS SLAIN

Ell PASO, Tex. November 24.-F'ran-
cisco villa and his command renewed
their attack on Chihuahua City at
o'clock this morning. message re-
| ceived in Juarez today stated
One general. two colonels and 100
men of the Carranza forces were killed
during the fighting yesterday between
Carranza troops and Villa bandits. q
delayed dispatch from Chihuahua says
Four hundred men of the Villa COM
| mand are known to have been killed
and left on the. battlefield.
The names of the Carranza officers
killed have been suppressed by the mil
itary censor.
Andres Garcia. inspector general of
Carranza consulates. today officially
denied a report that Gen. Trevino and
his forces were at Terrazas station.
north of Chihuahua City. and had evac-
uated Chihuahua City.
Gen. Gonzales was talking with Gen
Trevino over the military telegraph at
10 o'clock, and Gen. Trevino was in the
military headquarters in the state capt.
tal," MIR. Garcia said. There is abso-
lutely nothing to such a wild rumor.
he added. Neither is there any truth
in the rumor that Carranza troops
joined Villa"
1t was reported here today that Villa
City, and that street fghting was in
progress. The Juarez officials claim
they have nothing from Chihuahua City
| regarding this report
Yesterdays Battle.
Francisco Villa withdrew his forces
in defeat from Chihuahua City a,
6:15 o'clock. after battle of seven
hours. during which he made fruitless
attempts to carry Gen. Trevino's pro-
| tecting works by assault, according
to report received from Chi
| last night, who added that government
troops were actively pursuing the re-
treating bandits. The telegraph oper-
| ator in Chihuahua said that the firing
| could still be heard clearly, but was
| becoming more distant
Four separate attacks We're made by
| the Villa forces. Gen. Trevino repulsed
| the fourth mass attack late in the day
the bandits being driven from theiI
temporary intrenchments with heav,
losses. itwas announced in Juarez
Gen. Trevino, commanding the Car
| rama forces, VS. wounded during the
| lighting. in the early afternoon, whiI<
the vicinity of Santa Rosa Hill, Gen
| Francisco Gonzales. in Juarez, an
nounced after receiving a message from
| Chihuahua City.
Gen. Trevino returned to the city to
| have a scalp wound on the right side
| of his head dressed at the military
| hospital. With a bandage around his
head he returned to his post at field
headquarters and continued the direc-
ton of the Carranza forces on the fir
ing line.
| At 10 o'clock last night the military
authorities in Chihuahua City tele-
graphed Gen. Gonzales in Juarez that
Gen. Carlos Ozuna. in command of the
Carranza cavalry, was pursuing the
Villa bandits south in the direction of
Mapula, and the cavalry column was
repotred to be ten miles south of Santa
Rosa.
| No estimate of the number of killed
or wounded has yet been made, it was
announced over the military wire
Says 1000 Troops Desert.
Richard Wisbrun, an American MEM
. ber of party arriving here early to-
day from Chihuahua said that 1000
| by Gen. Trevino went over to the bandits
without firing a shot. The train arriy-
ed at Juarez from Chihuahua about 8
| am, bringing about 100 refugees in
passenger coaches and three box cars
filled with Chinese. The train left
chihuahua at noon yesterday a short
time after the attack on chihuahua by
the Villa bandits began.
At that time the guns on Santa Rosa
hill were firing at intervals and the
rifle fire on both sides was said to
have been brisk.
Villas attack on chihuahua City was
not unexpected by the Carranza gar
rison, Mexican officials here said to-
day, as Villa had publicly announced
both at Parral and Santa Rosalia that
his next action would be to take Chi
huahua and then to drive the Ameri.
can expedition out of Mexico. 1t was
because of military movements tending
to give substance to these threats, ac-
cording to officials. that Gen. Trevino
remained on the defensive in chihuahua
City after announcing a week ago his
departure for the field.
Villas boldness in assaulting an al
most equal force protected By well
made intrenchments is ascrioed in
Juarez to a common belief that Trevino
was seriously short of small Ammuni-
ton. 1t is thought here that Trevino
allowed this impression to spread SO
as to insure its reaching villa, while,
in fact. he had sufficient for all emer-
gencies.
A large number of Mexicsus residing
in Juarez came across TO Ell Paso la st
night because of disquieting rumors
there. One was that Villa had cap
tured Chihuahua and the JuareZ gar
rison. in consequence, intended to re-,
volt and join him.
Villa Led in Person.
Villa in person led his forces against
the Carranza troops, according to the
reports received at the Juarez military
headquarters from Chihuahua City
given out by Carranza officers. The
bandit leader was said to be riding
horseback. with his crutch strapped to
his saddle. He was said by the de
facto authorities to have approximate
ly $500 men in his main column.
Santa Rosa hill. an eminence 500
feet high, which is located about one
is the key to the state capital and
northern Mexico. prominent American
refugees from Chihuahua City declare.
This hill is an elevation between
mountains. On this hill Gen. Trevino
mounted several large-caliber cannon.
according to the Americans, and fur
ther fortified 1t with machine guns and
barbed wire entaglements around the
base Of the hill, with fanking lines of
trenches and barbed wire entanEle-
ments.
It was in the vicinity Of this hill that
Villa and his constitutionalist forces
attacked Chihuahua City early in No
yember, 1913. He was driven Off by
Gen. Salvador Mercado's artillery. and
then Villa encircled Chihuahua City,
attacked and took Juarez November / 5
oF Nf11o