Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1916-03-15
Mexican Troops My c 0ss BIZ dep
Uaited States Enters into Formal Agree
msnt With Mexico TO Catch Bandits,

Hisat WIN MeAlC0 10 Ga}Gn banQltS.
Washington. March 1S-The
United States Goye,nmsnt en-
sered into a formal agreemen,
with She d. faoto Government OF
Mexi 20 today under which Ameri.
can troops will cross ths bordsl
TO hunt down Villa and his "a. -
dts with the expectation of hearty
cooperation from the Car,anza
forces.
Secretary Lansing made public
the text of a nose. accepting Gen.
eral Carranzs's proposal for q re-
ciprooa' arrsngem. ns betwesn the
swo Cover ments and announcing
shat the United States held this
arrangement to be now in force and
binding upon both parties. Gen
eral Funston will carry out his
task ucdsr this agreement.
0 fiji cial announcement wat
awaited to aighs shat the Ame.iYa1
ffrces had dressed the .torda.
Plans for the troop moveme
have g1ne ahead with ut reg. s,
TO she diplomatic escharg-s. Mr.
Lansing also made public a statt-
mens issued IN ths name of Presi
dent Witstn, rsltstati t!a ~.
cry step being taken by the Ad.
tninissiatiou was bas I'd Oh the de.
libsrase intention to preclude the
possibility Of armed Intervention
in Mexico.
San Antonio, Texss, March 13.
"A sufficient foros is ncw gath
cred at the Mexican border under
the command Of Brig. Gen. John
J. Pershirg, to begin pursuit of
Francisco Villa, it was announced
tonight by Major Go. eral Freder-
lck Funston.
The General said that only the
completion of plans fer backing
up the expediti mary fcroes now
was needed. He was no1.oom
initial, however, as to the time
needed to accomplish tbls.
General Funston said that re
ports that American trc ops al
ready had been ordered to cross
the border were untrue.
Reiserating previous stats ments
that the expeditlonary force will
be atrong one. General Fms
ton declared that when the expe.
dition was fully organized there
will he only six or eight regiments
other than those on the border,
left in the United States. This
did not take into account troops
IN the Canal q ,ne and ths Philip.
pines.
Columbus, N. NJ, March 13-
Approximately $4,000 troops with
40 mountain and field gun bate r.
les were on the border ton light be.
tween Douglas. Ariz :, and Ell Pa
so, a line about 200 miles long.
A little more than one.third of
this for,e was cavalry.
From a camp of q few hundred
meu, Columbus today grew to a
military esta ablisbment of nearly
2 600 with indications that abb ut
1000 men are to be concentrated
here Immediately Further evi.
dence that this point may be the
starting place of the largest COL
umn IN imm ediate pursuit of Viii
la appeared in the erection of
headquarters for Brigadier Gen.
John J. Pershiug, whom Major
General Funston announced to.
day would Ee the leader of the ex.
psditionary force.
Off ,ers here talked of march
straight southward in purtuit f
Villa. Troop movements seemed
to bear ont reports that while she
Columbus column is striking
south, another movements will be
made from sheIvicinity of FL Paso
and a third from tbs Arisona liae
some where near Douglas. Both
the FL Paso and Douglas movs-
msnts would be able to follow rail
lines, while the central column
here would have to 60 overland
across a desert.
Belief here tonight was that the
Columbus column would be ready
to start by Thursday or Friday
Intelligence department. officers
secured maps and topography
charts OF the mountainous Sonora
Chihuahua border in which i
seems possible for Villa to ense