Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-03-24
CARRANzA'S MEN
FIGHT WITH VILLA
COLONEL CANO WITH 900 CAV
AIRY REPORTED ri BATTLE
IN STATE OF CHIHUAHUA
MORE TROUBLE LOOMING UP
Troops of First Chief Said o Have
Quit FieId-Mexicans Demur at
Use of Railroads-Reason Re-
mains Unexplained.

FL Paso, Texas, March 21.-The
forces Of Colonel Cano were engaged
in battle at 4:30 o'clock Monday aft
ernoon with bandits led by Villa in
Namiquipa, according to dispatch re-
ceived Monday afternoon by General
Gavira, Carranza commandant at
Juarez. The result of the fighting was
not decided at the time of the receipt
OF the dispatch. Namiquipa is in the
district Of Guerrero, state of Chihau-
hua.
Colonel Cano is in command of a
force OF 900 cavalry, which came in
contact two days ago at Ell Vale with
Villistas, who on this occasion fled
without giving battle.
Carranza Troops Quit Pursit.
The Carranza forces have failed to
hold their end of the net that was
closing about Pancho Villa, and the
bandit chief has escaped to his noun
tain haunts about Guerrero, according
to reliable information received here
on Monday.
| L,
far from being the most serious item
of news which reached the border Mon
day. A feature of the gravest impor-
tanc was injected into the situation by
substantial confirmation of the numer-
GUS reports received for the last week
that the Mexican government troops
were not only failing to cooperate with
htt In faf
instances at least were actually with
drawing from the field of operations.
The Associated Press learned on I'M
questionable authority that the troops
OF the de facto government. which had
been stationed at Casas Grandes, have
been withdrawn and are now in and
about Juarez
Refused to Fight Villa.
From the same source, it was
learned at at least one detachment OF
Carranza troops had refused to fight
Villa and had withdrawn on the band
it's approach, leaving him free to pass
into his favorite mountain Businesses
in the great continental divide south
OF Namiquipa. This detachment with
drew on receipt of message that he
was warning not on Mexicans, but the
enemies of Mexicans.
Villa, cut off from the north by the
forward sweep of the American col
umns, from the west by the Sierra Ma
DIRE barring the approaches to the state
of Sonora, was supposed to be equally
barred from east and south by powerful
Carranza forces. These hopes hav,
: been completely dashed by Monday,
developments
Bandit Is Moving Freely
More than this, it now seems certain
that Villa is moving freely in at leas
+ a large section Of the country suppose,
3 to be held by the troops of the frs
? chief. In the last few days he has beef
t variously reported by General Gavira
4 the Carranza commander at Juarez, a
i points along a line reaching north an
south from Galena to Namiquipa, a dis
lance Of about rs miles. BY the sam
accounts he has not been movin
! steadily south, but rowing mort han
) east. The mountainous, canyon-split
roadless country in which he is opel
:. ating adds many miles to the countr
y he has covered as compared with it
y distance on the map.
s The reason for the Carranza troop
, moving to the border remains une,
+ planned. 1t is impossible even to max
; a fair estimate of the number of me
! under General Gavira at Juarez. TIL
: most conservative estimate places it 6
q 5000, and calculations range from the
y point upward to 5000.