Arizona republican., 1916-04-05
When Americans ,Overtake Villistas In Surprise At- tack, Bandits Make No Attempt to Fight Except When Brought to Bay
SOME WERE IN
 COLUMBUS RAID
Few Yelled, Even In Ex- citement of Fighting, AL though Yelling Had Here tofore Been Characteristic of the Villistas Band
Republican A. p. Leased Wire]

lRepublicdn A. P. Leased Wire1
 GENERAL J. J. PERSHING'S CAMP, SAN GERONIMO RANCH, CHIHUAHUA April D. GBy aero- plane and motor courier to Columbus, : M., April 4)-The American expe- ditionary forces first fight with the Villa bandits was a running match. with the bandits trying to do all the running.
 This was learned today when part of Colonel Dodd's command which participated in the fight arrived at the supplied base near the headquar- ters camp When the Americans over took the Villistas in a surprise attack last Wednesday morning, the bandits made no attempt to fight the Amer jeans, whom they equalled in num- bers, except when they were brought to bay by the hard riding of the pursuers.
 Few of them yelled. even in the excitement of the fighting. although yelling has been heretofore character istic of the Nilliastas in excitement. These were plainly some of the Will listas who participated in the Colum- bus raid, and apparently they had no heart left for another battle with American soldiers The Guerrero riv- Ter divided some of the pursuers and the bandits for time during the five hours running fight. Americans gal lOped for some distance along one t.a., .,f -, lat the bandits on the other side
 As the Villistas in small groups rode up the sides of the foothills, they offered tiny targets for the American forces strung out along the line of pursuit. Against the brown grass of ithe open slopes. men and horses were distinctly visible for great distances until they reached almost the vanish ing point of size. Some of the troop |ers had unusual opportunity to test their marksmenship at the extreme range of killing for an army rifle. about 5000 yards
 At about a mile few of them made hits. but most Of the thirty known The number of Villistas wounded is
 
 noted for their hardihood in recover | ing from wounds without the aid of modern surgery. A meat saw to am putate limb without an anaesthetic for the patient. is an ordinary oper- iation among them. When the ampu- l tation is done, the saw is heated and clapped over the raw wound to eau l terize it. Wounded men treated by l these primitive methods are easily 1 hidden in the mountains
 | Colonel Dodd's men looked fit, not
 withstanding their days of riding and fighting without rations, other than
 such native food they could buy along the line of march.
 | The Guerrero river passes the town 1 of Guerrero. In closing. about the l town. the Americans placed two Isquadrons of cavalry on the roads facing the city and another squadron
 across the river from the town. A fourth command took position near a ford on the river at one edge of | town. Owing to a guides error, the squadron which was to occupy the position across the river was slow in arriving and the MeXicans saw one tsquadron in front of the town before
 they knew that there was any com-
 mand across the river. At first the
 Fillstas tried to ride to the south-
 west but the fire of the cavalry in
 front of the city made this too risky
 A few Villistas crossed the river i. however escaped. The main force
 turned northeast, heading across the 1 Il tContinued on Page Three)