The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-26
VILLA BUT 60 MILES
FROM U.S.. TROOPS
Consul Lctcher Wires Bandit
Chief Is Hiding West
Of SatevO.
PURSUIT WILL GO ON
Gen. ObrcgOn to Reach Border
Tomorrow for Conference
With Gen. Scott.
PURSUIT WILL GO ON

WASH INoroN. April :S.-Francisco
Villa. the Mexican bandit leader. Is in
hiding in the mountains. sixty miles west
Of Satevo, according to a despatch re-
ceived at the State Department to-day
from Consul Letcher at Chihuahua city.
Letcher's latest information comes from
a reliable source.
Major-Gen. Tasker II. Bliss. Assistant
Chief OF Stan OF the Army who received
copy Of the despatch from the state
Department. expressed the belief that re-
gardless OF the plans under way for a
redisposition OF the American troops in
Mexico, Gen Pershing would not hesi-
tate to go after the bandit II the In
formation concerning Villas whereabouts
appears trustworthy.
copy OF the Letcher telegram is
understood to have been forwarded to
Gen. Funston by the War Department
with instructions that its contents be
communicated to Gen. Pershing. At the
present time II is understood there Is a
force OF American cavalry at Satevo
which could be used to run down the
clue.
At the Mexican embassy this afternoon
1t was said that Gen. Obregon. Minister
OF War of the de facto Government. had
left Mexico city on Sunday night for his
conference with Gen. Scott, Chief OF
STAN. and Gen. Funston 1t FL Paso. I'm
less Gen. Obreson stops of at Chihuahua
II s expected at the embassy that he will
reach FL Paso Tomorrow night or Thurs
day. lie Is said to be travelling on a
special train. accompanied BY his mill
tary aids
Officials OF the state Department at
,ach much Significance TO the conference
on the ground that the attitude which
Gen. Obregon takes will doubtless re-
fleet that OF the entire Carranza Gov
ernment on the proposition OF greater
cooperation between American and Mexi-
can forces In the pursuit of villa. rather
than a withdrawal of the American
troops.
This Is the propos tion, II is stated,
which Gen. scot, will lay before Obre-
gon and for that reason no move will be
made by the State Department to an
swer the formal note OF Carranza re-
questing withdrawal pending the out
come Of the border conference.
The War Department received con-
firmatiOn to-day OF the press reports sent
from the border earlier in the week tell
ing of the killing of an American trooper
at La Jolla on April |. No details are
given in the official despatch. which does
not even contain the name OF the SOL
der killed or the regiment 10 which
he was assigned.
Gen. Funston reported to- day that two
battalions Of the Seventeenth Infantry
were sent across the border in Mexico
yesterday. This movement is under
stood here to he part OF the ,edisposi-
tion OF the forces proposed by Gen. Fun
ston The Seventeenth Infantry, il Is
thought. will be used to strengthen the
line or communications.
Gen. Bliss, Assistant Chief of stan,
tonight made public the following state
ment:
In reference 10 disappearance of Pr-
rate Eichelbcgei. Troop NJ. Thirteenth
Cavalry. Gen. Pershing telegraphs under
this date that Col Brown reported on
the I'D that Private Eichelberger, more
or less out Of his mind. wandered away
after the lighting at Parral.
Impossible to serd out to look for him
during withdrawal of troops from Par
raj. Every EFFORT is being made to To-
cate him with cooperation, apparently in
good faith. OF Presidente OF parral As
soon as Gen. Pershing could commun-
cate with American Consul at chihuahua
requested him 10 locate Private Elchel-
berger"