Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-15
HEAR SECOND ATTACK
MADE ON TROOPERS
Continued From Page One.)

my judgment far more economic than
political. The condition of the masses
of people throughout northern Mex
leo Is terrible. Magnificent farm
lands, capable of raising almost any
crop in the world, have been lying
untitled for five years. The poems live.
Death is too much a commonplace
thing for them to care anything more
about it. They are actually willing
to die II they can In any measure
avenge their wrongs on whomever they
think is responsible for them. Thou
sands of them face plain starvation.
They have never had much, a few fri
joles and a chicken being a feast but
today to most of them a square meal
is a thing to dream of.
Blames Woes to Foreigners.
The trouble is that they have been
sedulously taught by agitators to be-
lieve that all their woes are due to
the foreigners. They have never seen
a poor ill-nourished American and the
traditional envy of the poor for the
well-to-do has grown In their case to
a mania.
They are, of course, extremely ig
norant and superstitious and the an
ti-Carranza factions, who are many,
if divided, tell them that Carranza is
in the pay of the Americans who are
going to seize all Mexico and take
what little they have left away from
them"
Looting is Staple Topic.
The sensation along the border
caused by the request by General Car
rama for the withdrawal of the Amer
lean troops had far from subsidized to-
day. Ell Paso Is filled with refugees
who have interests in Mexico, rang
ing from fortunes to hopes. These
refugees are said generally to favor in
PREVENTION and have been greatly ex-
cited by reports that President Will
son contemplated withdrawal of the
expeditionary force. Stories Of the
looting and destruction of American
property IN Mexico and of hostility to-
ward Americans by Mexicans are the
staple topic of conversation n this
city and lose nothing in the telling.
The only authentic information re
ceived here from the interior come in
few stray messages in code which
are received by the representatives
of large mines and lumber companies
to headquarters. Up to date these mes
sages have reported only spasmodic
rioting by hungry mobs with inciden-
tai destruction OF property.
Capture Villa Drug Store.
Pershing's camp at the front in Mex
leo, April 10, by motor and aeroplane
to Columbus, n NJ, April 15.-What
the American troopers call Villas
drug store" was among the prizes cap
tured after the Guerrero fight, it was
learned today from men of the Sew
enth cavalry, who participated in that
battle. The drug store was pack mule
loaded with quinine capsules, antisep-
tics and bandages. In addition the
mule carried a quantity of coffee,
which the Americans considered of
equal Importance with drugs
One of the surprises of this cam
paign, according to Brigadier General
J. J. Pershing, commanding the expe-
dition, has been the effectiveness of
automobiles in mountains and deserts,
both Of which were seemingly impas-
sable to anything except men or four
footed animals.
THE automobiles have done work
which astonished me- said the gem
eral. They have traversed roads
which seemed impossible, they have
climbed hills where the rocks alone
appeared sharp enough to cut the tires
and smash the running gear; they
have gone through canons where a
goat might hesitate. The automobiles
have made faster progress than any
branch Of the service except our
aeroplanes. Without them | doubt
whether our cavalry could have pro-
ceeded as it has done, more than 400
miles into Mexico in less than three
weeks"