The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-05-10
Mexican Bandits
Raid Texas Town
CONTINUED from Page One.)

the little settlement. shouting:
"Death to the gringu-s." The ban
dts looted the store of ]. Weemer
and set it on fire. Deemer and a
clerk named Compton were seized
and bound. The bandits packed their
loot on their horses and after setting
one or two small frame houses ablaze
galloped way northward.
Heading towards Marathon. Texas,
the bandits in their night ride came
upon Glenn Springs, where a small
detachment of nine cavalrymen un-
der command of Sergeant Smith, OF
troop A, fourteenth cavalry, was sta
toned.
Bandits Appear Suddenly.
The Mexicans appeared suddenly
On the TOP of a hill beneath which
Glenn Springs nestles. Noting their
numbers, Private Brick on outpost
duty emptied his revolver to rouse the
camp and then dashed back to the
tent. Sergeant Smyth, and Private
Croskem Jumped to the fly of the
tent. Observing numbers OF MeXlcans
at hand. then ran to an adobe house
where the six other cavalrymen were
preparing to make their defense. =,
The door of the house, which had
onlv one window was barred and Ser
oeant Smyth seeing that his men
were outnumbered ten to one gave
orders to shoot carefully and not
waste the ammunition. .. -,
eve are up against it cold," SAID
Smyth "but we will show them some
thing. Let the Mexicans shoot their
heads off and run out Of ammunition
and may be by morning we VIII De
in a position to give them a rum" -
On the dash from their tent, Smith
and Croskem had lost their revolvers,
having been forced to retreat to the
adobe house half clothed because OF
the rapid approach of the Mexicans:
The bandits poured a constant fusl-
lade of shots at the window and floor
of the adobe house. Not an Amerl-
can cavalryman fell in the exchanges.
Mexicans Killed.
The little band took turns shoot
1 ing from the window. Blood STAINS
| in the dry ground around the house
was the only evidence that the ban
dts suffered in the attack, but Ser
eeant Smyth knew the bandits
would retreat once they became good
targets in the light of dawn.
The Mexicans fought in sklrmlsh
formation. That was proof to Smyth,s
ewes that he was dealing with mill
tary body. The attackers horses were
tethered some distance to- the rear
and the brigands maintained their at
tack ON three sides of the house from
which there was no escape except the
door and the single window.
Set House On Fire.
Unable to rout the Americans from
their mud-walled fort, the leader OF
the Mexican band gave orders to
throw fire balls on the roof, which
was thatched partly with tin and
partly with candalaria weed. Flarlng
torches made of torn cloth and weeds
were dropped upon the roof, which
started to burn, There was no water
in the house to>check the flames and
the heat in the house became intense
and the faces and backs of the SOL
diers still firing spiritedly through the
window became blistered.
I can't stand it any longer" cried
Private William Cohen. 'T'll take an
other shot and then try to make 1t
through the window"
Cohen leaped into the window
frame to make his dash for the open:
A bullet split his skull and he fell
back dead into the house. Outside the
voice of a Mexican was heard to say:
cline up on each side of the door.
They must come out"
Make Dash.
| Smyth told his men that the time
had come to make dash.
The heat had burnt the tops OF
their heads. Private Stephen j. Col.
cock stepped forward to the door and
smashed the boards with his gun
stock. The gun broke but the door
gave way and Colcock dashed out. His
body was found next morning not far
away, riddled with many bullets. He
probably ran into the main band OF
Mexicans.
Smyth, leading the other cavalry
men, CuTueU W IIlc lSlI oho hieAeS Iva
the cora, the Mexicans firing at them
as they fled. The body of Private
Lawrence K. Rogers was found not
far from the burned house, but Tyree
could not be accounted for when
Smyth and his men, who reached the
hills in safety, investigated next
morning, Tyree may have been made
prisoner, 'but if so the soldiers here
think he has probably been killed by
now.
After the attack on the American
troops the bandits rushed to the wax
factory and destroyed it. Several
houses were ransacked and burned.
When morning came the American
troopers crept back to the settlement
and saw the main body of some SO
Mexican packing their loot upon their
horses and on the nine American
cavalry mounts which they had cap
tured.
Then the bandits turned towards
the Rio Grande and started for Bo..
quillas. Here, the brigands carried
Deemer and Compton across the river
land If is renorted tonight that their