The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-03-30

~ tle ClQ Vase DIT uelu n~S2UQuaTIGTS
Field Headquarters American
1Ixpeditionary Force, Colonia Dub.
Ian, Chihuahua, Mex, March 81.
(hy ~aeroplane to Columbus, N. ND
March 2S.-Evidence that Pancho
Villa is preparing to resist tho
American pursuing column, n
that the Mexican people are not
as Yet rallyins to him.. has been
collected by officers and the scouts
of the American troops.
E! Paso, Tex. March 27.-Pursuit O.
Francisco Villa a developed today
into a race between cavalrymen of thu
United States and the fleeing bandits
mounted on the wonderful little Mexi.
can ponies. According to dispatches
from the front. Villa has completely
broken through the C~arranzaista lines
n is fleeing southwark with tn,
American troopers straining every
nerve to catch up with him before he
reaches the grim and f~orbidding noun
tain wastes in his ancient haunts liz
the Guerrero district.
Pershine Not Optimistic.
General Pershing today is anything
but %sanguine on the problem calling
for the immediate capture of the ban-
dit leader. In all two clashes have
been reported between the Villaista
and CarranZa soldiers.
The work OF the army air scouts has
set at naught outside rumors Of the
surrounding of Villa. Flying over the
waste, rolling desert country below
Cases Grandes, in a semi-circle to the
south and southwest of the valley
recognized as the stamping ground of
villa 4G,A L;,lroa,, .Nf fIa nr1f1r,ro ha WA
reported the bandit and his forces TAX
ng to the hills. Shots have been fired
ut the scouting planes as they SCARED
aloft to spy out the hiding places of the
enemy and the former northern chief
tain Of Mexican revolutions is still Sc
curely under cover.
Starvation Only Hope.
The opinion of the natives in this
section OF country, knowing the intri-
cate twists and turns of the PREACHER"
Gus district entertain not a jot of OPP
timism for a speedy termination Of the
pursuit Of him.
The only hope of a speedy terrnina
ton to the chase is that the flight OF
the bandits will be checked by starva-
ton and tine exhaustion Of their ponies.
1t is known that Villa is almost desti-
tute of both supplies and ammunition,
and the dead and dying horses found
along his trail give mute. but eloquent
testimony " Ills uSSpSldlS lllSlc VI
need. Once safely in the midst Of the
Sierra T~arahumares, the task of run
ming the bandit to his lair will lave
become one Of tremendous difficulty
The country is inhabited by the Tar
hunare Indians, n of the most dis
tinctiye tribes in Mexico.
Three Flying Columns.
Flying columns of American cavalry
are seeking to entrap Pancho Villa and
mis- bandits by sealing up all the trei,s
and passes in the mountainous 6istr'.
south of Ell Wales. Opce the outlets AK
barred. ~suuadrons of cavalry anG de-
tachments of infantry, operating from
the base at Casas Grandes, will comt
the country M endeavor to flush the!.
quarry into the open.
This is the plan the military men are
following to effect the capture of the
peon hrigand.
villa and his band are moving rapid.
ly among the foothills of Sierra Tara
hamares, hotly pursued by three col
uynnS of American cavalry. Col. George
a. Dodd is directing the cavalry nov
ments.
This, coming from army officials a
the front, confirms reports brough'
here by American travellers from the
Casas Grandes district last Saturda.
that Villa had escaped through thu
lines of the Carranzaista troops. Mex,
lear Consul Garcia does not credit thu
reports that the Carranza forces fur
nished no real opposition to Villa anc
permitted the bandit tc escape.
Villa Band Seatters.
Villa scattered his command in hi!
flight southwark and at one time, j
was learned today, led ny g small
force Of Is or 20 men. The army cen
sor at Columbus has permitted the con
firmation to pass that Villa increased
his command at Ell Vale by forcing 2
men and boys to accompany him. Mil
tary men here say that indicates tina
Villa now believes that he has success
fully eluded his pursuers and is in Pc
sition to have a larger body OF mel
without fear of capture.
Brigadier General Pershing has lie
il become known that he expects tina
It will take months to capture villa.
Returning American refugees an
cattlemen who know the country ar
of the opinion that vila VIII never o
taken. The nature Of the country an
the fact that Villa is among his owI
neople. who idolize him, make the ban
dts CAPTURE unlikely, they declared
The Mexican country through whic
Villa is now fleeing is a country pc
euliar to itself. A negro sergeant. a.
aid campaigner in the Twenty-fourt
nfantry now in that region. speakin
RI a Casas Grandes rancher, puts
thus:
hut in this part of Mexico there or
more rivers and less water; more COW
and less milk. and farther to look an
less to see, than any country l nav
ever known"
An American who owns a n q
ocampo in the heart of the dsstric
and who has lived there for 40 year
gave the description Of TarabuInart
today.