Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-07-29
EXCHANGE SHOTS
ACROSS BORDER
Hinth Massachusetts Company
Returns the Fire of Band of
Mounted Mexicans-
BATTLE WAS SHORT BUT HOT
one Attaeker May Have Been Killed
-Pershino's Troops to Be With
drawn Gradually.

Ell Paso. Tex, July ia party of
mounted Mexicans exchanged fire
with Company L of the Ninth Massa-
chusetts infantry here today. Ac-
cording to reports, the guardsmen
were doing outpost duty. when the
Mexicans rode up on the opposite
bank of the Rio Grande and opened
fire. The guardsmen suffered no
casualties, but reported they believed
they had killed one Mexican.
Captain Hickey. commanding the
company, estimated tho number of
Mexicans at fifteen. but asserted that
he was unable to determine whether
or not they were soldiers. Approx
mately fifty shots were fired on each
side.
Both General George Bell, Jr., COM
manding the Ell Paso military district.
and Lieutenant Colonel Leon Buelon,
acting garrison commander in Juarez,
denied that they had received official
reports of the incident, and both. said
that it seemed trivial.
The Mexicans rode up the river
bank. dismounted and deployed as
skirmishers, creeping through the I'M
derbrush which dotted the rivers
edge. One of the Mexicans fired his
rifle, the bullet crossing the river and,
according to Private Prescott, dropped
at his feet.
Screening themselves as much as
possible by little c1umps of mesquite.
the Americans returned the fire and
by the time the reserves reached the
river to reinforce them they had
driven the Mexicans back to their
horses. Before reaching the picket
line, however, the militiamen assert
that one of the Mexicans stumbled
and fell into a clump of grease weed
and did not arise.
The exchange of fire continued less
than ten minutes.
Pershina's Men to Withdraw.
Mexico City, July 19.-James Lynn
Rodgers, representative of the Amer
lean government, informed the Mex
lean secretary of war today that the
American expeditionary forces in
Mexico would be gradually Withdrawn
from Mexican territory. Mexican COM
missioners have been designated to
reach a settlement of the outstand-
ing questions in the United States
Villa Eiudes Trevino.
chihuahua City, Mex, July IS
Several scattered groups of Villistas
have e1uded the Gordon of govern
ment troops, which surrounded them
in the Rio Florido bottoms, and have
reassembled at Tinajas and Las Es-
cobas on the road to Ojinaga, and are
travelling north with the object OF
making another raid on the American
border, according to confidential adj
vices to General Trevino today.
The advices which came from Santa
Rosalia said the outlaws skirted Chi
huahua City by travelling in small
groups to the little settlements north
east of here.
Plan to Prevent Gaids.
General Trevino Immediately or
dered the commanders of the gar
risons at Ojinaga and Piedras Negras
to throw troops out in an attempt to
intercept the bandits, whose numbers
were estimated at about 200. He
pointed out, however, that the nature
of the terrain is such that some of
the outlaws might evade the govern
ment troops, and suggested that it
would be well for military authorities
on the American side of the frontier
to be especially vfgilant-
Guards to Leave Laredo.
San Antonio Tex, July 18.-Eight
thousand guardsmen, now at Laredo,
Tex, will be moved from the border
to one of the smaller towns on the
railroad connecting Laredo and San
Antonio unless General Funston al
tiers his plan announced today. Citi-
zens of Laredo recently sent to Texas
congressman a telegraphic protest
against the insanitary condition of the
guardsmen's camp, calling attention
to the limited supply of water. This
protest reached General Funston, who
admitted that better conditions might
be found.
The regular troops will be left at
Laredo and small detachment Of the
guards. but he said he would move
most of the 5000 away from the town,
holding them at some point on the
railroad from where they could be
moved quickly, to the border if their
services were required.
Reports from General Pershing and
from border commanders were charac-
terized as routine.