Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-06-06
VICTIMS OF VILLA RAID
HAVE CRAVE DECORATED
Decoration Day Ceremonies at
Columbus, New Mexico.
THE HOTTEST DAY OF SPRING.
Captain Ryan's; Home Riddled, With
Bullets---The Bravery Of Merry
Mrs. Ryan---Her Rescue
Perils Of Movie Men for
Pictures.

Last Decoration Day among thos,
who gathered at Valley Heights Gene
terry few miles from Columbus. n. NJ.
were Mr.. and Mrs ]. T. Dean. Today
friends, strangers, officers of the Uni
ted States army gathered at the same
place TO put flowers on the graves OF
these two who were victims of the
Villa raid
There are few graves in this pictur.
esque grave yard which. oddly as il
sounds is on height and in a valley
being only comparative as it is at an
altitude of $500 feet, and still lies -four
thousand feet below the peaks of the
Florida Sierra, which, little later, will
deserve the name of flowers. for even
in this arid land this mountain, cloth.
ed usually in azure hue, dons the col
ors of the rainbow with blooming cactt
and poppies.
The Decoration Day ceremonies be-
gan early at the Army base with a
band concert of patriotic selections
and local orator, who spoke of the
soldiers of the past and the soldiers OF
today, a tribute to the bravery and en-
durance of all soldiers and plea to re-
member those who had died and were
dying now for the country that equally
with their God was dear to the Amer
lean always.
Chaplains of the Regulars and of the
National Guard and several bands were
expected to assemble at the only GENE
terry this side of the Texas line, but
the committee of arrangements forgot
to notify these important actors OF
their scheduled part in the celebration
so the program was suspended. The
military part of the observance was
largely confined to music and a salute
at noon of twenty-one guns. given by
the National Guard artillery from Ros-
well, n. M. Vacations were taken by all
the men it was possible to spare. Only
the officers and the press remained OH
their respective jobs.
The evening was filled with excite
ment suitable for the Fourth of July
rather than Decoration Day. for the
three tents of the defeated, situated be-
low the National Guard encampment
caugth fire. One of the soldiers was
so soundly asleep he did not know OF
the burning of his tent over his head
until the hospital corps had him well
on the way to the Cantonment Hospit-
al, where he was examined for posi-
bic injury from smoke.
The day has been the hottest of the
spring and candles, butter and arti-
cles of the kind were early affected by
heat prostration. 1t is against orders
to have candles in camp, but one of the
soldiers thought one he had brought
from away back East would be cooler
light than the regulation lantern. 1t
is the belief that the candle burning
at the foot of his bunk. buckled with
the warm air and bending over. fell on
the blanket for, from this part of the
tent the fire quickly started, included
two other tents.
There were cartridge belts and side
arms in these quarters, and they added
materially to the spectacular effect.
The National Guard was much i'm
pressed thinking the ''spicks" of whom
they had heard much, had strolled over
the border to call on them. Most OF
the soldiers and civilians were enjoy
ing performances at the Chrystal. and
the Airdome, and so the oniookers
were confined to the guard and the
never sleeping officers who were early
at the seat of trouble and to their eff
forts, it is said, we owe the lack OF
casualties and destruction to govern
ment property.
The nearest residence to the burned
camp is Mrs. Ryan's, wife of Captain
Ryan, of the Thirteenth Cavalry. She
is one of the unwritten of heroines of
the Villa raid, and so cool is her cour-
age that although it seemed the noise
of shots and flare of crimson could
mean nothing less than a return en-
gagement of those she had good cause
to dread, she sat quietly in her home
until the excitement was over
There are seventy-five holes through
the wall of Captain Ryan's home. Mrs.
Ryan was entirely alone on the night
of March 8 and the first intimation OF
invasion was a bullet ripping through
the mattress on which she was lying
on couch close to the thin wooden
wall. Instantly the room seemed to be
riddled with bullets. There is hardly a
yard square that one cannot put finger
on hole straight through and on
every side of the room, which ex-
tends across the front of the little
house. Even through the floor the
winged death came. AS long as hu-
man nerve could hold her on the couch
Mrs. Ryan "staid pat" Then when it
seemed the room must flame from the
close-in shooting, she crawled to the
rear room. which opened on a small
porch not fogetting to gather up her
shoes as she passed out to the porch.
She crouched long enough to put them
on. No one could run far here with
unshod feet, and as Mrs. Ryan stood up
to try to make run for the garage of