Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-06
BY JUNIUs w. WOOD.

BY JUNIUS W. WOOD.
WITH THE AMERICAN PUNITIVE
EXPEDITION IN MENICO, April (by
army motor truck of Columbus. n. NJ
Like wounded mountain wolf at bay
In it's home lair. Pancho Villa. the ban
dit, is surrounded by American troop
ers. The outlaw has one knee frac-
tured and another bullet wound in his
hip. He is in the wild mountainous
country northeast of Guerrero, hidden
there under the floor of friendly ma
tive's hut. or lying helpless in one of
the mountain caves he knows so well.
Latest reports show that all that
saved the wounded bandit was that he
left his troops the day before the early
morning. surprise by Dodds cavalry.
He is surrounded by troops. His
chances of slipping between the lines
and escaping farther into the soltudes
of the mountains are considered small.
Pursued by Grim Justice.
That Villa should come to his end in
this wild region is grim retrbutive
justice. One of his first deeds of blood
lust when he was rising to power in
the revolution was to take the post
master, judge and three prominent
citizens of Guerrero to Arroyo Basuchil
in November. 1910. and summarily eX
ecute them near the same spot he now
lies. wounded and without medical at
tendance. his last American surgeon
having left him after Columbus. This
is the condition of the once popular
hero who commanded thousands and
l. i ~,
few miles away at San Andres he mar
ried his first wife. Luz Corral de Villa,
and later deserted her.
The early morning surprise of the
eth cavalry under col James B. Erwin
makes Il page in the heroic annals of
the American army. One of these col
unIns was commanded by Col George A.
hodd. the other two being led by Col
William 6. Brown and Maj. Ellwood W.
Evans. The latter two were colored
troopers of the 10th Cavalry
Tuesday two MeXicanS we're captured
by the cavalry scouts. They declared
they were deserters from Villas army
Pleading for mercy. they insisted that
they had not willingly followed the
bandit. but had been impressed into
his ranks with others when he fed
from Columbus In every fight they
said they had been put in the front
rank, while more sincere bandits were
behind with orders to shoot them down
should they lag in the fighting. In the
brush with Carranza soldiers of the
previous day they had escaped in the
confusion following the wounding of
the chieftain.
Put Troops on Villas Trail.
The two prisoners gave Col. Erwin a
general idea of where the Villa forces
were. Then the seventeen-hour ride
started. All day Tuesday the cavalry
men plodded forward. To any one who
has seen the towering mountains and
the rough. bowlder-strewn roads, little
more than canyon skirting bride paths,
the ride can be appreciated. All that
day they hurried forward. and the ban
dts were not sighted. though traces of
their rnarch-abandoned blankets. oc-
casionally dead horse. spot where
they had evidently camped and built
nres. and stores wrung from reluctant
natives--were plentiful
AS the sudden tropical darkness fell
the American guides informed Col Err
win that they were approa ching the
town of Guerrero. Knowing the habits
of the Mexicans. the American officers
assumed that they would bivouac for
the night in the town and comma ndeer
the homes of the natives for shelter
Twenty miles from the town Halt"
was called for a few hours rest for
tired horses and men. No fires were
lit, for no chances were taken on
jealous VIVA SEmpatnlzefS carrying a
warning to the town. The men
munched hard crackers and chewed
jerked beef.
Resume March at Midnight.
At midnight the order was given and
they were again in their saddles. 1t
was figured TO reach the sleeping town
at o'clock in the morning and surprise
the sleeping band. In the darkness
the guides lost the way and dawn had
broken before the town. nesting in "A
valley between the mountain ridges
was sighted
The bandits were sleeping off the eff