Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-03-22
COMMUNICATIONS
CUT FROM ARMY
TO ]. S. BORDER
Anxiety Prevails Here for the
Punitive Expedition Now
Far in Mexico. ..
FUNSTON ASKS FOR
IAN ADEQUATE FORCE"
Wires Laid by Advancing Column
Have Been Destroyed. Wire.
less Failed at Six Last Night.

less Failed at Six Last Night.
Antonio, March 2l.--General Fred
erick Funston asked the war depart
ment today for more troops to send in
to Mexico, only after long considera'
tion of the advisability of continuing
the operation against Francisco Villa
with the forces now commanded by
General Pershing General Pershing
yesterday suggested that another reg
iment be sent to him, and today Gen
eral Funston asked the department
for what he characterized as an ade'
quate force.
Wants More Troops.
1t was announced at General Funs
tons headquarters that the Fifth cav
airy, of which one squadron is at IT.
Myer, Va, and another at TT. Leaven'
worth, and the third at Sheridan
would be brought to the border at
once and bruoght TO General Per
shing's line Of communication.
Whether he had asked for more
troops, General Funston would not
say.
Gave AS Reason "Lincs Weakened"
The only reason given for strength
ening General Pershing's force, which
is known by the public generally, tc
be considerably more than 1000, was
IL, Eo1I ,>r cnnr,j ip,, hnI hnrnInE 4
so extended that his main line Of com
munication and the subsidiary lines
were much weaker than they shOult
be.
"A Precautionary Move.
Merely g precautionary move was
tlle-way General fSrnsf on answered. al
suggestions to his motives, other thar
that it was to strengthen the line. He
was asked if the reported mOvemen
of troops of the dcfaCto government
of the garrison in the interior to post!
on the border and the failure Of Car
rama troops in one or two instances
to show active cooperation in thu
pursuit Of Villa had anything to witt
his decision to ask for more strength
but he declined to answer.
"Wire Cut" Is Report.
Some little uneaSinesS was display
ed for a moment at his headquarter!
today, when it was reported that th'
telegraph wires between Casas Gran
des and the border had been cut, bu
an official report stating that the linz
cut was a "buzzer" line, General Per
shing had laid that it had been brok
en- accidentally by some of the Amer
lean forces crossing it allayed appre
hensiOn.
1t is not believed here that Genera
Funston is worried to any extent b.
reports Of alleged growing antagon
ism among Carranza troops, although
he is carefully studying all reports un
official and official on that phase O.
the situation.
Communication Cut.
Reports emanating from Columbus
N. NJ, state wire communication be
tween the United States and Genera
Pershing's punitive expedition in nor
thern Chihuahua was at standstil
tonight, it was announced from mill
tary quarters. 1t was asserted that
the army wireless station at Casas
Grandes failed shortly before 6 O'Clock
the only remaining line of communi
cation into Mexico being by an army
field telegraph wire, which has been
practically useless for several days be-
cause it has been cut in a number OF
places between Columbus and its ter
minus, thirty miles south Of the Dor
der.
lei Paso reports state Mexican Off
cials at Juarez practically conceded
tonight tha. the cutting of the tele
phone and telegraph wires between
Juarez and Casas Grandes was the re-
suit of raid by Villa bandits on the
Mexican Northwestern railroad. The
extent of the raid and the amount OF
damage done was not learned.
Only Conjecture.
In the absence of any news from
either General Pershing or General
Gavira, there was nothing left but
conjecture as to the result of the
fighting between Villa and the Carran-
"a troops, said to have occurred near
Namiquipa There was a strong be-
lief that Villa was not personally in
volved in whatever fighting had oc-
Cured. 1t seemed reasonably certain
that the bandit chief could not have
been at Namiquipa and at the various
places at which he was located in ad-
vices to General Gavira during the
last week.
Villa Defeated?
If it is true that Villa had clashed
at Namiquipa with Carranza troops
in a general battle in which he had
been defeated, it appears highly prob
able that bv this time his followers
have come i'm contact with the Ameri-
can columns. The advance guard Of
the Americans was reported yester-
day at Vale, only 50 miles from CAM
iquipa. 1t is not believed, however.
that Villa would risk an open fight
4 C0r|;u,,od On DoCo Throol