The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-10
Villa Not in Raid Upon Columbus, Eye Witness
 of Border Battle Says
(continued from Page 1.)

him in Ell Paso and Juarez thought a northern climate was better for them to live in.
 Before the Madero revolution by which old President Diaz was driven out of ldexico had lived in the states of sonora and Chihuahua and had been agent for the Wells-Fargo Ex- press Co.,. which did a thriving busi- ness with the American Mormon col onies there. left El Paso and was on my way to Prescott. Ariz.. when I heard that number of these Mormon colonists who had been driven out of Mexico, were at Columbus. A desire to see old friends sent to that little God-forsaken border town and it nearly cost me my life. Hound only two Mormon families and they were poor farmers whom had never seen before. T did find Eddie Yates, who had worked with me for the express com pany in Old Mexico some years be- fore. He gave me bunk with him | in the express office that night and | was asleep there when the bandits came. f
 Columbus is a town of about. 30 l about 900 white men, few Indians and Mexicans. It is on the border line. The highest house Is only a story and half. There Is not paint ed house in the town and the build l ings are all rough blanks with the exception of one or two corrugated sine shacks. Most of them are built of boards with tar paper on the roofs to keep out the rain.' The place has been trading post between Mexicans and the Americans. The branch of the railroad ends there. There is a | good wagon road around the border side of the town end beyond this and to the southwest of the town the sol diers were camped.
 Although most of the talk you heard was of conditions on the other side of the border there was no antic- ipation of an attack by the Mexicans l that afternoon I arrived there. I helped Eddie Yates cook supper in l the back of the shack which he oc- cupied and which was express office as we'll as his living quarters. After supper we smoked and talked over old times until after midnight.
 | Sometime before daylight I had passed from hours of restlessness into a deep sleep when was awakened by yells and whoops and fusilade | of shots. A whiff of powder smoke | was waited in the window and for a l moment I imagined I was back al
 Freeport and some of the young men 1 of the town up early to celebrate the
 Fourth of July were beginning their
 usual custom of waking every citizen
 who desired to slumber. Then as sat bolt upright came the realization that I was not in Freeport but al Columbus, N. M., and that something
 had certainly gone wrong.
 The tread of horses hoofs as they dashed up and down the street was deadened only by the sharp cracks oi rife and revolver shots. The ping.
 ping, 0f several shots striking the side
 of the building up close to the little
 window of my room brought the re- alization that someone was trying to shoot through my window but was shooting wild. Just then a bullet 1 crashed into the woodwork close to the sill and the splinters and dirt that flew down on the bed brought me to | my feet with bound and I dropped to the floor under the window and out of range.
 "The street seemed clear for a mo-
 ment and I ventured to peep out from the side of the window. Then I dis | covered that a knot hole below the l window offered @ view point that l would not expose me to the fire from l the street. I thought that a party of drunken cowboys must be raiding
 the town. when of sudden I heard a crashing volley. not like the other
 ragged filing but as if delivered all
 at once by word of comhpand.