Arizona republican., 1916-06-18
GOES OVER PURSUING
 RAID|NC BAND
Are Within Ten Miles of Matamoros, Where Mex ican Population, Armed With Pistols and Rifles, Awaits Developments
1Renubli7an A. P. Leased Wire]

lRepubli9an A. P. Leased Wire]
 BROWNSVILLE. June 1.-The sec ond squadron of the Third United States cavalry. upwards of 400 strong, after a battle with, bandits, is sleeping tonight on Mexican soil less than ten miles from Matamoros, the Mexican town opposite here, where the Mexican population, fully armed with pistols and rifles, is awaiting developments with anxiety.
 The soldiers crossing was occasioned by the pursuit of the cavalry under command of Major Edward Anderson and Lieutenant Newman on hot trail" of Mexican bandits who attacked detachments of the Twenty sixth in fantry near San Benito last night.
 Crossing, which was started at 10 o'clock, had finished at sundown with out a mishap of any kind at a point about ten miles from here. The point of crossing is known as Naranjos, d small Mexican river settlement. Within half hour after the first ] troops Hdd cfOSSeU, NOlleNS or SnOIS were heard from the brushy ambushes on the Mexican side of the river indi- eating that at least part of the thirty | bandits had been encountered. They were known to have been chased across the river by Lieutenant A. D. Newman and Troop H of the Third cavalry. No casualties on either side attended the i crossing.
 A field wireless apparatus has been established on the American side of the river tonight which will keep in closs touch with the Fourth punitive expe.
 dition into Mexico. Troop H was the first body of soldiers to cross the river.
 Most of the day these soldiers ex-
 changed shots with bandits after tho
 small expedition had crossed the Rio
 Grande. but the sole casualty" waa
 one Mexican bandits horse. It was
 brought to the bank of the Rio Grande
 as a souvenir.
 After an all-night chase, Lieutenant Newman's troops ran the bandits who attacked the infantry detachment from |, point east of the sleeping town of
 San Benito fifteen miles to the bank
 of the Rio Grande, near the San Pedro
 ranch. Here the band apparently
 split in two sections, one crossing the 2 river above the ranch and the other ! below. The cavalry followed by the ', northern ford.
 At II o'clock this morning. after r. spending one hour on Mexican soil. S NLieutenant Newman's command camL t in contact with the marauders, and a
 lively, though bloodless, skirmish en- e sued, neither being able to see the other S on account of the dense brush. = After crossing the river, Newrna I, e dispatched messenger to inform head : quarters at Fort Brown of his cross
 ing. The messenger a private of e Troop H, lost his horse in the middle '- of the Rio Grande, and swan to the = other side, almost losing his own life l. The trail of blood followed last night n by the cavalry. led to the body of a n Mexican peon. His only possessions ie were two bullet holes, rifle and some 0' ammunition. He carried no papers 90 which might have disclosed his name ui or affiliations.
 H The situation in Matamoros tonight
 was serious. Every business house il = the town was closed with the excep-
 tion of one saloon. In this rendezvou.
 were gathered army officers who gay, 57 out threats calculated to arouse tn. ,d already alarmed people into frenzy.
 General Alfredo Ricaut, commandel n- of the Matamoros garrison, did no m learn of the crossing of American nt troops into Mexico until early in tn, L. afternoon. He then called the popula en tion of the town together at his head ce quarters, where he distributed rifles
 pistols and ammunition to men, boy he and even girls. By mid-afternoon a
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