The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-04-07
PLENTY OF WORK FOR FOOT
SOLDIERS IN THE SEARCH
H. FOR VILLA.
HARDSHIPS ARE ENDURED
Yankee CavaIrymen Caught In Blind
ing Snowstorm In the Noun
fains Of Mexico.

At the front In Mexico, command
any Generals headquarters, April j
(by aeroplane and motor courier to
Columbus, N. M. April D.-Ameri-
cas- first detachment of mountain In
fantry, corps of specially trained
men for such service as that In the
mountain-studded country of Guer-
zero, soon will be actively assisting
the cavalry In the search for the
bandit villa. The belief has been
announced that such a command will
proye invaluable In the work con-
fronting the American troops In the
Guerrero district.
much has been written" said the
General, "about this being a cavalry
chase. 1t is Just as much an infan-
try task. There are places In the
mountains where the cavalry cannot
penetrate-rocks,c cliffs. peaks, caves,
canyons and forests--where at any
time the chase might become q
question of man-to-man fight or
hand-to-hand work. The infantry
in Mexico is now being brought in
TO physical condition for this sort OF
campaign.
"Is that the reason" the General
was asked, "why the infantry at the
bases back of the front has been
talking about the ten and fifteen
mile hikes II has been ordered TO
take into surrounding mountains"
"The infantry" replied the Gener-
al. may soon have a reason to DEM
onstrate the uses of its training"
The marching referred TO has been
along the line of communications as
the infantry advances toward the
front, about two weeks behind the
advance columns of the cavalry. An
aeroplane this afternoon sailed into
headquarters camp, stopped five
minutes with dispatches, and then
few southwark toward a mountain
pass twenty miles away, flying over
a mesa, where the distant mountains
were reflected upside down, as in
water, by the afternoon heat waves
on the ground. The machine rock
ed and slipped over this boiling air.
Caught In Norther.
Earlier In the day from this same
mesa troop OF half frozen cavalry
men came into camp for rest and
food. They had been caught in a
sudden norther. The cold was so
biting that they had to keep their
fingers in motion, some of them said,
so that in case of attack their trigger
fingers would not be too numb for
use. Yesterday afternoon in this
mesa snow was flying so thickly as
TO obscure the adjoining mountains.
Men aud horses in the headquarters
camp stood with their backs to the
driving white flakes, the mems heads
covered with blankets and the
horses with noses almost to the
ground.
This morning the men in this
same camp, all sleeping in the open,
awakened to find themselves cover
ed with a layer OF hard snow. They
looked across an irrigation ditch to
see Gen. ,Pershing himself, white
with snow. There was not tent in
camp. The tents and abundant food
are on the way, but thus far the
troopers have moved ahead out of
each advance camp without waiting
for either tents or food.
Search for Cabin.
The troops which kept its trigger
fingers working for warmth had
spent many hours in search for a
mountain top cabin, where scouts re-
ported that two Villa bandits had
called for food. This house was less
than fifteen miles from the head
quarters OF the Americans. The in
formation which the troop obtained
bore out the opinion among officers
here that most of the villa force
have been scattered into very small
groups. some of whom are seeking
inaccessible places.
y The censorship does not permit
disclosure from here of these posi-
tions. but the reports Of patrols indi-
cate that a good many of Villas band