The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-05-08
MEXICAN RA|DE RS
KILL THR[E U.S.
SOLDIERS 4
Bandits Cross Border into Big Bend
District of Texas
ATTACK PATROL OF EIGHT MEN
Ranohers Rally to the Rescue to Find
Every Member of the Patrol
Dead or Wounded.

FL Paso, May S-Three American
soldiers and a 1O.years-old boy have
lost their lives and two American
citizens have been kidnapped and car
ried south OF the International border
to almost certain death in another raid
iof bandits that takes rank with Fran
cisco Villas attack on Columbus, n.
Nj. Whether the marauders were
Villa. bandits or Carranza forces is not
known. fsu 5if
The bandits foray, carrying them
through the southern limits of Brew
ster county in the Big Bend district
of Texas, and taking in three little set
Elements near the border-Glenn
Springs, Boquillas and Deemers-
took place Friday night and Saturday
morning, but news OF it did not reach
Ell Paso until yesterday
Within an hour preparations had
been begun for adequate action.
Maj-Gen Frederick Funston ordered
that in all, four troops of cavalry
should proceed to the raided section
W IelnAOICS small uctdSullSula di-
ready on their way to the scene from
Preside, Alpine and other points.
These troops got under way last
night 1t is said at Ell Paso that if
the exigencies of the case demand
such action they will cross the border
in order to run down and disperse the
bandits.
Practically all the details of the
raid reaching Ell Paso yesterday came
to Gen Funston from Maj o. B. Meyer
of the 14th cavalry, stationed at Mar
ia According to Maj Meyer, the
bandits, about rs in number, crossed
the Rio Grande from the Mexican
south of Terfingua. Tex, where there
is guard of about 80 men. From
there they proceeded eastward
through the desolate reaches of the
Big Bend country over an old wagon
road toward Glenn Springs, small
ranch settlement
A few miles west of Glenn Springs
an American patrol Of eight men
from Troop A OF the 14th cavalry,
under command of Sergeant Smith,
was stationed. The bandits began
an attack on the little temporary
shack in which the eight troopers
were quartered before the single SEN
tinel could raise an alarm. The time
was about II o'clock.
The attackers rushed toward the
shack shouting, villa, Nilla!" and
give Carranza!' They were met by
a sturdy defense from the half-asleep
Americans, however, and failed in
their evident attempt to make quick
capture of the patrol guard.
From II o'clock that night until
after 3 o'clock in the morning Ser
geant Smith fought the Mexicans
from the shelter of the patrol house.
| In that time three of his men, Privates
Cohen, Coloe and Rogers, had been
killed and he and all the rest were
| wounded. Then the shack caught fire.
| 1t was impossible to stay longer, so
| Sergeant Smith ordered retreat. Two
\ OF his men were so badly wounded it
| was necessary to carry them. Smith
! and the other men not only succeeded
in removing thep badly wounded, but
they took out the bodies OF the three
dead men and carried them to a place
| OF safety. bspEat.
| There was motor truck attached
to the camp. The dead and danger
| ously wounded men were loaded into
this and sent north toward Marathon,
a station on the Southern Pacific, So
miles north, in the hope that medical
aid might be secured for the wounded.
| One man left with the truck. This
left Smith and two others to engage
the bandies. The yretired to the low
hills and fought from behind rocks and
mounds of gravel.
While this was going on ranchmen
of the vicinity had heard the shoot
ing and had hurried to the scene. AL
though few in number, they formed
an adequate reinforcement. With the
badly wounded and dead disposed of.
Seargeant Smith and his men joined
in the fighting again, and about 4
o'clock, as dawn neared, the Mexicans
retreated.