The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-03-10

ry brigade was mpufSulC. When the
American soldiers galloped out in a
cloud of dust on to the open plain
and Villas men saw the small num-
Der, they turned and pursued the u.
S. soldiers.
Major Tompkins was shot through
the hat, his horse was shot from un-
der him, one or two of his troopers
lost their mounts and had to be
brought in on machine gun mounts,
and rs of the Villa soldiers, includ-
ing a number of commanding officers,
were killed, according to Major
Tompkins' statement upon his arrival.
The raid on American territory
proved costly to the bandit chieftain.
The bodies of 20 bandits including
Pablo Lopez, second in command,
had been gathered and burned before
noon and troopers reported an unde-
termined number of dead still lying
in the brush. Led to the attack I'M
der the slogan: Death to the Amer
icans," Villas followers fought with
desperation. . Just before dawn they
crept along bitches skirting the U. S.
cavalry camp and rushed the sleep
ing town. The first volloy brought
American troopers into almost in
slant action. While portion of the
raiders engaged he cavalrymen, 9TH
ers began applying the torch and
shooting America civilians who fled
from the burnin buildings. Lights
in homes and pu Plic buildings imme-
diately became targets for snipers
at Villas directiyn. The other BAN
/. L. -
homes, enticed a number of civilians
into the open with English-spoken
invitations. a number of fatalities
are attributed Shis .ruse. Stores
were looted, oil was poured upon the
frame structures and the match APP
Piled The postoffiee was raided and
furniture smashed, but the hooters Sc
cured only one small registered pack
age. Many civilians barricaded them
selves in their homes and fired at the
Mexicans as they darted through the
streets The fighting in the town
ended almost as suddenly as it began.
Less than two hours after the first
shot was heard, Villas buglers sound
ed the retreat and the raiders began
a disordered, flight, closely Followed
by the American troopers. The cas-
ualties of the 18th Cavalry in the
fighting was seven killed and six
wounded in the fighting IN Columbus.
Villas total losses in the lays fight.
ing were estimated in excess of 100
killed and twice as many wounded.
Of the eight American civilians killed
here, Charles Dewitt Miller, of Albu-
querque, and Dr. HI. J. Hart, of Ell
Paso, were burned to death in the
fire that destroyed the hotel. The
body\of VIM. Walker, a Sundey
school convention delegate from
Playas, N. NJ, who was shot to death
with w. T. Richie, proprietor of the
hotel, was also incinerated. The
Mexicans set the hotel on fire, to-
gether with a n )mber of other build
ings, and posted snipers to pick off
Americans as they fed.
A dispatch from Washington, d.
C. said: washington stands square
ly behind Col. Slocum in sending his
cavalrymen into Mexico in pursuit of
Francisco Villa and his band of out
laws who raided Columbus, N. M,
numbering American soldiers and cit
liens and firing the town. While no
formal word of the policy of the ad-
ministration was given, it was stated
reliably that the army would be CIV
en- free rein to catch the bandits if
possible. 1t was not considered that
Col. Slocum's act in any sense con-
stituted an invasion of Mexico,
policy which the administration has
opposed in the past and will continue
to oppose.