Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-08
NINE U. S. SOLDIERS FOUGHT
BRAVELY AGAINST BIG ODDS

| Deh' WILL hUhlNSl DlU UDDD
| ALPINE. Tex, May s.-Three Amer
| lean soldiers and 10-year-old bow deaf
| and dumb, are dead, two civilians are
missing and several soldiers are wounded
| today as the result OF n night raid by
! Mexicans from the State of Coahuila,
| Friday night The towns of Glen Springs
Deemers and Boquillas were attacked
Reports today say that II Of the outlaws
! were Killed and a numker wounded
Nine soldiers Of Troop A. t4th Cavalry,
attempted to defend themselves at Glen
Springs against the Mexicans estimated
variously to number 75 to 300
ATTACK AT NIGHT.
The raid broke Mt 10 O'Clock Friday
night on the little wax settlement The
raiders avoided the border patrol by n
wide detour, forded the Rio Grande and
crossed the Intervening sandy stretch at
night.
Beside the nine men of the 1ath
Cavalry, others In the village were c. ID
Wood and w. *. Ellis, owners of a wax
factory with their families j. Dcemer
owner of a general store, and +. Compton
employed as Deemer's clerk
The wax factory represented the town's
only industry and the store was the only
traulng post in radius of many miles
"A rev Mexican families composed the re-
mainder of the village. The nearest CITY
iay 80 miles away and the village was
far removed from railroad communication.
HUT A FORTRESS.
Retreating to an adobe hut after firing
few shots with revolvers the Ameri.
cans barricaded the doors and began a
hour-hour fire against tremendous odds.
In the end they were routed bv fro
when the Mexicans. despairing of an.
preaching the hut while the Americans
had any ammunition left, hurled fire balls
on the thatched roof. Three men fell as
the detachment fled at last from the blas.
ing nut. one was riddled with 10 bullets
the other two were struck many times
The remainder, including some wounded.
reached the shelter of a rocky field and
continued the fight until daylight when
the MeNcans with triumphant wells
mounted their horses and rode away,
carrying their captives Deemer and
Compton, and leading pack horses loaded
with loot
No hope was held out for Deemer and
Compton today. knowing the character
OF the Mexican raiders through frequent
border clashes, residents of the surround.
ing country were prepared to hear the
worst regarding the fate of the two from
tlersmen. Compton's son, a mute. was
slain in the first few minutes of the raid
supposedly because the Mexicans thought
the child was concealing information
The Mexicans appeared suddenly on the
top of hill beneath which Glen Springs
nestles. Noting their numbers Private
Brick, on outpost duty, emptied his re-
volver to rouse the camp and then dashed
back to the tent. Sergeant Smyth and
Private Croske', Jumped to the fly of the
tent. ObservirS numbers of Mexicans at
hand, they rar 60 an adobe hut. where
the six other cavalrymen were preparing
to make their defense
oUTNUMBERED 10 TO /.
The door of the house, which had only
one window, was barred, and Sergeant
Smyth, seeing that his men were out
numbered by 20 to 1, gave orders to shoot
carefully and not waste the ammunition.
I'VE are W against 1t cold said
Smyth, but we will show them some
thing. Let the Mexicans shoot their heads
off and run out of ammunition and maybe
by morning we will be in position to
give them a run"
on the dash from their tents Smyth
and CTosken had lost their revolYers,
having been forced 10 retreat to the adobe
house half clothed because of the rapid
approach of the Mexicans.
The bandits poured a constant fuslllade
of shots at the window and door Of the
adobe house. Not an American cavalry
man fell in the exchanges.
The little band took turns shooting from
the window. Blood stains in the dry
ground around the house was the only
evidence that the bandits suffered in the
attack, but Sergeant Smyth believes that
seven or eight bandits were killed and
some were wounded.
WAITED FOR DAWN.
For three long hours the fight went on.
Just little while more, boys, and day
light will be with us" urged Smyth, who
knew the bandits would retreat once they
became good targets in the light of dawn
The MeXicans fought in skirmish for
nations. That was proof to Smyth's eyes
that he was dealing with a military body
The attackers horses We're tethered some
distance to the rear and the brigamds
maintained their attack on three sides of
the house, from which there was no escape
except the door and the single window
Unable to rOut the Americans from
their mud-walled fort, the leader of the
Mexican band gave orders to throw fire.
balls on the roof, which was matched
partly with tin and partly with candalaria
weed Flaring torches made of torn
cloth and weeds were dropped upon the
roof which started to burn There was
no water in the house to check the flames,
and the heat I'm the house became intense
and the faces and backs of the soldiers,
still firing spiritedly through the window,
became blistered and burnt.
~ can't stand il any longer" cried Pri- |
vats William Cohen. "Ill take another |
shot and then try to make it through the
Cohen leaped into the WINDOW frame 10 !
make his dash for the open. A bullet |
split his skull and he fell back dead into
the house, outside the voice of Mexican
was heard 10 say:
Lime up on each side OF the door, They
must come out"
Smyth told his men that the time had
come to make a dash. The heat had
burned the tops of their heads Private
stephen j. Colock stepped forward TO the
door and smashed the boards with his gun |