The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-04-07
UNITED STATES TROOPS PUR.
SUING VILLA IN MEXICO
HAVE HARD TASK.
BANDITS ARE VERY SLIPPERY
Experience of Soldiers in Rounding Up
Mexican Outlaws "a Years Ago Is
RecalIed-Artillery Now Mainstay
of Every Army in Field.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

diers across the border are not on
junketing bent. 1t is said here to be
the hope and the prayer Of the army
officials that the Villa followers will
stay together and that the pursuers
can hit them hard once and then cap
ture those who survive the blow. The
danger, as Washington views it, is
that the bandits will separate and car
ry on guerrilla warfare in detached
bands. The other and greater danger
is that the troopers must be followed
into Mexico by huge army ready to
take the field against all the soldiers
which Mexico can throw against
them.
When Gen. Leonard Woods chief
of staff spoke out in meeting to say
that IL intervention in Mexico is
forced an army of 100000 American
soldiers will be necessary to complete
the job, 1t furnished pretty good evil
dence that all army officers are not
muzzled.
Intervention apparently is not the
intention of the administration. What
will amount to Intervention, however,
| Washington says, will be necessary
II the Carranza groups join the Villa
groups and the groups of the other ten
or dozen Mexican leaders. Colonel
Glenn ia is said voiced the belief of
the officers Of the war college who
have made the Mexican situation a
study for some years.
Bandits Hard to Catch.
Recently it was told how long it
took the United States troops, and
there were a good many of them in
the field, to round up $50 bandits OPP
Grating on this side of the border in
1892. So certain were the bandits of
security from capture, because of the
nature of the country in which they
were operating, that they would APP
proach close to the camps of the
American forces, taunt them and then
disappear into the jungles and other
hiding places, confident that their re-
treat was safe.
There are some officers now in
Texas who took part in the long
sdrawn-out campaign against Mexican
bandits "a years ago. Your CORE
spondent was in the field at that time
with d troop of the Third cavalry. He
was acting as correspondent for a
Chicago newspaper Personal wit
ness can be borne that the troops in
the field at that time constantly were
alert to duty, were constantly in the
saddle, securing great sections of des-
ert country, doing everything and
willing to dare everything to effect
the capture of the renegades. 1t was
the nature of the country and nothing
else except, of course, the sympathy
which some of the civilian populace
felt with the bandits, which made the
chase such a prolonged one.
Some of the war department Off
Gals fear that, although much larger
American force will be in the field on
the present occasion than was the
case "a years ago, the circumstances
of the former campaign will be repeat
ed and that one hunt may resolve it.
self into many hunts, each to be pros
ecuted separately and each to be car
ried to a successful outcome before
the end sought can be reached.
One night in March, 1892, D troop Of
the Third cavalry, in the field against
bandit followers of CATERING E. Cara,
was encamped at the Palito Blanco
ranch in Nueces county, Texas. The
camp was not far removed from the
edge Of the chaparral, which was many
miles thick at this point, extending IT'S
tangle of thorny domain well down to-
wards the edge of the Rio Grande
river.
So daring were the renegades and
so firm was their belief that they could
escape capture no matter how ven
turesome they were. that they came
close to the camp at night, climbed
into mesquite trees and signaled with
lanterns to one another across the
camp of the troopers. There was no
reason for the signaling and it was
done simply to taunt the American sol
diers, who would leave camp on the
instant of the appearance of the first
1gnL anu Iudhe u6lormlHSu ouOTJ 10
capture the intruders, who simply
slipped away into the blackness of the
night and the thickness of the chapar-
raj.
Every once in while scouts would
come into camp and report the ap-
pearance of bandits at this place or
that place. Instantly the troopers
would mount and start on the trail,
but almost invariably they came back
empty-handed.
Some of the officers who were en-
gagged in that campaign, and who are
still in active service, are: Col Joseph
T. Dickman, commanding the Second
cavalry; Lieut.. Col. John w. Heard,
now stationed in Texas; Col. George
A. Dodd, now on the trail in Mexico:
Col. John T. Knight and others. One
of the officers most active in the pur-
suit of the Cara outfit was Cant.
George F. Chase, who now is briga-
A..