The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-01

his followers. is believed to be turk
 ine today. Hard on his trail, United
 States troopers are comb1ng every valley and rayine and searching every
 ranch house and adobe hut in the hope of ending the career of the ban dit.
 The sfeverish excitement caused along the border by yesterdays news of Col. Dodd's victory at San Geron1- mo ranch had not subsided today Int e
 fact that three days have elapsed since the smashing blow del1Yered at the Villa band in the valley Of the Santa Maria without any further news from General Pershing has gwen
 birth to the most extravagant specu- Iation and rum ors.
 The chief argument of the pessi- r1ists is that if Villa was desperately
 wounded as reported he should pc now 1l the hands of his pursuers put the optimists t-retort by pointing out the wild character of the country in which he is hiding and the fact that most of the natives of the mountains are s1Ne to do all they can to bafle the American soldiers by giving them false information.
 Everything apparently depends on the speed with which Villa is able to move. If his injuries have forceo him to seek safety in the mountains of the divide, it is believed that he cannot escape capture, although he may eIude his enemies for many days vet On the other hand, if he has been able to push east or south he ought>to have reached a section where he can eIude capture for some time.
 One thing that seems reasonably certain is that before the close of today or tomorrow at the latest 1t must be definitely known if Villa is a disabled and deserted fugitive in the mountains or if he has again won freedom from4 the cordon thrown about him and is maintaining ms flight southward
 In the height of excitement caused by the news of the battle of San Ger onimo, interest has temporarily faded here in the question of the use of the Mexican railroads for transporting supplies to General Pershing's col unns. Apparently, the solution of this problem is still far from being reached
 A good deal of curiosity has been aroused over the failure of any train to arrive at Juarez over the North western railroad for a week. No train has left the Mexican town in the same territory A train from Casas Grandes due here yesterday has not yet put in an appearance. The Mexican officials offer no reason for it's non-arriva1 but insist there has been no nlishap, a claim that Is supported by the fact that the Mexican railroad telegraph is working without Interruption.
 There are at least seven carloads of food and forage at present in Juarez, consigned to private concerns in CasaS Grandes. Their departure is not be- ing delayed by lack of equipment as three Mexico-Northwester engines, which were in thegEl Paso and south western railroad yards here have been repaired and taken across the river
 Though General Bell refuses to dis euss the situation, it is said here the question of transporting supplies by rail will be held in a.beyance for a few days in the hope that the present eff forts of Col, Dodd's troopers to cap ture Villa would be successful A false alarm that Mexican raiders crossed the Rio Grande and had at tackled an American ranch house ten miles east of here sent, soldiers and policemen racing to the scene in auto mobiles early today. They found no trace of the alleged raiders on tEe ranch.