The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-03-10
dead Mericans were wounded near

the line at this point, and the Car
rama soldiers were reported to have
Joined them, deploying in open ord
or. villa sent them up deep ditch
running up from the border and par
alleIing the road skirting the United
States army camp, the custom house
and the railroad station.
The fight began here in town and
the families OF A. l.. Riggs, customs
officer, and that Of l.. JAEGER, station
agent of the I'll Paso & Southern rail-
road, were i'm the midst of 1t, but no
member of either was hurt. M.
Puche, a merchant, was shot through
the hand.
Five Soldiers Killed.
FL Paso, Tex, March 9.-Five
American soldiers were killed in the
battle at Columbus, N. NJ, with Mex
lean bandits according to a message
received early today at the general
Offices of the El Paso and Southwest
ern railroad In FL -Paso.
The pumper for the railroad at Co
lumbus was wounded and his wife
killed, the message stated.
The bandits attacked the town
shortly after midnight, according to
railroad officials, and set fire to many
buildings. American soldiers fired
upon them and the battle followed.
Only fragmentary details came to
El Paso of the lighting.
Just before daylight long distance
telephone message to the Ell Paso po-
lice from Deming said the bandits
had attacked the depot at Columbus
and that United States soldiers were
beating them off with machine gun
fire.
Later a telephone message came
from Conductor Lumiey, of an extra
freight train on the Ell Paso & South
western railroad, who telephoned to
the general superintendent, that he
was six miles east of Columbus and
afraid to take the train into the town
because of the lighting. He reported
that two soldiers had stopped his
train with the declaration that fight
ing was going on between Mexican
bandits and soldiers near Columbus.
The soldiers told him they were in
need OF reinforcements.
A. Danley, chief clerk, ordered the
conductor to cut the train in two and
proceed on the locomotive TO Column
bus! or as near as he could without
endangering himself and crew, to as
certain further facts. The train crew
carries a telegraphone.
Lieut.. NJ. c. Shallenberger, aide
to Gen. j. J. Pershing, received in
formation that Mexican bandits dur
ing the night had attacked the rail-
road depot at Columbus, and burned
the depot and coal shutes, and when
fired upon by American soldiers had
returned the fire. Lieut.. Shallen-
berger was inclined to doubt that the
American troops were in need of re-
Inducements, and thought the two
soldiers who talked to Conductor
LumIey were unduly excited. There
is full regiment Thirteenth Cav
airy) lat Columbus, under command
of Col. Slocum. The regiment has
four machine guns.
Lieut. Shallenberger said plenty
of troops were available at Fort Bliss
to be sent If needed.
Serious Aspect.
Washington, March 9.-First re-
ports of the Mixican raid on Column
bus, N. M, were received at the White
House while President Wilson was
having his first conference with New
ton ID. Baker, the new Secretary of
War. Officials admitted that the raid
put a very serious aspect on the Mex
lean situation.
While the policy Of the admins
tration SO far has been TO look to the
Carran2a forces to deal with the
bandits, some officials declared to-
day that ii was grave question
whether such a raid as that on Co
lumbus was not sufficient evidence of
the inability of the Carranza govern
ment to deal with the situation, to
warrant sending American troops
over the line.
The raid started new agitation
i'm Congress, where those who have
opposed the administrations Mexican
policy openly charged that the at
tack was proof of their repeated
declaration that the Carranza gov
eminent was unable to deal with
the situation and fulfillment Of their
predictions that another outrage like
the recent Gust massacre, In which
sixteen or more Americans were kill
ed by Villa bandits when they held
up a train, was only question OF