South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-04-28
WOULD PERSHING
HAVE A CHANCE?
Border Patrols Figure il War
Started u. S. Troops
Would be Wiped Out.
BY Kent \. Hunter


COLUMBUS. ~ ST. April 2S.-
Just IA in the first Mexican war
Remember the Alamo. and later in
he Spanish war 30 was Remember
he Maine. so it will be- in this sffair
-'Remem her Pershing IF We ac-
tually get into a war with Car
rama"
The speaker was "A grizzled old
sergeant. who remembered the
Maine vividiy-as a. buIlet-furrow-
cd cheek attested Seated around
the camp fire here was the straw
board OF military strategy. That
l. practically all the border patrol
has 20 do now-hgure out what is
likely to happen. what may happen
and wait. wait. wait
IL rather gets on some OF the
older mems nerves TO have 90 sit
along the border and wait. The
boys with Pershing-s expedition may
be having a hard time. but no hard
er than those who were left behind
or Pershing's men az least are GO
ing somewhere. doiuE something
while the men here are growing res
tive under the uncertainty of 10 ALL
The probabilities OF real interveu-
ton afford practically the sole topic
OF conversation.
SO every night the straw board or
strategy gathers about the fire and
smokes and speculates.
The first move OF Carranza said
the same old grizzled veteran last
night. would be 10 make as big
o show Of force as possible i'm order
90 hold us on the border in pretty
strong numbers. Their ne would
have two retreating wings concen-
trated at Ascension OF Espia.
The commands of Gen Gales
and Gomez in the Sierra Madre
mountains and along the American
border west OF the Sonora Chihua-
hua mountains would move south,
east through Oaxaca-Carretas. Dos
Cabezos and Pulpita passes. cutting
out line or communication at some
point between Ascension and Cor
ralitos. on the Mexican Northwest
err railroad.
The big Carranza garrisons ar
Tuarez. Barreal and Guzman would
work southwest. picking up the gar
risons at Sabinal and San Pedro
on the Mexican Northwestern and
joining the Gales and Gomez forces
in the vicinity of Corralitos.
$50 far as we know the combined
forces would be we'll over 20. 600
men At Dublan. then. would come
the first big battle OF a general
american Mexican war for il has
the biggest single American force
in our line Of communication. 1t
is approximately $500 cavalry, in
fantry and artillery.
Twenty-Five hundred against 20
C0Oi Can't YOU see 10 in your minds
eye" he asked with a rueful laugh.
And in the meantime" he con-
dnued. up from the southeast and
the southwest, through the Bau-
hineva pass. Nal pass and Cum bre
tunnel would pour the hordes Of
southern MeNicans flying the ban
ners Of Carranza, villa. the Arrieta
brothers and probably Zapata. For
II we do have war, We're sure as
daylight going to have TO tight all
Mexico
And there we'd be-short Of
provisions. our line Of Communica-
lion cut. and hemmed i'm on all sides
hy about % men TO l. We'd be
lucky if we escaped being tee-totally
wipe out.
And while all this was going on.
far to the south OF Dublan south
Of Chihuahua City even. Pershiug
and mis- advance would have 20 fight
their way through an these Car
ranzistas in the towns and cities on
the Mexican National railroad.
which runs directly south from
Juarez. The forces garrisoning these
towns probably number 10000.
tershing has about 5000.
Eventually. perhaps in two
weeks. we would mobilize enough
troops along the border here TO fght
through 10 Dublan But we proba-