Evening journal., 1916-05-08
VENGEANCE ON MEXICANS
IS CRY IN Glenn SPRINGS
BY The United Press.

BY The United Press.
ALPINE. Tex. May S.-American
troops rushed through the desolate
stretches Of the Big Bend country in
pursuit OF Mexican bandits whotkilled
three American soldiers and To-
year-Old boy and captured two Ameri-
can citizens after a hve-hOur battle
against a little detachment at Glenn
Springs. Texas.
The Big Bend country was In
white heat Of rage. and throughout the
district cattlemen and other residents
were rallying to the cry for ven
geance. An entire battalion ordered
out by General Funston. following de-
layed reports gf the fight OF the Amer
lean troops converting on Marathon
Texas. by railroad will dotrain inn
mediately and sweep south over the
desert toward the border. These
troops are from Fort Bliss. El Paso;
Fort Clark Bracket. Texas. south OF
San Antonio. Preside and Alpine. Fif-
teen cavalrymen dashed out OF Alpine
at the first news Of the raid, TO the aid
or apOther small detachment OF nine
men which had arrived from a near
by desert post 10 aid the stricken
American settlement
The raid broke at 10 O'Clock Friday
night, when force estimated at from
l50 10 300 Mexicans, crept up on the lit
tie wax settlement. They avoided the
border patrol by a wide detour. forded
the Rio Grande and crossed the inter
vening sandy stretch at night. There
were nine men of the Fourteenth cav
I airy stationed at Glenn Springs 20 pro-
tect the settlement from attack. Others
in the village were C. ID. Wood and W.
! X. Ellis. owners of n wax factory, with
| their families; y. Dcemer, owner of a
general store, and +. Compton, employed
| as Dcemer's clerk.
The wax factory represented the
towns only industry and the store was
the only trading post in radius Of
many miles. A few Mexican families
] composed the remainder of the village
The nearest city lay IS miles away and
| the village was far removed from rail-
! road communication.
Retreating TO an adobe hut. after FIR
ing a few shots with revolvers, the
Americans harricaded the doors and
began n five.hour fight against trcmon-
/ dous odds. In the end they were routed
/ by fire when the AleXicans. despairing Of
| approaching the hut while the Ameri-
( cans had any ammunition left, hurled
| fire balls on the thatched roof Three
men fell as the detachment fled at last
from the blazing hut. One was riddled
with ten bullets, the other two were
struck many times. The remainder. in
cluding some wounded. reached the shell.
ter Of the rocky field and continued the
fighting until daylight. when the NIeNi-
| cans with triumphant wells, mounted
their horses and rode away, carrying
| their captives. Deemer and Compton
and leading pack horses loaded Will
/ loot.
No hope was held out for Deemer
and Compton today. Knowing the
character Of the Mexican raiders
/ through frequent border clashes, resi-
dents OF the surrounding country
were prepared to hear the worst re.
gard.ng the fate of the two frontiers
men. Compion's son. a mute. was
slain in the first few minutes OF the
raid, supposedly because he Mexi
cans thought the child was conceal
ing information.
The attack centered on the soldiers
When the surviving troopers. most OF
them badly wounded, escaped to the
hills back of the settlement and lodg
ed themselves behind sheltering rocks
the Mexicans turned their attention
TO the village store. From their perch
on the hillside the American troops
saw the DARK forms OF the Mexicans
passing in and out Of the building, as
tho loot was carried inlo the open and
strapped to the pack horses. Then