Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-05
BANDITS FLEE
WHEN ATTACKED
Make No Attempt to Fight I'm
less Cornered; Shot Down
at Mile Range

General ]. j. Pershing's Camp San
Geronimo Ranch, Chihuahua, April
(By Aeroplane and Motor Courier to
Columbus, N. NJ, April 4.)-The Am
erican eXpeditionary forces first fight
with the Villa bandits was a running
match. This was learned to-day when
part of Colonel Dodd's command,
which participated in the fight, ar
rived at the supply base near the
headquarters camp. When the United
States soldiers overlook the bandits
in a surprise attack last Wednesday
morning, the Mexicans made no at
tempt to fight the Americans, whom
they equalled in numbers, except
when they were brought to bay by the
hard riding of the pursuers. Troops
who participated in the fight said that
the bandits rode silently, as If in
fright.
Crouching low over their horses,
then scattered over a wide zone, they
left the Americans to force the fight
ing.
Killed at a Mile
The Guerrero river divided some of
the pursuers and the bandits for
time during the five hours running
fight. The Americans galloped for
some distance along on the bank of
the river. firing as they rode at the
enemy on the other side. AS the Mex
leans in small groups rode up some
of the gradually sloping sides on the
foothills in the long fight, they offered
clear but small targets for American
forces strung out along the line of
pursuit. Some of the troops had un-
usual opportunity to test their marks
manship at the extreme range of kill
ing power for a rifle, about 5000
yards. At about a mile few of them
made hits, but most of the thirty
known dead were shot at shorter
ranges.
Amputatc With Meat Saw
The number of Villa men wounded
is problamatical, as these bandits
are noted for their hardihood in re-
covering from wounds without what
is considered surgery as known to
modern armies A meat saw to
amputate a limb or an arm is said to
be an ordinary operation among them.
When the amputation is done, the saw
is heated and clapped over the raw
wound to cauteriZe it, Wounded men
treated by these primitive methods are
easily hidden in the mountains where
the Villa band fed after the battle of
Guerrero.
The Guerrero river runs past the
town of Guerrero. In closing about
the town the Americans placed two
squadrors of cavalry in roads facing
the city and another squadron across
the river on the opposite side of the
town. A fourth command took posi-
tion near ford on the. river at one
edge of the town. Owing to guides
error. the squadron which was to oc-
cupy the position across the river was
slow in arriving and these MeXicans
saw one squadron in front of the
town before they knew that there
was any cc'nmand across the river.
At first Villas forces tried TO ride out
of town towards the southwest but
cavalry in front of the city shot too
many of them to make this line of
escape feasible. In this dash a few
Villa followers got across the river and
escaped in n southwesterly direction.
The main forces then turned north
east heading across the river. where
the cavalry squadron which had been
delayed by poor guides was not vet In
sight in the pass i'm that direction
The delayed squadron arrived in
time TO catch this retreat i'm fun
swing and to shoot down many horses
and men but not quickly enouEht to
stop the escape of the bulk of Villas
command. Turning into the pass
where the Villa band had headed
northeast The Americans pursued
them for four hours, when the bandits
formed behind a ridge 10 make
fight. AS the Americans came on, the
line of bandits broke again into re-
tinued another hour. The ground was
so rough in many places that flight
and pursuit alike were very slow. The
men estimated that in the five hours
running sliirmish not more than ten
lineal miles were covered.