Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-04-06
INF fANTRY BEING
TRAINED FOR USE
IN NOUN TA|NS
FOOT SOLDIERS PRAcTICiNG TO
FIT THEMSELVES FOR CHASE
AFTER VILLA.
At the Front in Mexico, Command

At the Front in Mexico, Command
ing Generals Headquarters, April l.
BY aeroplane and motor courier to
Columbus, N. NJ, April 5.-America's s
first detachment of mountain infantry,
a corps of specially trained men for
such service as that in the mountain
studded country of Guerrero, soon will
be actively assisting the cavalry in the
search for the bandit, Villa. The be-
lief has been announced that such a
command will prove invaluable in the
work confronting the American troops
in the Guerrero district.
Much has been written" said the
general, "about this being cavalry
chase. It is just as much an infantry
task. There are places in the noun
tains where the cavalry can not pener
trate-rocks, cliffs, peaks, caves, can
yons and forests, where at any time
the chase might become question Of
a man to man fight. The infantry in
Mexico is now being brought into
physical condition for this sort of cam
raign."
"Is that the reason?" the general
was asked, why the infantry at the
bases back of the front has been TAX
ing ten and fifteen mile hikes into sur
rounding mountains?''
"The infantry" replied the general,
may soon have reason to demon
strate the uses of its training"
An aeroplane this afternoon sailed
into headquarters camp, stopped five
with dispatches and then flew
southwark toward the mountain pass
twenty miles away, flying over a
MESA, where the distant mountains
were reflected upside down, as in wa
ter, by the afternoon heat waves on
the ground. The machine rocked and
slipped over this boiling air.
Yesterday afternoon in this same
MESA, snow was flying so thickly as
to obscure the adjoining mountains.
A troop of half frozen cavalrymen
came into camp this morning after
having spent many hours in search for
a mountain top cabin where scouts re-
ported that two Villa bandits had
called for food This house was less
than fifteen miles from the headquar
ters of the Americans. The informa-
tion which the troop obtained bore out
the opinion among officers here, that
most of the Villistas have been scat
tered into very small groups, some
of whom are trying to hide In inacces-
sible places while others have hidden
their arms and assumed the guise Of
farmers. -.. '&.. f.'...
Soldiers MisIed.
The people of this region give the
American troops Just as little infor-
nation as possible. A Carranza SOL
dier, who had been condemned to
death after capture by Villa at Guer-
rero and whose life the Americans
saved, said he was willing to act as a
guide, but baked after leading some
on a long trail in search
Of suspected house. A sharp order
for him to proceed and locate the
house Immediately brought results.
He went almost straight to the place.
Fear Of Villa, whose reputation has
been like that of terrible demigod
in this region, accounts for some of
the poems reluctance. Many Of the
Mexicans here show undoubted evil
dence of being Villa soldiers. Moth
ing yet has developed to indicate so
far these sympathizers will carry their
sympathies into action.