The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1916-05-26
THE RAID STORY

Due to so many calls for the is
sue Of the Courier containing the
story of the Villa raid on Column
bus, we decided to reprint the story
and have plenty of extra copies.
Those desiring them can get same
at the office at 5 cents each.
Fairly Thursday morning. March .. n few
minutes after four o'clock. about 1000 Mexican
bandits. under command Of Pancho villa. at
lacked Columbus. killing nineteen Americans,
and woundinR n large number OF pthers.
Il IL impossible for us to publish dnything
likc n complete report Of the massacre. and
We shall only try 10 give a complete outline
Il what Happened.
Evrry citizen Of Columbus had an exciting
tory - their experience. but Il would make
our narrative too long to undertake TO in
c'ude them. Those who are alive had n mira
culous escape, and many saved their lives
oBy by prctrndpnR that they were dead.
the bandits leaving them. thinking they had
boon murdered.
The Mexicans entered the town from the
outhwefL. The arroyu between Columbus pro-
per and the Rice addition. running south
parallel Ia the camp, which was occupied by
i,ur troops Of the Thirteenth Cavalry. was
occupied by "A large portion Of the bandits.
They used this as protection against the re-
turn fire Of the cavalry and themselves opened
fire upon the conn. This held the attention
Of almost all the soldiers. and at the same time
r large force entered town and began TO MUIR
der the citizens. loot aud burn. Another
Rand Of the bandits went 10 the cavalry sta
blc e. try to take the horse. ssecccding In
gcttiug away with twenty or more Of the
hortc4.
VIA had planned the attack In this way.
hinkinc that Il would give his men plenty
4 time to loot and burn the town. and then
h= force IN the RrrSA could make their
ray bark 10 the line after the forces from the
tables and town had made their getaway. In
his they were only partly successful.
Lieut.. Castleman was the officer Of the
day and was the only officer In camp. He
had a machine gun placed in the arroyo and
~ auick A. they were driven from this poai-
ton he tuvk A. much Of his force a. possible
and came into town. lie probably had fifty
men, most Of whom were members Of Troop
+. Thirteenth Cavalry. lie came in from
lamp to the Hoover Hotel. and Immediately
opened fire on the MeSicans. arriving just
in time to save the guests and those who had
gathered at the hotel. Lieutenant Castleman
has received but very little mention FOR his
part in the battle. but he was the man who
shved the town. The windows and doors Of
practically every business house IN Columbul
had been troken in and were being looted,
aud C~aitlcnEn's men picked off many Of tia
bandits as they came from the doors loaded
with plurder. a better fighting force Of mer
han he had would have been hard TO find.
They seemed cool. and made every shot count
They were probably outnumbered ten 10 one
but that only made the men more eager to wip'
hem out. Castleman was the real hero o.
the day, and he certainly won the gratitude
Of our citizens. So far IA Ia known onlS
one man Of his troop was killed. This wa
a private In Troop r.. He fell In the street
with a hole through his body. He held OF
to his gun and tried To get under cover
While trying to crawl behind a building. n bal
let struck him. innictlnR a wound that mean
death. but he still held his gun. and fire,
sevsral shots At the neeinE bandits. Il tool
the third shot to quiet his effective rifle.
Lennon a Romney's store Wss the first piae'
looted, After everything Of value that the,
could take vas carried out they set fire Il
the building. The store burned and III
Commercial Hotel caught from Il. Thre'
business buildings. Including the cS'amereia
Hotel. were burned. the ssme belonging Il
Sam Ravcl. The residence Of Juan Faveli
was also burned. catching from the hotel
A threc room euaiaEe, owned BY W. +.
Richie. proprietor Of the Commercial Hotel
wac also SCI fire by the burning hotel. an,
the real ostate office Of b n. Reed eaugh
fire from Lennon 4 Romney'a store. !
number Of small buildings were also burned
Those who we're MURDERS were J 7. Dean
Knoeeryman C. c. BlleF. druggist; }. J
Moore. merchant, Mn. Milton james, wife o
abe =. =. a $, W. pumpcri DR.. H.. NJ. Hart
Of NJ paso c. Dewitt Miller. q Tulaross
W. A. Davidson, n Pasoi N. r. Waller,
chauffeur. who was stopping at the Com
mercial Hotel. and eight U. S. soldiers. A
D. frost, Milton james. hn. J. J. Moor
and a fow MEMBERS Of the 18th cavAlr
we're also seriously wounded
W. 7. Richie and some Of bic guata wer
dragRed from the Commercial Hotel and ahs