Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-09
VILLA BANDITS KILL
MANY AMERICANS
[Continued From First Page.l

! tlOn OF TINS. lie reported ldIe iaSl
night that he saw two parties of Villas
men moving eastward from Bosques
/ GrandeS ranch toward Palomas, an
abandoned Carranza outpost six miles
directly south below here.
Colonel Fl. j. Slocum, commanding
the 18th cavalry, has heavy patrols
out, and two troops of cavalry at Glib
sons ranch. Is miles west
Burn Dead Man
Carranza customs guards at the bor-
der gates three miles south of Column
bus had dug a few rifle pits for the
fifty CarranZa soldiers who fled
Palomas when Villa appeared in the
vicinity several days ago.
Villas men apparently came over
the line at this point and the Carranza
soldiers were reported to have Joined
them, deploying in open order Villa
sent them up a deep ditch running up
from the border and paralleling the
road slIirting the United States Army
camp, the customs house and the rail-
road station.
The fight began here in town. and
the families of A. l.. Riggs, customs
officer. and that of l.. Jager, station
agent, of the Eel Paso and Southwest
ern railroad, were in the midst of it,
but no member of either was hurt.
NJ. Puche, merchant, was shot
through the hand.
j. j. Moore, a merchant. II miles
west, was killed. A chauffeur. driv-
ing an automobile with an El Paso
license, name unknown, was killed and
his body burned.
Villa Directs Men
Lieutenant Casteman, officer of the
day, turned out all the men remain
Ing in the camp. Shrielling battle yells.
the MeNicans in overwhelming num-
bers rushed savagely into the town
north of the railroad tracks. A courier
was sent to Major Lindsey, at Glib
bons ranch, fifteen miles east, to bring
up the troops posted there. The first
VoIley of rifles woke all the towns
people.
Villa is said to have been seen by
several Americans directing his men.
He cut the telegraph wires east to
El Paso to prevent any call for Ameri-
can troops stationed there. The tele-
phones also went out of commission.
While part of his forces fought tho
hastily rallied American troops, Villa
Is said to have detailed snipers and
soldiers to fire houses. Houses
throughout the town were riddled with
bullets.
Woman is Shot
Riggs. his wife and two children in
the living quarters of the customs
house barricaded themselves behind
mattresses on the floor. l.. Jager and
his wife and two children on the sec
ond floor of the railroad station build
ing did the same.
In The section house near by Fore
man 5. II. Mccullough and his wife
and their four children sought safety
on the floor. Bullets flew over their
heads.
C. c. Miller was shot dead as he
dashed from his drug store to the
Hoover Hotel. across the street.
a woman dragging a little girl by
the hand was wounded and stun bled
over The druggists body.
Shot as They He'd
Snipers posted in front Of frame
buildings which had been set on fire
shot at the American inmates as they
sought refuge from the flames fast de-
stroying several buildings. These Mex
lean snipers moved deliberately i'm the
dark. The lighting of lamps by house
holders and hotel guests startled out
promptly brought shower of bullets.
Every house in town and nearly every
window appeared to have been hit
from once to dozen times.
Civilians armed themselves and
from vantage points within their homes
answered the shots of the MeXicans.
Some OF the bandits sought to entice
speaking English. j. $. Dean was
caught in this way. A Mexican who
spoke excellent English called to him.
Dean emerged from a doorway and
his reply in English betrayed him to
be an American and brought his death.
At the same time another American
shouted:
Hey, who are you?"
viva Villa" came the reply.
81 don't know who he is" the
American answered, but have some
of him left here scattered in the
street"
The American pointed to a street in
tersection where half a dozen dead
bandit raiders lay in the pale light of
dawn. The quick flash of a few pistol
shots were visible and disclosed lying
forms in the street.
Villa apparently left when Colonel
Slocum's troops began pressing the
MeXicdns toward the south.
Villas buglers began sounding the
retreat shortly before o'clock. The
town was cleared of them by $40 and
the remaining people of Columbus be-
gan to take account of casualties and
losses. Walter Walker, who was shot
at the Central Hotel with the pro-
prietor, w. II. Ritchie, was a dele
gate to the New Mexico State conven-
tion of Sunday schools. His body was
burned in the ruins of the hotel.
Mrs. Rachel Walker, also a delegate
to the convention from Playas, \. NJ,
was saved by jolly Garner and his
partner Ben Aguire, United States
customs border riders, who tied sheets
to her arms and lowered her from
window
Taken From Wife
Walker was taken from the arms
of his wife by one of the bandits who
invaded the hotel. Despite her cries
and appeals for mercy the bandit told
her he wanted her husband to go
downstairs and shake hands with his
captain. A moment later Mrs. Walker
heard the shots that killed her hus-
band and the hotel proprietor.
Shortly afterward oil was thrown on
the building and match applied. AS
the flames spread Garner and Aguire
reached Mrs. Walkers ROOM rescued
her and escaped safely.
To Force Intervention
The Mexican told Colonel Slocum
that Villa left the Bosques Grandes
ranch Tuesday. made leisurely journey
north and about I yesterday afternoon
left a point on the Boca Grande and
started for the border.
Travelling north they crossed the
boundary west of Columbus said the
Mexican, land entered town by n ditch
running past the cavalry camp. Villa
was in personal charge and declared
he was going to kill every American
because the American Government did
not treat him right Villa declared
Carranza could not bring peace in
Martin Lopez, Colonel Candelares Sc
wants Colonel Cruz Chavez General