The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-24
UNITED STATES ARMY
AND CARRANzA FORCE
CLOSING in ON VILLA
Clash With Bandits Imminent Says Report to
Army Headquarters-Unable to Account For
Cutting of Telegraph Wires From Front
Lost Aviator, Ound By Motor Train, Con-
tinues Flight to Field Base.

Ell Paso, March 24-The Mexican
situation was more confused and I'M
certain today than at any time since
| the pursuit of Francisco Villa began
| Virtually the only news received from
| the interior was from Mexican
i sources and this was of such a dis
tinctly contradictory nature that 1t
was impossible to separate the true
/ from the false.
| EARLY today Andreas Garcia, the
Carranza consul here, displayed tele-
grams which he said he had received
j from General Bertani at Casas Gran
! des announcing, that Villa was sur
rounded at Ell Osos a ranch five miles
south of Namaquipa by the joint
Am erican and Carranza troops and
that a, decisive battle was imminent
| General Bell, commanding the Unit
ed States troops here, received this
report in silence His only comm ent
was that he would wait until he heard
directly from General Persing, who Is
leading the punitive expedition or
General Funston, before making any
statement on the situation. There
was frank skepticisnn among other
United States army officers. although
it was admitted that advance detach-
ments Of the American troops might
easily have reached Namiquipa by this
time if they had maintained anything
I
the first hundred miles Of their
march.
An American crew of a train which
| arrived at Juare early today from
| Casas Grandes reported that all was
quiet at the latter town when they left
there They said there were many
American soldiers in town from a
camp nearby and 4 that the natives
seemed pleased at their presence as
they spent more real silver money
than had been seen in Casas Grandes
for many months.
T The trainmen could throw no light
on the cutting of the wires at the
Mexican northwestern railroad which
was reported some days ago by Cen
era1 Gaviera- They said the trip was
buneventful. Nothing was known at
Casas Grandes when they left there
as to any fighting at Naniqufpa or
elsewhere.
Two Mormons who arrived on the
train confirmed the statements of the
crew. They stated that the Casas
Grandes natives were very respectful
to the American white soldiers, but
were most impressed by a, coIored
regiment which left for the south
| yesterday. The Mornons said that
many natives of Casas Grandes were
! convinced that villa could not escape
| the negro troopers.
In the absence of positive informa-
| ton regarding the pursuit Of Villa
| the main interest along the border
| was conferred on the International
crisis in Mexico. The reports respect
| ing the desertion of Carranza by Cen
eral Luis Herrera were so conf1ic ting
| that any attempt to decide between
| them was, hopeless. The wefghtiest
evidence in support of the belief that
Herrera had revolted was supplied by
1 General Bell, who said that his con-
i hrmation to that effect came from
sources that he was satisfied were
| correct. Herrera is known here as a
| bitter anti--American and he is also
4 understood to cherish deep resentnnen
against Carrahza for depriving him
recently of his post as chief-at-arms.
/ It is recalled that at the time of the
American Occupation Of Vera Cruz
Herrera, who was then allied with
both Villa and Carranza, protested