The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-03
ANOTHER SURVIVOR
 OF CARR|ZAL FIGHT
Corporal Cooke of K Troop
 Brought to JuareZ
WAS WELL TREATED
in Uniform Excited No Demonstration at Villa Ahumada or Juarez-Reiterates That Mexicans
 Fired First on American Troops

Fl Paso Tex, July 2-Another survivor | of the Carrizal fight was located today.
 He is Corporal F. x Cooke of K troop,
 Tenth cavalry, who was brought into Juarez this afternoon from Villa Anu
 mada, and placed in prison. General Francisco Gonzales, Juarez
 commander, wired Gen. Jacinto Trevino at Chihuahua City for instructions and it is probable Cooke will be turned over
 to the American authorities tomorrow. Corporal Cooke added his statement to that of other survivors that the Mexicans fired the first shots of the Carrizal en- gagement.
 He also quoted Captain Boyd as saying just before the commander gave orders to his men to advance: "The general has given orders that there is only one way for us to go and that is to the north My orders are to go to Villa Ahumada, to the east, and am going there"
 TROOPERS WERE CAUTIONED In previous stories Captain Boyd's mis- sion has been explained to have been the recovery of a deserter at Villa Ahumada. Captain Boyd also, Cooke said, cautioned
 the troopers against firing first and against letting any piece go off acci- dentally
 After escaping from the fight at Carri- gal, Cooke said he wandered without food and with a broken arm for four days, lived several more on the hospitality of Mexican ranchers and then pushed out alone for the American base, only to be captured at a water hole. He was brought into Villa Ahumada yesterday and put on a train for Juarez.
 Despite his American uniform and ban daged arm, his appearance caused no hos tile demonstrations in Villa Ahumada and not even curiosity in Juarez. T was shot down in the very begin ming of the fighting" Corporal Cooke said. q crawled back with my arm drag ging, to a ditch and slipped down into it. There I met Corporal Queen. The cor poral united his emergency bandage and bound up my arm I then went back to where the horse holders had been and couldn't find anybody. So I struck out for the places where we had camped the night before.
 'I didn't then even know the place of the fight was named Carrizal. I saw only five men who had been shot down, but someone said Captain Boyd was killed The number killed and captured is a sur- prise to me.
 
 about 2:So o'clock in the afternoon and stuck around there until 8 o'clock at night expecting my command to assem- ble there. No, sir, didn't intend to sur render.
 q intended to get back to our base at Federico.
 WANDERED FOUR DAYS "For four days I wandered around. try | ing to work my way back the way we ] came. But I got on the wrong trail. l
 didn't get bite to eat these days and | had hard work finding water. Of course,
 I did my travelling at night and hid in | the mesquite in the day. There were plenty of coyotes bowling around at night, but I never saw even a rattle l snake in the daytime.
 "As I didn't know any Spanish, felt doubtful about showing myself But I l got so weak from loss of blood and my arm swollen and painful and no food, | that finally, while I was looking for wa ter I saw Mexican at well watering l mules and, believe me. he looked good,
 even if he was a Mexican. | "On my wanderings I had picked up a
 Mexican clay water bottle and the first | thing I did at the we'll was to empty
 the bottle six times. When the Mexican I got over his astonishment I made signs | for chow. So he led me over to the | ranch
 | There were five men, three women and l five kids in the house and the women
 gave me some bread. Afterward I slept | They treated me just as nice as if I | had been one of their own soldiers They knew about the fight. but I could only
 point to my arm and say, Villa Anu
 mada. stayed about four or five days. 1 During that time the Mexicans bathed
 my arm in hot water and reduced the swelling, but wanted a doctor to set | the bone. So I struck out again across | the desert
 After crossing about five miles of des- ert my water ran out so turned back
 to water hole. While I was drinking a Carranza cavalryman came up. We were about 12 miles below Villa Ahumada.
 I then learned. The soldier got horse and we rode over to the town. There
 they kept me in the military quarters
 until the Juarez train left I came up to Juarez with the soldier and couple | of Mexican families"
 l Cooke enlisted from New York city. | He has served six years in the army
 His return reduced the number of Amer
 ican dead or missing at Carrizal to IA.
 three daughters. Mrs w. c. Hollowell
 and Mrs. G. W. Martin of Bessemer, and
 Mrs. J. E. Rockett of Ensley.