The Elbert County tribune., 1916-06-30
TELLS STORY OF
MEXICAN AMBUSH
Escaped Trooper Gives Details
of Tenth Cavalry Fight.
csrranzs Troops Moved Down Me,
and Horses With Machine Guns
After Leading Them Into
Trap.

El Paso. Tex.-No more graphic story
can be found In the record OF the
United States army thnn that told by
one of the couriers from the Ill-futed
troops of the Tenth cuvulry TINT was
ninhushed by Currnnzn troops. His
story of the attack was told to General
PershiHg and Included by thnt officer
In his report to Washington. II was ns
follows:
The following ls the story he tells:
I'VE hnd heen marching since enrIy
Wednesday morning when we reached
the neighi'orhood OF Curriznl. Can't.
Charles I. Boyd was riding nhend OF
the column. Just behind him was Can't
Lewis 5. Morey. Lieut.. Henry Il. Adalr
wns further back with the column
There were 65 men In the troop.
Outnumbered to I.
From our position we could see
some Mexican soldiers In the vIlinge
Cnptnln Boyd sent forward messen.
ger under II flag of truce to nsk permls.
sion to enter the town In senrch of the
bnndits TINT we were hunting. Gen.
Felix Gomez sent bnck word giving
permission to enter.
Gomez himself rode out to meet
Captain Boyd. Captain Boyd give tn.
word for the column to udvnnce. w.
were Just stnrting forward when we
noticed Mexican troops pouring ont
from behind different kinds of shelter
-hdobe houses and the like--nnd ie-
ploying to the right and left. II wns
bnttle formation. From the first glance
we saw tlnt they outnumbered us ut
lenst live to one.
fnptain Boyd noticed their move
ment. To any soldier TINT sort OF thing
can nienn only that an nttnck is about
10 he mIde. | SAW Captain Boyd mo.
Hon to the Meyicnns and nuke some
renurk about Il to Gomez. Gomez
wheeled his mount around and sig.
nailed with his hands Then he .unde
dash for his own lines
AT the si,ine time couple OF mn.
thine guns one M ench end OF the
Mexican line. opened up on us. We
were caught In our saddles In easy
rnnge. and we were good targets. /
saw Captain Boyd full. A nnment
Inter Captain Morey was wounded In
the shoulder.
Lieutenant AtInIr gave us the order
TO disnount. We got out of our sud
dies In II hurry. Then he told us to
throw ourselves on our fnces und re-
turn the fire. Someone got Gomez Ius,
as lie was reaching his line. The mex,
minute Lieutenant AdnIr was nit
Both he und Captain Boyd are dead, |
believe.
Horses Going Down.
"The muchne guns were still going
| could hear the bullets whizzIng over
us. Because of Lieutenant Adnir.s or
Ter we saved II lot OF men. But the
horses did not have the same luck. The
bullets started to hit them. nnI they
we're going down as If their legs werr
suddenly cnt out from under them.
''rhe others. stIng by the bullets nnd
kicked by the dying horses. began to
rear and plunge. The men In cinrg.
tried their hest TO hold them .bui they
broke nway. Some OF the man w.r.
Killed trying to suve their mounts.
when the horses got away we were
nnrooned. We fought bnck and pre-
vented the Mexicnns from advancing
In spite OF their advantage In numbers
ana the mnchine guns. we begnn to
fhil back toward the hills us well ~
we could.
1--WE recovered four horses nnd then
the four of us were zen, here 10 re-.
port. We left the rest of the troops In
me HIS. The retrent WIS slow becunsr
~ the wounded. The Mexicnns kept
nring. but were kept AWAY by tile ac-
curnte rifle fire of our men"