The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-24

There was, in fact, so little metal money among either the Mexicans and the small band of American Mormons who have braved the dangers of reported Villa raids, that many were unable to provide change for a silver dollar.
 The one Chinese storekeeper found in Nueva Casas Grandes was asked what he would give for American s bill. He opened his cash drawer and with an expressive motion of the arms and hands indicated that he was willing to exchange for it the bale of Carranza and Villa paper money it contained.
 Marching slowly on account of the wag on trains the head of the first column did not enter the base camp here until Monday at noon after march of 157 miles from Columbus. The machine gun troops of the Thirteenth cavalry, the wagon trains and other units lost alto gether F mules.
 The second or flying column, which under Generel Pershing's personal com mand made Il 'e dash from Colbertson ranch, lost three mules The transport animals of the latter, however were more lightly burdened.
 General Pershing's cavalry escort crossed the boundary at 3:17 o'clock Thursday morning. March 16. It was a brilliant moonlight night and freezing cold but the brisk cavalry trot kept the men warm.
 The sun rising over the mountains gave the men their first view of the country dreary desert sun-scorched mesquite and bunch grass dotting a level valley fioored with red material eroded from an eminenoe thrown uS by volcanic ex- plosions in prehistoric ages.
 NOT NEW THING
 At 7:30 the flying column made Carrizo. The negro cavalrymen and soldiers of the artillery, hospital units and field ra- dio outfits that had preceded the escort were encamped on the sides of a granite butte fronting the canyon in which Ge- ronimo the famous Apache warriot, made his final stand and surrendered to- Amer ican troops more than 30 years ago, These facts recalled to many officers. some of the older of whom participated in the Apache campaign, that the present ex- petition into Mexico had set no prece- dent and that bandit hunting in a for eign country of independent sovereignty was not new thing for the United States army.
 Here on the hillside was observed for the first time the other units of the flying column, the artillery, the negro cavalry from Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and other distant points, and such was the
 
 that even the officers of lesser rank did not know of their coming. In fact the officers of the organization themselves moved more or less in the dark. Their orders directed them to proceed to cer- tain points where other orders would be found They proceeded thus by stages, not knowing where the next orders would take them and the appearance of Gen eral Pershing first at Hachita and then at Culberson's ranch plainly surprised the soldiers and some of their officers. FIRST MEAL IN MEXICO At Carrizo the first meal in Mexico was eaten. It consisted of army bacon part of the five days rations issued to the men hard tack, which tastes some what like the matzo of Jewish religious feasts and unsweetened coffee. Officers and men fared alike
 General Pershing allowed the command to rest until noon. The order then was to make all speed to reach the big Ojitos ranch, formerly the property of brother of Admiral Lord Charles Beresford of Great Britain, at nightfall. Ojitos is 50 miles from the border. At o'clock that night camp was being made by the Amer ican troops beside irrigation ditches through which flowed the first running water they had seen in Mexico. Here also were seen the first Mexicans other
 
 miles north of Ojtios, silhouetted against the sky on 8 mountain top. These two were at first believed to be spies but scouts reported them to be ranchers liv- ing in the valley.
 The Ojitos MeMcans reaped golden harvest among the hungry soldiers
 Friioles, tortillas and chili sauce were in great demand and in contrast to the Casas Grandes Mexcans, who doubled and trebled the prices, on bread and every other eatable, their prices were what like you to give
 FIRST WORD OF VILLA The senoras of the ranch households cooked half the night. their daughters delivered or served the food and the husbands and fathers gathered the money. At Ojitos the intelligence depart ment of the flying column received the first definite word concerning Villa The Mexicans there reported he had assed the ranch Saturday, March Il. two days after the Columbus raid, with an escort of only 10 men. They also stated that reports had been received at the ranch that Villa had killed five Mexicans at Corralitos. an American ranch to the south, because they were working for the hated "Gringoes.
 Although the march of 60 miles had retired some tender feet to the ambu- lances and made partial wrecks of the softer men among the officers and sol diers the column was again in the sad de shortly after daylight.
 The line of march took the trails through the mountains from here on and those who forgot to fill canteens sui fered for the day was torrid the dust thick and the road hard Going up and down hill it crowned precipices and sl<irted ravines and crevasses
 The next water was found at Casa De Janos, ranch about b miles south of Ojitos, where running stream fringed by groves of cottonwood, some of the few trees seen along the march, were found Here General Pershing allowed a five-minute rest. Horses were watered and men plunged their heads into the stream to drink and to wash off layers of dust. Then the drive was resumed.
 '''frut miles walk To. was the narch- ing order. And a cavalry trot to any one inaccustomed to the jarring and jolt ing is anything but easy.
 General Perslns, tall slender, ascetic