Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-19

Columbus, n. NJ. )-Twenty-hye
Mexican cowboys from the Hearst
ranch at BabieOra broke and scat
tered a newly formed gang of
bandits near MADEIRA, about week
ago. killing Is, wOunding one and
capturing six, according TO news
reaching here today.
The band had been organized by
Atezutro Dominguez and Pedro Cas-
tillo, who announced their enmity for
Americans and Carransistas. Follow
ing the theft of a number of horses
from the Hearst ranch for mounts,
they began a sort of guerilla warfare.
Employees of the ranch surprised
the bandits in camp near the ranch
Viejo. The six taken prisoner were
delivered to Carranzista authorities In
MADEIRA
. Among the dead were Dominique
and Castillo, the toll bringing the
| number of Villista slain up to nearly
| $50 since the American punitive e2-
petition was sent across the border
| about nine weeks ago.
The cowboys captured so horses, a
| number of rifles and other booty.
80 Villistas Freed2
| Columbus, N NJ, May 19.-Ninety
Villista prisoners, captured by Amer
lean cavalrymen in the engagement at
Ojo- Azules, Chihuahua, late in April
have been released, according to civil
ians returning to the border today
! The prisoners were held some days
and questioned in an attempt to OBJ
tain information concerning the move
ments of the various scattered ban
/ dts and then released, it was said
At military headquarters here the re-
ports concerning the release were re-
ceived with some surprise, although a
number of prisoners have been cap
tured during the campaign and six Of
them have been imprisoned in the
stockade built here.
Soldiers Ill on Mexican Food.
A number of American soldiers en-
camped between Colonia Dublan anC
Namiquipa recently became i'll aftel
eating food purchased from Mexicans
and as a result several of the native
were taken into custody, the arrivals
said. Military authorities have taker
steps to prevent repetition of tht
danger. Heavy traffic over the motor
truck trail from Columbus to Mani
quipa has made it almost impossible
truck men said In some places thu
road, despite efforts of the engineer
ing corps, has become to rutted as tt
make impossible a greater speed thai
three miles an hour
Of no
the hospital upon their arrival suffer
ing from illnesses presumably caused
by the heavy jolting-
CavaIry's Value Proven.
Field Headquarters, May II (by mo-
tor trucks to Columbus, N. NJ, MAY
19)-One phase of the Villa chase
noted by army officers has been thai
the value of cavalry for scouting anC
all around fighting has not at all de
creased.
Notwithstanding the use of aero
planes for scouting the cavalry recon
Nuisance lost none of its military
value. Four sets of conditions devel
oped, under which the aeroplane:
could not scout--in fog, darkness, il
rain, and in cloudy weather. The cav
airy did it's most efficient scouting il
darkness, or under cover of rair
clouds. Every important fight witt
bandits was accomplished under cove
of night, which made surprise attack!
possible.
Few persons, even those with thu
expedition, realized that the remark
able work of the auto trucks in main
tanning the supply line was done large
ly as an auxiliary for cavalry opera
tons The daily ration for one sol
der averages two pounds, whereas thu
: daily ration for horse is II pounds
: so that the trucks were carrying ;
heavy proportion of their loads TO
> the cavalry horses.
Went Without RatiOns.
For several weeks most of the cav
airy campaigned without truck ra
tons, either for man or horse, bu
| this work brought out another dis
tinctive value of thoroughly traine'
: cavalry. This was the cavalryman'
J individual skill as a horseman, whicl
enabled the men to keep their mount
alive and serviceable, not only o.
: scanty fodder, but on no feed at all.
In all their battles the cavalryme
/ fought as infantry, that is dismount
, ed, and with rifles or pistols. The dif
. ference between them and mounte
) infantry lay in the years of careful
r training which enabled them to kee
the horses going under conditions S
trying that probably nine-tenths c
| the animals would have persisted un
der the handling of anyone except a
: expert horseman.