New Britain herald., 1916-07-06
ANOTHER AMBUSH NARROWLY AVERTED Scouting Patrol Nearly Falls Into
 Mexican Trap.
ODDS WERE 300 TO 20
Related Tale of Incident Which Might Have Proven Similar to Carrizal Affair-American Officer Was Too Smart However.

Field Headquarters, Co1onia Dub Ian, Chin uahua, July ?, via motor courier to Columbus, N.e M., July G. Three hundred Carranza cavalrymen attempted to ambush a scouting pa trol of twenty American cavalrymen north of Guerrero recently and only by sklllful maneuvering did the Am erican commander save his detach- ment, it was learned here today. The incident occurred shortly after Gen. Trevino notified Gen. Pershing he would regard any movement of Amer ican troops other than northward as hostile.
 The soldiers, a detachment of the Seventh Cavalry under Lieut.. Horace M. Hickam, were on a scouting patrol in search of bandits believed to have had their rendezvous in a zinc mine about thirty miles from the Ameri- can base. Not finding any bandits they started back and had turned in to the main road, the entrance to a canyon, when three Mexicans, half a mile to the south, opened fire.
 Kept Out of Trap.
 Immediately the troopers replied and the MeXicans disappeared over the top of a ridge. Lieut.. Hickam did not follow, realizing that the ter rain in that direction formed a nat ural trap and that the territory to the south was not under patrol.
 The Americans turned north, trot- ting into the canyon. AS they went down the hill, a trooper galloped up from the rear, reporting that about 300 armed, mounted Mexicans had 6 Q Sh n6 he rj9 y1yhn O three Mexicans fled and were pursu- ing the Americans. Hickam started for a hill farther up the canyon, there to make a stand if too hard pressed. His men went forward at a gallop and the American horses, wearied by the long march they al- ready had made, steadily lost ground to the pursuing column. To rest their mounts the Americans from time to time dismounted and ran, leading the animals. Still they lost ground.
 Foe Rushed By.
 When the Carranza force seemed about to overtake his men, Lieut.. Hickam led them off the road into a rock walled depression about ten feet deep, where a huge oak hid them from view Within 300 yards the Mexicans rode past without discover ing the hidden Americans. Then the latter, at a leisurely pace, followed their late pursuers until the hill was reached.
 Here they drew up along the can- yon With deep ravines protecting each flank. At this point they had chance, in case of attack, to get their horses safely up and over the noun tain ridge overlo oking the canyon which ran upward from the Ameri- can rear But when the Carranza troops came back down the canyon road they passed the foot of the hill without a hostile move of any sort against the Americans, whom they could plainly see a few hundred yards above.
 Mexican Caretaker Carried News.
 The cava1rymen believe that word of their proximity had been taken to the Carranza forces by the Mexican caretaker of the mine, who was equipped with an excellent pair of field glasses. He said that he had been accustomed to retire to the bot tom of the mine upon the approach of any strangers, whether bandits, Carranza followers or Americans, and explained that he had not hidden in the mine on this day because he had been visiting fields and was return ing when the Americans discovered him.