Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-22


lasted not more than an hour. It appar-
emily ended with both sides Withdrawing.
The failure Of Gen. Pershing to report on
It Indicated that the American survivors
n na a. not yet returned to their base at an
A story brought to Ell Paso by J. C.
Hubble, an American who has been
employed by the Compania Agricola at
tails of the engagement presented by
Gen. Gomez. bubbles story was cor
roborated by James Maxey, another
American who also was on his way to
FL Paso from the interior. Hubble and
Maxey said that while their train was
stopping at Villa Ahmuda they noticed
numbers Of dead and wounded being
brought in, and were told by Carranza
captain that battle had taken place.
The captain informed them. they said.
that a number of Americans. prisoners,
had been locked IN cattle car and
were to be taken to Chihuahua city to
be hanged.
Said 100 Mexicans Were Engaged.
They mentioned Mexican soldiers who
told them that several hundred and 120
Mexicans had been engaged.
THE Mexican officers at villa Anu
mazda treated US with the greatest cour-
tesy," said Mr.. Hubble. They answered
of antipathy or excitement.
According to the story they told us,
the Mexican command was concealed in
the underbrush, when it discovered the
American cavalrymen riding toward
them over the sand. Gen. Felix Gomez,
the Mexican commander, Immediately
sent courier asking for parley under
a flag Of truce with the American COM
mander. The parley was arranged, and
as the Mexican leader and two aids
started forward the Americans suddenly
dep1oyed in a semi-circular skirmish
line.
Gen. Gomez, apparently believing he
was about to be attacked, raised his
arm and signaled machine gun in the
The machine gun swept the cavalry
ranks, causing heavy losses.
Immediately, however, a detachment
OF American troopers dashed forward.
under heavy fire. to the center of the
field where Gen. Gomez and his staff
were sitting on their horses. In the re-
sultant encounter one of the cavalry
men killed the Mexican leader with his
pistol, while the remainder of the Car
rama party escaped to their own
lines"
The two Americans said their infor-
nation was that the American dead
numbered seventeen, and that Mexicans
had taken forty prisoners.
Neltner Maxey nor f1uDDle was dDle
to learn whether the Mexicans had re-
treated, it being pointed out that all of
the Mexicans with whom they talked
apparently left the field before the en-
gagement had been completed.
Another Version Of Battle.
A new version of the engagement was
brought here today by Mexican civil
ian who was in Villa Ahumada early
yesterday afternoon and who said he
assisted in dressing some of the Mexi-
can wounded. He said that Gen. Felix
Gomez. the slain Carranza leader, had
been aware of the approach of the
Americans for twelve hours and had
sent a number of couriers to them
warning them to return to their en-
campment. When they persisted in
their advance, he said, pitfall several
hundred feet in length was dug directly
in the trail over which the cavalrymen
must ride This was cieverly concealed
with brush.
AS the americans rode unsuspecting-
ly through the sand dunes toward the
intrenchment. Gen. Gomez lay con-
cealed some hundred yards away in the