Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-15
VILLA NARROWLY
ESCAPED CAPTURE
American Cavalry Cut OFF Every
Avenue of Flight After
Parral Fight.
STORY OF EXPEDITION TOLD
Narratives of Five Regiments
Have Been Submitted to
Headquarters.

FIELD HEADQUARTERS. AMER1-
CAN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION IN
MEHICO. October 14.-ReHimental mar
ratives of the five cavalry regiments
mat participated In the hunt for villa,
winch have just been brought UP to
GATE and submitted to headquarters,
sno" In detail how near the American
troopers came to accomplishing the
full purpose Of their expedition. They
snow that Just after the Parral fight,
on APRIL IL. less than a month after
the expedition had entered Mexico. and
Immediately prior to the order to
withdraw northward from the Parral
district. the Americans had run villa.
sorely wounded, to earth. and had cut
OF every avenue OF his escape to the
south into Durango.
When Major Frank Tompkins's 100
men were attacked at Parral Villa,
disabled. had hidden at Santa Cruz,
Major II. l.. Howe, with his hard
riding squadron of the Eleventh Cav
airy, close on the bandits trail. had
run by his quarry. General PershinE
was at Satevo. directing operations
Colonel w. G. Brown. with five troops
y l. l..
Allen, with two picked troops of the
Eleventh Cavalry: Major Tompkins and
Major Howe. four cavalry columns in
all. were between Villa and the haven
OF safety he was seeking in the Sierra
Madres. ready to beat the brush for
him. Wounded, virtually alone, he ap-
parently had little chance to crade cap
ture or death. Orders for withdrawal
came. however. after Parral, and the
highwatcr mark of the expedition
passed
From the beginning OF the border
trouble 1t was 10 the cavalry that fell
the responsibility of dispensing the CO.
lpnbus raiders. That.this task was
accomplished is evidenced by figures
showing that of the ASS men who raided
Columbus, 400 have been killed. wound
ed or captured. Full credit Is given
In the narratives for the cooperation
of other branches OF the service. not
ably in establishing advanced bases
and maintaining the line OF communi-
cation. but tho fact remains that it
was the cavniry that drove Villa in
hcadIonG, pahIc- stricken flight into Du-
,anso, bo4 miles from the American
border, scattered his band to the four
winds and set new records for marches
under terrific handicaps. 1t also fought
tho four engagements that had an i'm
por'ant bearing on the campaign: Dodd
AT Guerrero. March IS; Tompkins, ut
Parral, April IL; podd. IT Tomochc.
April q. and Howe, at oio AZulcs,
May g. II was the victim, too. in the
tra~cdv OF April q at Carriznl
TWO RI:GIMENrS CROSS LINE
on MORNING OF MARCH 10
Two q! the i've cavalry regiments
now in Mexico. the Seventh and Tenth
crossed tho line at Culbcrson's ranch
carly on the morning of March lG.
Their dash TO Colonia Dublan has been
told ana rcto!d. The Thirteenth. which
already had spent three and half
years on the border. crossed on March
- at Columbus. where II had been at
Tackled March . by Villa. Two squad.
rons OF the Fifth left Columbus on
March -. and were Joined 10y the third
squadron on April 10 at the Mormon
Lakes, near publan. Tho first detach-
rucnt OF tho Eleventh entered Mexico
on March IL, via Columbus.
Tile marches OF the Fifth may be
summarized briefly as follows: Nam
1uipa. April Ii: san Geronimo, April
%; Lake I,ascatc, April "a: San An
tonic. May :. About tho time Of the
scott Ohregon conference tho regiment
was given a district. with Satevo :.s
headquarters. which Il was ordered 10
search Extensively for bandits. Each
rccImcnt was allotted :, sing
lar sector Of Southern Chihuahua The
beating OF the brush for Villistas, hcw-
ever. was never fully carried out. The
Fifth on May 10. was made part OF
cavalry brigade TO cover
the withdrawal of the expedition north
ward at a time when 1900 CarranZistas
we're reported 20 he within thirty miles
Of the Americans. Since Cnrrizal II
has been encamped ut l?i Vale.
Tho Seventh. after completing it's
dash to Colonia Dublan with General
Fershing's column. proceeded post
haste To San Miguel. where Villa was
Poor guides caused delay.
and the bandit escaped. II then started
toward Guerrero. This town was
rca ched by forced marches twelve days
out from the border. with n daily
average of thirty-two and one-half
miles. The longest days march was
on March II. when hfty-ciEht miles
were covered. The route chart shows
covered $500 miles
Mention Is made that, during Dodd's
historic ride. his men many times had
only parched corn to eat. Nearly 800
miles was made in single file. the
troopers leading their mounts. and n
number of them leaving bloody foot
prints on the rocky trail. for their
shoes had worn out. Officers and men
lent their own money to buy food and
forage, but it was not until the end Of
April that clothing could be secured.
By that time the men were in pttiable
state. Two fights stand to tho record
Of the Seventh--Gucrrero and Tomache.
GOES INTO CAMP
AT COLONIA DUBLAN
The Thirteenth. witch arrived mt
Colonia Dublan on March IL. furnished
the two picked troops which Major
Tompkins commanded In his dash after
Villa. and which were halted at Guer-
ZERO The itinerary Of tho remainder
OF the regiment embraced Ell Vale,
Las Cruces, Namiqulpa. San Geronimo,
Lake ltascate and FL Rubio. where 1t
made it's headquarters on May to hunt
CONTINUED on Eleventh Page.)