The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-06-22

ment, the Mexicans had the advantage
for they had provided themselves with
a machine gun and this is supposed
to have done deadly execution in the
ranks of the Americans That the lat
ter was not inefficient, however, was
proved by the number of Mexican dead
and wounded removed to Villa Album
ada and witnessed by Americans COM
ing north on train bound for Juarez.
The battle began about 1890 a. m.
and lasted not more than an hour. 1t
apparently ended with both sides with
drawing The failure of General Per-
shing to report on it, indicated that the
American survivors had not yet re-
turned to their base at an early hour
tonight.
A story brought to El Paso by j. G..
Hubble, an American, who has been
employed by the Compania Agricola at
| Boquillas. bears out several of the de-
| tails of the engagement presented by
General Gomez. bubbles story was
corroborated 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 Ahumada, they
noticed numbers OF dead and wounded
| being brought in and were told by
| Carranza captain that battle had tax
| en- place. The captain informed them,
they said, that several Americans, pris
oners, had been locked in cattle car
and were to be taken to Chihuahua
| City to be hanged
| They mentioned Mexican soldiers
who told them that several hundred
| Americans and 120 Mexicans had been
engaged.
The Mexican officers at Villa Ahu-
mada treated us with the greatest
courtesy" said Mr. Hubble. They
answered our questions quietly and
with no show of antipathy or excite
| meni.
According to the story they told us
| the Mexican command was concealed
| in the underbrush when it discovered
the American cavalrymen riding tow
ard them over the sand. General Felix
Gomez. Mexican commander immedi-
ately sent a courier asking for a par
ley under a flag of truce with the Ameri
can commander The parley was ar
ranged and as the MeXicGn's leader
and two aids started forward, the
Americans suddenly deployed in a
semi-circular skirmish line.
General Gomez. apparently believ-
ing he was about to be attacked,
raised his arm and signalled machine
gun in the rear to open fire on the
Americans. The machine sun swept
the cavalry ranks, causing heavy
losses"
Immediately, however, detach-
ment of American troopers dashed for
ward under heavy fire, to the center Of
the field where General Gomez and his
staff were sitting on their horses. In
the resultant encounter, one of the
cavalrymen killed the Mexican leader
with his pistol. while the remainder OF
the Carranza party escaped to their
own lines"
The two Americans said their infor-
nation was that the American dead
numbered seventeen and that the
Mexicans had taken forty prisoners.
!, Washington, June 22.-Some Intima-
tion as to what Gen. Carranza's step
: will be was expected hourly last night
, at the state department. Official ad-
vices reported that the American re-
lection of the demand for recall of
Gen. Pershings troops from Mexico
| was under consideration yesterday by
the first chief and his cabinet.
/. Special Agent Rodgers, who made
the report, was unable to forecast the
=. action of the defactor government, and
e threw little light on what was going
2 on in the Mexico capital. From other
g sources. however. II was learned that
. European diplomats are eXerting pres
T. sure on Carranza to prevent him from
/ going to war with the United States
. The entente allies are particularly
A anxious, IL is understood, that nothing
S should occur at this time to shut of
= the oil supplies for the French ant
/. British navies from the Tampico fields
Allied diplomatic representatives II
!. Mexico believe. too, that German in
c iluences have been working on Car
c rama in an effort to create situatio
S that might embarrass the enemies o
n the central powers, They have asser
}. ed that German agencies have beer
e active in stirring up feeling agains
i the United States, not only In Mexico
$ but throughout South and Centra
II America, to prevent this country from
securing trade formerly controlled b.
,. German merchants.