New Britain herald., 1916-03-17
BORDER TENSION NCREASINl AS AMERICAN COLUMN NEAR VILLAS REFUGE IN MOUNTAI
Swift Advance Division of Expedition E pected to Enter Bandit Kings Domain
 Before Dark Tonight
POSSIBLE OCCUPATION OF CITIES BY
 U s. TROOPS IS CAUSE FOR CONCEH

Possible Occupation of Cities By 4
 erican Troops Worries Carranza
 fcials-'TTrenchcs at Juarcz Ed
 to Be Harmless Water Ditch1
 Tension Increases As Pershi|
 Plying Column" Nears Villa
 ritory. t..l
 Fl Paso, Tex, March 17.-Rep) that American troops under comm of Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing
 been fired upon by snipers as
 continued their hunt for Frand
 Villa remained unconfirmed td
 Such an incident, however, would
 be considered here as indicating
 the American army's march into !
 ico up to date was regarded other
 than as a peaceful expedition so as the majority of the Mexican pc
 are concerned.
 A few definite facts about the
 erican expedition today stood out
 considerable clearness, as the II
 of official published reports and
 news brought here by Americans
 have been in touch with some pol of the American movement.
 It seemed certain that of the
 columns which are "SomeWnere
 Mexico, one was constituted
 speed, while the other apparently
 moving more slowly. The switt-i
 ed column was the auxiliary d seemingly mostly cavalry, which
 into Mexico fifty miles west of main army of Gen. Pershing, V his forces crossed at Columbus, IN The secrecy which has surroul the movements of the main col has been slight compared with record of this western force. The ! reason to believe, from the official 1 nouncements that the western col may have gone into Mexico ed | than the main body. Every repor1 irving here asserts that the weJ wing has travelled the farther. these same reports, the two colu will form a junction near the tn \ ened Mormon colonists, possibly the Casas Grandes region. Carranza Officials Worried. Caranza officials, it was learned day, have been discussing with \ concern whether American trd during the Villa pursuit, would | to occupy any Mexican cities andI effect of such occupation upon can public sentiment. The Carranza officers have fran expressed the hope that the garri1 ing of the cities can be left to tj own troops. The American ar1I l choice of the Chihuahua desert aJ place of entry precludes for the TI ent such a problem as city garrI duty. It is estimated here that the l of the Villa pursuit at present. upward of s40,000 day. Water was running today in thd
 rigation ditches back of the Jul race track and thereby was explaI sensational report widely publij early this week that the Jaurez K rison was digging military trenca Sunday Americans at the races brown clad men who seemed toa digging in ditches and the tre story spread. They were work
 cleaning rubbish out of 1rriga ditches so that the water might CT
 Daniel Hurst, son of Bishop F Hurst, of the Mormon church, reached here yesterday from
 Mormon colonies with important about Villa for the American aEN considered his chances or getI through safely so uncertain thatN made part of his trip in hiding meath some cover arranged by train conductor under one of
 coach seats. Hurst left Casas Grar Wednesday.
 Troops Approach Villa TeIritorJ
 Expectation along the border
 keyed to it's highest pitch today the general belief that before nieA fall the advance guard of the Am can expeditionary force would n entered Villa territory in the moN tains of the Casas Grandes regionA M eNlcO.
 While the censorship prevented official news of the whereaboutsN the American columns, repJ brought by Americans arriving n the interior, coupled with the cal lations of men thoroughly famiN with the terr tory over which the peditionary force is passing maddz reasonably certain that the UniH States soldiers must be close to district where Villa is believed exercise his greatest influence \ have the largest number of symU thiZers.
 With the possibility that acth fighting with the Villistas might be \ nt any moment, interest was doubled in every item Of intelHgeN that threw any light on the attit [ pf the Carranza adherents and me on that of the five achments of Carranza troops who