Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-03-10

! and the ditch up which Villas troops
came, and was riddled with bullets as
Mrs. Ryan lay in bed in the front
room The Symser home north of the
tracks was surrounded on front and
both sides BY bandits before shot
was fired. Captain Symser head some
one tell the bandits that an Ameri-
can army officer and his wamily lived
there Gathering his wife and child
iren he emerged from the back door
and reached the barn just as the BAN
dts broke in the door.
Two troops stationed at Gibsons
ranch. fifteen miles west, did not get
} into action at all There were only
three troops in camp, with an effect
i've force of not quite $50 men. In
formed OF this by his spies and GER
tain that aid would be given by GER
tain Of the Mexican population Of CO.
lumbus he advanced from the Boca
Grande river 10 twenty-five miles
southeast yesterday afternoon.
He reached the border, three miles
south Of the town, shortly before
O'Clock. With his force rested and
well fed. after a thirsty and hungry
march from the interior Of Chihuahua
and acquainted with the topography,
he deployed his men into deep, wide
drainage ditch running from the Mex
lean border gate to Columbus, and
paralleling the road that skirts the
American army camp.
Complete Surprise
/ The first intimation of the attack
when Private Fred Griffin Of X troop,
on sentry duty in front of headquar-
tiers, saw number of Mexicans sur
rounding the quarters of Lieut. John
i. Lucas of the machine gun troop OF
the Thirteenth. Griffin opened fire
and at the cost of his life drew the
attention of the bandits from Lucas,
who was enabled to escape and reach
the camp and turn out his command
Captain f. G. Turner and his wife
were in an adobe house just north of
the railroad tracks. Mexicans point
ed out his dwelling as house occu-
pied by an American army officer.
They remained inside until the troops
in camp got into action and scatter
:, ed the bandits.
Fred Griffin, private of X troop,
was on sentry duty in front of the
quarters and opened fire on party
OF Me- ,c2cs attacking the quarters
of Lieutenant John =. Lucas, COM
/ manding the machine gun troops of
the Thirteenth cavalry Griffin fell
MORALLY wounded under a volley Of
III nd
then crawled TO the side of the Ryan
home. Mrs. Ryan meanwhile had
risen and ran around the house under
fire of Mexicans to the adobe garage
in the rear. A party of bandits was
standing about Griffin who was shot
in the stomach. She opened the gar
age, when a Mexican grasped her arm
and demanded where she was going
She answered calmly that she was
going into the building to get motor
ear. The Mexican let her go and dur
ing the fighting in the camp she re-
manned in the automobile until hurt.
Every piece of furniture in the Ryan
home was riddled.
Barracks and Hospital Attacked.
Lieutenant James p. Castleman.
commanding Il troop was officer OF
the day. Griffn's shot and the an
swerng volley, which pierced his
stomach, caused Castleman to leap
for the door He was met by Mexi
can who fired point blank at him and
missed. Castleman killed him.
BY this time the Mexihans had
swept through the camp. Kidding the
N
fourteen dead in their tracks.
Castleman marched troop into
the town to protect civilian men,
women and children who already
were running through the streets I'M
der the fire of Mexican troops who
were lighted in their work by the
flaming Commercial hotel and other.
buildings. Lucas disposed his men
on the railroad skirting the southern
side of the town, with two machine
guns supported by riflemen.
Machine Guns Used.
The machine gun company fought
n Villa machine gun to a finish and
captured it with quantity of ammu-
milton but his troops suffered most in
casualties.
Castleman, fighting his men in
front of the hotel owned by Mayor w
c. Hoover, next door to the Columbus
bank. engaged many times the num-
Der of Mexicans and drove the ban
dts westward They sought to make
the cover of a hill in the rear VI the
customs house fifty yards southeast
of the III Paso Southwestern station.
Lucas machine gun troop caught
/ them as they crossed the track, and
riflemen in the ditch took them in
flank as the Mexicans, practically all !
mounted. dashed southwark.
Colonel Slocum i'll IilcK o. Fight t
Colonel Slocum was out of his quar- /
lters uptown within ten minutes after
the first shot was fired and reached (
the Hoover hotel corner as the Mexi- !
cans approached bullet from the |
rifle of one of the bandits struck the /
barrel of his revolver and knocked it !
from his hand Castleman's troop I
reached the point about the same
time.
The Mexicans were in the midst of (
the town for perhaps forty or fifty
minutes, shouting Viva Mexico" and I
Viva villa" They fired thousands Of
shots. Everything that moved drew
lvolley Frightened citizens who lit
lamps to dress BY. drew shots.
Bullets shattered windows every
where and the bandits, beside post