Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-05
Specially Trained Troops
to Soon Scour Mountains
in Hunt For Bandit Chief
BY associated Press


At the Front in Mexico, Command
ing Generals Headquarters, April /,
by Aeroplane and Motor Courier to
Columbus, n. NJ, April 4.-Americas s
first detachment of mountain infantry,
corps of specially trained men for
such service as that in the mountain
studded country of Guerrero soon will
be actively assisting the cavalry in the
search for the bandit Villa. The belief
has been announced that such a COM
mand will prove invaluable in the
work confronting the American troops
in the Guerrero district.
Much has been written" said the
general, about this being a cavalry
chase. 1t is just as much an infantry
task. There are places in the noun
tains where the cavalry cannot pene-
trate-rocks, cliffs, peaks, caves, can
yons and forests-where at any time
the chase might become a question of
a man-to-man fight or hand-to-hand
work. The infantry in Mexico is now
being brought into physical condition
for this sort of campaign"
rs that the reason" the general
was asked. why the infantry at the
bases back of the front has been talk
hikes it has been ordered to take into
surrounding mountains?'
Opportunity May Come
THE infantry replied the general,
may soon have a reason to demon
trate the uses of its training
The marching referred to has been
along the line OF communications as
the infantry advanced toward the
front, about two weeks behind the adj
vance columns of the cavalry.
An aeroplane this afternoon sailed
into headquarters camp, stopped five
minutes with dispatches and then flew
southwark toward a mountain pass
mil me
where the distant mountains were re-
flected upside down, as in water, by
the afternoon heat waves on the
ground. The machine rocked and
slipped over this boiling area.
Troopers Half-FroZcn
Earlier in the day from this same
mesa troop of half a dozen cavalry
men came into camp for rest and food.
They had been caught in a sudden
'norther." The cold was so biting that
they had kept their fingers in motion,
some of them said, so that in case Of
attack their trigger fingers would not
be too numb for use. Yesterday after
noon in this mesa snow was flying so
| thickly as to obscure the adjoining
mountains. Men and horses in the
headquarters camp stood with their
backs to the driving white flakes, the
mems heads covered with blankets
and the horses with noses almost to
the ground.
Under Layer of Snow
This morning the men in this same
camp, all sleeping in the open, awak-
ened TO find themselves covered with
layer of hard snow. They looked
across an irrigation ditch to see Cen
eral Pershing himself white with snow.
There was not tent in camp. The
tents and food are on the way, but
thus far the troopers have moved
ahead out of each advance camp with
out waiting for either tents or food.
Keep Trigger Fingers Timber
The troop which kept its trigger
fingers working for warmth had spent
many hours in search for a mountain
top cabin where scouts reported that
Two Villa bandits had called for food.
This house was less than fifteen miles
from the headquarters of the Amen-
cans. The information which the troop
obtained bore out the opinion among
officers here that most of the Villa
forces have been scattered into very
small groups, some of whom are seek
ing inaccessible places. The censor
ship does not permit disclosure from
here of these positions, but the reports
of patrols indicate that good many
of Villas band have been pressed so
closely that they have hidden their
arms and assumed the guise of
farmers.
Cavalry Rides Mountains
This particular cavalry patrol lit
orally rode the mountains i'm its chase
after quick news of the two Villa SOL
diers who had called for food. The
patrol not wishing to be seen from
towns as it went out, took TO the sides
of mountains, where trees gullieS and
small valleys afforded good shelter
from view of the plains. The men
rode through steep slopes along which
there were neither roads nor trails eX-
Cept those made by deer and bear
Their horses slipped and stumbled over
rocks and boulders. Before they
reached the MeXcan's house snow
obliterated the trails by which they
had hoped to follow the two bandits
to their hiding place.
At the house the cavalrymen found
only man about 80 years old and a
young woman with a small baby. The
two men who had called for food said
the aged man, had left for the noun
tains
Hold Information
The people of fhis region give the
American troops just as little infor-
nation as possible. A Carranza SOL
der. who had been condemned to
death after capture by Villa at Guer-
zero, and whose life the Americans
saved, said he was willing to act as a
guide, but balked after leading some
cavalrymen on a long trail in search
of a suspected house. When near the
place he said he had lost the trail. A
sharp order for him to locate the house
| Immediately brought results. He went
almost straight to the place.
Many of the MeXicans here show
undoubted evidence of being Villa SOL
diers. But nothing has developed so
! far, however, to indicate these SYM
| pathizers will carry their sympathies
! into action.
| General Pershing, in an effort to
convince the people of the Americans
good intentions, has become to some
extent judge of petty grievances of
the MeXicans.