The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-03-22
Which Started Our Sol
diers into Mexico.
GIVES GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
Villa Was In Front OF Her House
Directing Attack On
Americans.
A STORY OF PERILOUs TIMES


Louisville, saw Pancho Villa, the in
ternational outlaw and murderer
stand in front of her home during
the attack upon Columbus, N. NJ.
while she, revolver in hand, stood
| in the house for two hours, ready tC
defend her two young children and
herself, and while her husband
Lieutenant Castleman, of Louisville
and his men were driving the over.
whelming force of Mexican bandits
from the border town.
Mrs. Castleman gave a graphic re-
cital of the attack that has called
for the punitive expedition into
Mexico.
She went to Louisville from Co
lumbus, and she and her children,
David Pryor, aged six years, and AL
ice Tinsley, two years old, are with
her parents, Mr.. and Mrs. w. II.
Tinsley, in the Weissinger-Gaulbert
Apartments.
Villa remained in front of her
home, said Mrs. Castleman, until
Pablo Lopez, his chief lieutenant,
was killed. Then Villa mounted
his horse and escaped the fire of the
outraged Americans by circling
among the houses.
The value of Mrs. Castleman's ac-
count of the raid is two-fold, aside
from the strong element of interest
in the incidents she witnessed.
1t proves conclusively that Villa
was at the head of the bandits,
though he was careful to keep out
OF the range of the American reg
ulars, when he saw the effect of
their spirited resistance.
In relating how the vanguard of
Villas army silenced the American
sentries near the town by knitting
them to death, Mrs. Castleman first
gave to the country an explanation
VI tut SuCt'So WIN "hlCn tIt
derous horde made its way to the
heart of Columbus before civilians
and soldiers were apprised of their
crossing of the international line.
The account is as follows:
81 had had a peculiar feeling all
the night and had not slept we'll
At 4 O'Clock l got up and opened
the house. Mr.. Castleman was out,
being officer of the day. We lived
right across the street from the
camp. The camp is on the side near
est the Mexican border and the city
on the other.
AT 4:30 o'clock l heard shot,
and l dressed myself and children.
Then / heard the most awful shoot
ing. Bullets just rained on the
house. I put the children under the
bed and got my pistol, for | said
they would not take me alive and
would certainly get some of them If
they came in.
IAN awful half hour followed. in
which | heard nothing but bullets
and shouts of Viva Villa; death to
Americans Then | heard the Mex
lean trumpets sound the onward
march. why they didn't get into
our house l don't know.
Soon | heard Mr.. Castleman call
and tell me to get next to the mid
die wall, and / did.
Monday We had a rumor from a
customs official that Villa was at
Gibson's ranch, fifteen miles west of
Columbus. We thought he would
try to cross at Boco Grande, for
there is a water hole there. Gen.
Slocum sent two troops there to pa
troll the border and one troop to the
Mexican gate, three miles south of
Tuesday a Mexican cowboy came
and said Villa had captured the
Polomas cowboys and the
manager of the ranch, but that he
had promised not to kill them, as
he wanted to manage to get across
the border and go to Washington to
see Gen. Scott. Gen. Scott always
had a good effect on peculiar men
like Villa. Gen. Slocum then in
creased the guard at each place
with one patrol, leaving only three
troops in camp.
"But Villa did not come by either
the international gate or the water
hole at Boco Grande. He cut the
fence and came in between Gibson's
ranch and the gate. He killed some
sentries with knives. noiselessly;
then set set their horses loose. His
men were right in the city before
anybody knew II. and Mr.. Castle
mans shot was the first warning.
mr.. Castleman stepped out OF a
house and villista threw his rife