The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-09
YAQU| INDIANS ARE
 BECOMING ACTIVE
Carranza Troops Unable to
 Cope With Bandits
ARE WELL INFORMED
These Natives Always Have Spies Throughout Country Who Keep the Leaders Advised of All Efforts to
 Capture Them, So They Escape

Guaymas. Sonora Mexico, June 5. Correspondence of the Associated Press Reports from outlying districts indicate renewed activity on the part of the Yaqui Indians. This has been anticipated by those familiar with conditions in Sonora because the campaign inaugurated by the de facto government in January for the purpose of ridding the country of the Yaquis has not as yet been a success
 Approximately 11,0o0 troops were mobil- ized under General Dieguez to drive the Indians from their strongholds in the Bacatetebe mountains. but the soldiers were poorly equipped for the undertaking. They lacked discipline, organization and spirit and although the Mexican govern ment may have desired an aggressive campaign the local leaders and men had no intention of taking the offensive against the savages whose fighting abil- ity is we'll known throughout the repub- lie. Like the Apache tribes of Arizona. the Yaquis have committed the most flendsh atrocities. For this reason the troops fear to operate against the war. riors.
 The strength of the Indians is not &C., curately known, but 1t Is estimated as being about 10000, of which approximately 4O00 are well armed fighting men. This force generally operates in bands of 90 to 100 or more, which makes swift and Unexpected raids upon outlying ranches and villages during the harvest season and at other times if their food supply happens to run low, as is the case at the present time Spies are maintained throughout the farming districts who +l,o fr;t f,,fo in the raids.
 The Indians dress as do the peons with shirt and trousers of faded blue denim or khaki, usually the latter as it is more easily procurable, for many Yaquis have served in the revolutionary armies. large straw hat, not unlike that worn by northern farmers, with brim turned down, protects them from the sun and conceals their identity when necessary, and their feet are protected from the rough coun- try by leather sandals -guarachos, as they are called.
 This similarity of garb makes it diff cult even for Mexicans to distinguish parties of Indians from troops of the de facto dovernment, and as result bands have been able to enter towns before their identity. was discovered. For ex- ample, the town of Sauz, Sonora, was raided last year. The inhabitants saw the mounted body approaching with trumpets flourishing and drums ruffling, but it was thought that an expected de- tachment of troops was arriving. Not until the Indians were actually in the town was it realized what had happened. Men, women and children were forced out of their homes and driven to the town plaza where all were stripped. Terrified and helpless they stood while the savages picked the clothing, footed the houses, gathered in the horses and mules, and rode off unmolested with four of the young girls. The Mexican wife and family of an American, John Lehr, were carried off by the Indians during a raid upon the town of Suaque Grande during November of last year after the 17-year-old son had been killed, but these captives were re- leased last month when the Indians were forced to abandon one of their many water holes upon the unexpected ap- preach of vastly superior force of Mexi- can troops.
 Want of food and clothing causes the Indians to make their forays and for this reason the productive lands of the Ameri- have been subjected to many costly in- cursions which have laid waste most of that region and forced the majority of the settlers to abandon their farms and return, in many cases penniless to the United States.
 Late information indicates that the In- dians are now operating to the northward in the vicinity of Ortiz. a, small town on the Southern Pacific railroad, 30 miles north of Guaymas