Arizona republican., 1917-04-09
Denies German Officers Head
 Dc FactO Force
[Republican A. ?. Leased wirel


 JUARFz, Mex. April S.-Villa forces arrived at Namiquipa, 25O miles south of the border and less than 100 miles from Casas Grandes according to an. announcement made by General Mur- Suia before he left here for Casas Gran des to take the field against Villa and prevent his advance toward the Amer ican border Villas base was at Ba- chiniva. south of Namiquipa and his forces occupied Namiquipa during the night according to the reports received late today by General Murguia from his scouts.
 Preceding General Murguia's train were eight troop trains carrying his command from Chihuahua City which arrived here yesterday and last night to participate in the most comprehen- sive drive against Villa since Murgu:a arrived from southern Mexico.
 General Murguia denied any knowl- edge of German intrigue in his north ern command, and accompanied cor respondent of The Associated Press through his trains today to show that no Germans were among the officers eff the four thousand troops in his pres ent command. He announced his in tention of remaining neutral, following out his instructions from the war de- partment in Mexico City.
 He characterized the rumors of Ger man plots in the Mexican army as ri- diculous.
 General Murguia said his plans for the envelOpng movement could not be revealed for military reasons, but ad- mitted he expected to engage the Villa forces in the district between Medera and Casas Grandes within the present week. He said General Eduardo Her nandeZ with cavalry column was CO., operating with him in the Villa drive operating from San Andres as a base General Joaquin Amaro's torreon troops were occupying Parral, Santa Rosalia and Jimenez, he said. and would move against the Villa followers should they make an effort to again escape into the Durango hills
 General Murguia. before his depar- 1ure confirmed the earlier reports that Villa and his force of approximately 5000 men were moving toward the American border and he had made his hurried move to Juarez and to Casas Grandes to prevent Villa from ap- proaching the border and attacking an American border town. He also con- firmed the report that Villa planned to seize the Mexican Central trains in the Chihuahua City yards when he last at tackled the town moving to Juarez and this town by surprise. The plan failed when Murguia's forces captured Villas commander sent to take the trains. Sixteen trainmen who had plotted with Villa to operate these trains were later shot by order of General Murguia.
 Villa and his men are moving north toward the border" General Murguia said, before he left for Casas Grandes. Convinced of this, moved my troops here iii order to take advantage of the railroad lines into the country to which Villa had started. I left sufficient troops to guard Chihuahua City, there being 5000 troops there and in the inn mediate vicinity of the capital ex- elusive of the forces of General Amaro who are at Jimenez, Parral and Santa Rosalia. From Casas Grandes as q base we expect to prevent Villas ad- vance northward and. with the other forces cooperating, to envelope Villa and his men and we will make q des-
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