Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-22
CAP TAIN MATLACK
RETURNS IN PLANE:
AND GIVES FIRST
REPORT Of ARMY
Men Slain Long Known as
DeSperadoes Who Have Ter
rorized Border and Raided
Big Bend Country
CARRANZA COLUMN
SHOWS FRIENDSHIP
Tells United States Troops to
Go Ahead When Told They
Were Chasing Robbers Who
Had Held AviatorS.


lay MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEAsCo wtFEl
Maria, Tex, Aug. 2l.--Four MeXi-
can bandits were killed by American
troops in Mexico yesterday, Capt
| Leonard Matlack, who arrived here by
airplane tonight, reported, They were
surrounded in an adobe block house
that the MeXicans had constructed in
a mountain pass.
The bandits efought desperately
when they found they We're trapped,
and two escaped.
When the American troops ap-
preached the block house with the in
| tention of searching it for hidden BAN
| dts, the MeXcans opened fire from
portfolios.
The fire was returned and the
! blockhouse charged by the American
cavalry troops.
Three of the four Mexcans killed
have been identified as Jesus Janir,
Francisco Janir and Jose Fuentes.
The identity of the fourth bandit has
not yet been ascertained.
All four of the men are known to
Captain Matlack as bandits operating
along the Big Bend border for years.
The two men that escaped were
pursued, but the trail was lest in the
i mountain canyons.
/ It is known that Jesus Renteria,
leader of the outlaw band that cap
tured L.ieuts. Harold G. Peterson and
PAU H. Davis, American aviators, was
4 not among the dead
i Captain Matlack said he passed 4
column of 200 CarranZa troops below
the border yesterday, The CarranZa
commander, Matlack reported, asked
where the American troops were go
ing When he was informed that the
American troops were pursuing BAN
dts, had who held American aviators,
the CarranZa commander waved his
hand and said, "Go ahead" No effort
was made to hinder the punitive eX-
pedtion.
! Comes in Airplane.
Captain Matlack came from Mexico
at sunset this evening in an airplane
driven by Lieut.. Eugene Eubank, who
landed in a Mexican mountain valley,
picked up the cavalry commander and
returned with him to report the prog
ress of the punitive expedition to Gen,
Joseph r. Dickman, commander or
the southern department
According to Matlack the Ameri-
can troops are in high spirits and
keen for the chase They are willing
to ride day and night through storms
and over all sorts of trails to ovcrtake
the bandits Among the most en-
thusast!c members of the expedition
are the young aviators, Peterson and
! Davis, Matlack said. The two air
men, according to the captain have
been having the time of their lives,
enjoying every minute of the hunt for
the bandits who threatened their lives.
Every One Well.
! Everyone in the eXpedltionary
/ force is we'll" CAPTAIN MatlaCk sald
| as he alighted from the arplane,
wiped the engine oil from his face
and walked across the flying field TO
headquarters I'VE have have had
no casualties, except one man who
> had cactus thorn in his hand.
:; I'VE are making progress in the
! pursuit of the bandits. Hard storms
j have slackened our speed somewhat
. but we consider that we made good
. time.
y After leaving the Rio Grande Mon
= day morning. soon after daylight, the
expedition followed fresh trail The
D four men to whom the money had
y been paid had start of more than
Z five hours on us,
= Bandits Scatter.
3 I'VE followed them to high moun-
. tain pass, where the four scattered.
I one going north and three southwest,
g as indicated by the fresh tracks. They
q scattered like quail, and It was diff
cult to follow them because Of the
u faint trails.
= "The fight with the bandits IN tho
:, fortified blockhouse started as soon
e as the American troops commenced
to search the place, fire being opened
! by the Mexicans from loopholes. The
g troops returned the fire.
|, -Four bodies were found. Two OF
= the bandits escaped. They are still
! being pursued These two latter OUT
t laws are believed to have been mem
. hers of Renteria's gang. but the avi-
e tors could not identify them
n The men who held them We're des-
S perate characters, known on both
n both sides of the river.
" Asks About Unpaid Money.
8 Captain Matlack resembled some
western moving picture hero when he
i arrived from Mexico. his face burned
d by the sun and his lips cracked by
e alkali dust. The first thing that Mat
c lack asked was what the newspapers
= had about the expedition and the pay
= ment of the ransom.
$ The aviators said they had seen no
n news. Matlack stated. except the
6 aerial bulletins of the Associate 4
Press. dropped nightly since the avi-
ators were rescued.
Captain Matlaek will return to his
troops in Mexico tomorrow. He held
:, a long conference with General Dick
. man and Col. George T. Langhorne
y commander Of the Big Bend distrist
tonight
A If Capt. Leonard Il. Matlack had
: not spurred his horse. carrying Lieut.
%
Il tConttnued on Page Twol