Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-08-04
VILLAS ARMY
AWAITING HIS
CALL To ARMS
Desire to'Capture Jnarez
Is to Secure Base
of Supplies.
Chicago Tribune Service.

Washington, Aug. 3.-Advices received
from Chihuahua, Mexico, contain ad-
ditional details of the movements and
activities Of Francisco Villa and Gener-
al Felipe Angeles with hint of their
future plans. Nothing in the advices con-
firms the announcement recently made
by the Mexican embassy here that the
villa forces have been dispersed. The
information comes from a Villa agent
actually in Chihuahua city and the adj
vices state that the intelligence has
been communicated to the United States
army authorities who served with Villa
In former campaigns.
Acting on Villas regular campaign
tactics. after the Villistas were driven
out of Juarez by American troops they
retired southwest and after a conference
in the desert Villa and Angeles decided
to employ their forces at points distant
from the border. The Villa forces were
then scattered for commissary purposes
in order to obtain subsistence without
inflicting hardship upon the population.
1t is believed that this scattering gave
rise to the report of the dissipation of
the Villa troops, given out by the Mexi-
can embassy.
Want Supply Base.
The desire of Villa and Angeles to
capture .Juarez was primarily to secure
base of supplies so they might keep
their military forces united; drawing
their subsistence from such base. 1t
was also desired to have a port of en-
try and it was believed that by holding
Juarez the United States would be fore
ed in time to recognize their de facto
government in Chihauhau and open the
port of El Paso. The armed intervention
- hn Init -oI ~n
tas, however, and upset the Villa plan.
The population of Chihuahua City is
reported to be about equally divided be-
tween secret supporters of Villa and
avowed supporters of Carranza. It is
said to be generally believed in Chihua-
hua City that the repulse of the Willis
tas by American forces set the rebel
leader back in his plans two months.
Have Parted Company.
Reports are current that Villa and
Angeles have parted company again and
that Angeles has crossed or is on his
way to cross the border and take ref
uge in the United States. These re-
ports are unequivocally denied by the
Villa agents in Chihuahua and on the
border. who say that one week ago last
Wednesday the two rebel leaders held
a meeting within 30 miles of Chihuahua
City and completed their plans for car
rying on the campaign. These advices
further state that while Villa has only
about 5000 men under arms in the
squads in various parts of the state of
chihuahua, another 5000 at least are
devoting themselves to their home in
dustries and awaiting the call to arms
1t is said these renforcements will as
sembe Immediately upon notification
from Villa.
Plan for New Attack.
The advices further point out that the
Felix Diaz referred to in the statement
Of the Mexican embassy, as having given
up the fight. is not the Felix Diaz.
nephew of Don Porfirio Diaz who is
operating in Vera Cruz and adjoining
states in the south, but is Feliz Daz,
the little one of Villas lieutenants,
who with a small force has been in con-
troll Of portions of southern Chihuahua
and Durango. The scattering of his
forces is declared to be a part of the
Villa plan to separate only to be re-
united for an attack.