The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-16
TROOPS RETURN

west beyond Juarez.
TROOPS RETURN
JUAREZ, Mex, June 10 United
States infantry started Withdrawing
from JuareZ to El Paso at 1890
O'Clock today in obedience to orders
by Major General Cabell, commander
of the southern department. who ar
rived from San Antonio early today
and crossed the international bridge
for conference with General Coma
les, supreme commander of the Juarez
troops.
At 10:45 a. m. the oath infantry
started marching across the interna
tional bridge and by IL o'clock the
entire command was back on Ameri-
can soil after having spent exactly
II hours on Mexican soil
VILLA TROOPS FALL BACK
| Ell PASO, Tex, June 16.-American
troops sent into Mexico last night to
stop indiscriminate firing across the
| border, fought their first general en-
| gagement with the Mexican rebel
forces of Francisco Villa at the Juarez
race track shortly after 2 o'clock this
morning and the Americans were VIC
torious. Villas troops were driven
! from the race track by rifle and ma.
chine gun fire and many prisoners
were reported taken by the United
States cavalry which took up positions
on the east and southeast of the track
according to an official report at mill
tary headquarters.
The Mexican rebels and federal
troops fought in the streets of Juare7
Saturday night and Sunday night,
many on both sides being killed
Many bullets from the rebel guns
| came across the Rio Grande and two
persons were killed and seven wound
ed on the American side When the
Mexican bullets became too thick for
the safety of citizens of Ell Paso, Brig
Gen. ]. B. Erwin at II o'clock last
night ordered American troops to
cross the border, and in ten minutes
after the order was issued, $500 Unit
ed States soldiers were in Mexico
Il The first troops to cross the border
were the fourth battalion of the oath
infantry (colored), battalion of the
82d artillery and the fifth and seventh
cavalry.
Retire to Juarez.
After the Mexican federals were al
lowed to retire into the town of Juar
eZ, Colonel HadselPs colored infantry
opened up with a terrific rifle fire or
the trenches fianking the race track
They advanced in open order and sue
ceeded in dislodging the Villa forces
who held the strongest positions as
the colored troops were forced to ad
vance across comparatively oper
plain. The first volleys from the rifle
men were answered shot for shot, b!
| the Villa troops, who seemed to real
: ize they were trapped by the cavalry
in the rear and the infantry in front
American machine guns started tt
: sputter from adobe houses near tn,
race track and the preponderance o
rife fire was soon with the American
) forces. The preliminary artillery pre-
Iraration having been completed, tn,
shrapnel guns became silent as tn
rifles took up the work. The explosion
of Mauser and American cartridge
could be plainly distinguished from
military headquarters in the Mill
building in Ell Paso, where Genera
Erwin was an interested spectato
from his tenth-story window.
As the American cavalry maneuvel
) ed over the Juarez plain their pos
:. flares and were answered by simila
) star shells from the top of the Mill
? building At 2:30 the rife firing ha
= died down, indicating the Villa force
: were defeated and were being drive
into the hills or pursued by the Unite
States cavalry.
= The American artillery was station
> ed in positions from which the Juare
! race track where the Villa rebels wer
n quartered could be shelled with shral
= mel. A flanking movement was begu
in an effort to prevent the escape {
the rebels.
In announcing his action in orderin
!, Americans into Mexico, Brig -Gener;
II Erwin in a formal statement said h
had done so to prevent the indiscrin
a. mate firing into El Paso by rebel SO
a. diers, endangering the lives of Amer
n cans.
SOLE PURPOSE PROTECTION
WASHINGTON, June Is. = Thel
can be no misunderstanding betwee
the governments of the United State
or and Mexico regarding the movemeI
al of troops across the border at El Pas
Y, Secretary Baker said today. The so
" purpose, he said, was protection of tt
t. American side Of the border, an
ID there is a distinct understanding b
D. tween the governments for suc
| action.