Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-20

T .
Maria, Tex, Aug. lo.-An Amer
ican airplane returned tonight from
d scouting trip into Mexico with two
bullet holes through the machine.
The aviator observer said he was
fired on by three Mexicans. He re-
turned the fire with a machine gun
and believes he killed one. The cav
airy is pursuing the band, he said.
Pursuing Bandits.
Rain soaked and saddle-weary, the
American troops of the Eighth cav
airy tonight were pursuing the Mex
lean bandits who held Aviators Pc
terson and Davis for ransom over
the Mexican mountains south of the
border.
Lieutenant Peterson and Lieuten-
ant Davis, the ransomed flyers, are
riding with the columns to help To-
cate the place where the bandits
made them prisoners and to identify
the bandits if captured.
Following release of the two avia-
tors near San Antonio, Chihuahua,
carly today, American cavalry troops
crossed the border. Reports received
from the troops in the field late to-
day gave no intintaton that contact
lad been made with the bandits or
that there had been any fighting.
Handicapped BY Rains. -
Storms sweeping the Mexican
mountain district south of the Rio
Grande Big Bend district multiplied
the difficulties of the American
troops. In the Ojinaga district tor
rental rains made it difficult to fol-
lew the hot trail" on which the
| troops crossed. ~
Clouds and low visibility prevent
ed the airplanes from rendering good
scout service
Despite the handicaps the Amer
icans swept forward. The bandit
band, led by Jesus Renteria, is be-
lieved to be hiding in the mountains
and army officers familiar with the
rough country through which the
pursuit is being made said it prob
ably would be necessary to search
every canyon and mountain pass to
| locate the scattered bands
| 1t now is believed a comparatively
small number of bandits was in
volved in the kidnapping. ..
In Wild Country.
The district within the angle
formed by a junction OF the Rio
Grande and Conchos rivers is the
widest section Of northern Mexico,
| noted for rugged mountains, deep
canyons and barren deserts. The
| Conchos river flows into the Rio
| Grande near Ojinaga after tumbling
through San Juan pass from Gu
chillo Parade to San Juan Del Rio.
Both rivers are lined with cotton
wood trees. Lowland farms in Delta
Conchos are the only green spots TO
be seen in the entire district, where
| palo-verde, mesquite and cactus
grow. Barren hills, rocky canyons
and mountains are superimposed on
mesas beyond the border over which
winding trails are traced in white.
Along these trails the cavaffymen
were making their way tonight The
columns often were forced to break
| into deachments and wind slowly
up the sides of mountains, down
box canyons, always alert for
bandit ambush. The soldiers and
officers wore rain-soaked uniforms.
covered with dampened dust. Their
| horses were tired from the long
forced march.
The troops are on field rations
from mule pack-trains, as no field
| kitchens were taken.
Maintain Communication.
The communication line is being
maintained to the border. along
| which supply trains and couriers
pass from the base on the American
side to the columns in the field.
A field wireless pack and air
planes are maintaining communica-
ton with headquarters here. The
storm i interfering with field tele-
phone communication throughout
the district.
The line to Preside tonight was
out of order and nothing was
known of movements of Carranza
troops from Olinaga, opposite tha4
point. Orders were issued at heafA
quarters here to all commanders iN
the expedition to use every care TOD
protect peaceable Mexicans.
The remainder of the $4,000 ram
som which Capt. Leonard F. Mat
lack brought back to Candeleria}
after having tricked the bandits into
releasing Lieutenant Davis without
paying the full ransom, was depos-
tied in a bank late today. 1t
amounted to Sc. 500.
1t was said here tonight that il
virtually was impossible to carry
out Maj Gen. joseph T. Dickman's
order instructing officers to pay the
bandits the full ransom. unless the
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