El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-05-26
CARRANZA COT
No PROTECTION


I Barragan- Cen Lucio Blanco, Dr.
/ Jerardo Murillo fDr. AID socialist
1 leader. and a number Of senator's and
] other officials. In the car 10 which ]
I was assigned were Gen. Murguia and
! his family. Col. Mora. DR.. Quiroga, the
Z presidents private physician. and
] others
AT the Mexican railway station Is
other trains had been made up. and
p engines were held in readiness
I In one Of these trains. the shortest Of
I all, was the national treasure OF be
I tween IS and p million pesos in gold
| bullion, not in square bars. but nodded
in cylinders.
President Carranza reached the
I National station with the secretary OF
I the following morning. Three hours
later the train movement began The
first Of the series Of trains which ex-
I tended over Is kilometers Of track.
4 carried the cavalry Of Gen. Heliodoro
Perez.
/ sixth in line. The last train carried
the Infantry cadets from the Chapul-
tepec academy
People Appeared Depressed.
"As we passed through Via Guada-
lupe. a suburb OF Mexico City. crowds
lined the tracks. There was no
demonstration. The people appeared
-Our train had passed beyond Via
Guadalupe when the first ObregOnista
attack came. The last two trains
were captured These had aboard
the aviation section and the artillery
However the president still had with
him $500 men. infantry and cavalry
AT 4 o'clock in the afternoon We
reached Tepexpans where we were
Joined by Gen. Murguia's troops and
the cavalry cadets from Chapulte-
pee. one thousand strong
AT sunrise on Nay g. when We
were at Apizaco. our rear was again
attacked by the troops Of RICARDO
Reyes Marques. one OF the Gonzalez
generals There were less than zoo
in the attacking party and Gen Pillar
Sanchez. who had Joined US al
Apizaco. easily beat them Off After
ward he destroyed the track in our
AT noon we reached san Marcus,
where Gen Lopez. commanding the
advance guard. had been In action an
day. with troops Of Gen Guaoalupe
Sanchez. With achievements the
advance guards quickly cleared the
way. We stopped for the night about
10 kfIos short Of Rinconada- Inere
In the morning. we were ATTACKED
from hills near the right OF way Inc
battle lasted until midafternoon- II
ended when Cen Murguia, personally
leading a counter attack with 10
Juchiteco Indians, captured two cannon
two machine guns and enemy head
quarters.
Carranzn on Firing Line
at noon president Carranza him
self appeared on the firing line bis
horse was shot but he stayed at the
front until the battle was over
I'VE captured $50 Of the enemy, in
GLIDING 20 officers Of high rank.
Luckily before the train movement
was resumed. we found dynamite
bomb on the track ahead. which. II
exploded, would have halted Us there
about 600 Obregonistas partici-
pated in this attack In some way
they had obtained advance intorma-
ton that president Carranza would
leave the capital and knew the route
he would take. They had placed guns
on hills commanding the rsiiroad an, ana
had laid out a system OF trencnes1
on which. our prisoners told US, they
had worked eight days
I'VE stayed a night and day IN
Rfncouada and on the morning OF the
twelfth. started for Esperanza- At
Aljibe we encountered strong lorce
under Gen Guadalupe Sanchez
Gen. MILAN Wounded
There was another all day tight
At night the enemy withdrew only TO
renew the attack the following morn
ing. Early in the fighting, Gen
head and Col. Emelio Leon, OF the 51tn
and Lieut.. Col Torres. OF
Icons staff, were killed
at Rinconada the rebels had cap
tured two more trains al the rear
considerably weakening our force
On the morning OF the fourteenth,
knowing that the attack would be re-
sumed with the dawn. Cen Murguia
ordered all civilians. among whom
were hundreds OF women and chill
dren, TO leave the trains As they
were moving 20 obey a train near
that Of the presidents caught fire
Heavy smoke clouds rolled along the
right OF way. Quick TO take advan-
tage Of the situation the Obregonistas
and fired at close range
into the smoke.
Women and Children Killed.
"a number OF women and children
were killed-how many do not know. /
The civilians and most OF the
troops on Cen Murguia's orders.
started afoot 10 the little town OF
Santa Maria. three or four miles |
away There they were oTertaken |
and captured by the Obregonistas, I
who believed for a time they had
also taken president Carranza- But |
they hadn't Sending the main body /
to Santa Maria had been a ruse. Car /
rama with 500 cavalry, had gone /
south TO san Nicolas ranch, six miles /
distant. Gen. MILAN was leLt on the /
train. with his vile and child. ana /
was dead when the Ohregonistas |
boarded It.
ITO san Nicolas Carranza took the /
is Obregon generals who had been his /
prisoners These included Gems /
Roberto Cejudo. Guadalupe de IA 1
Lave. Artigas and Lachuga- I have /
heard since the report that these i
generals were killed by Murguia's 4
men while president Carranza was |
preparing TO leave Mexico City. But 4
no manner OF harm came 70 them. I
AS a matter Of fact Carranza released /
them at the ranch and travelled back i
to Mexico City under their protection /
taking with me the family Of Gen
Murguis.
Tells Commanders His Plans
Tt was on the morning OF the i
fifteenth at Zacapetec. that Carranza /
called his loyal commanders to him
and told them OF his plans 10 seek
refuge IN the mountains. there 10 re-
the campaign against the
rebels.
He made It plain that even had the
ObreEon safe conduct reached him.
he would have scorned TO avail him
self OF 10. AS a matter OF fact the
safe conduct really was brought TO
ApiZaco by Mendez ArmendareZ.
civil engineer, who had been chosen
as Obregon's courier. But neither
courier nor safe conduct reached the ]
presidential train. ] last saw the
president at Zapatepez, with Gen
Hurguia, HeliodorO Perez. Ignacio
3onillas. Luis Cabrera. Pillar Sanchez
about seven Of his other political and
leaders and some 800 mounted
.roops.