Middletown transcript., 1920-05-22
'CARR|AnzA I forces:
BADLY. SCATTERED
I'VE Are Lost! eood.by, Men
Men," His Parting Words
HEADING TOWARD THE COAST
Motor.truck Load OF Coin Breaks
Down And Soldiers Reap A Har-
vest-More Than Z, 500 Prison.
ers So Far Counted.

Mexico City.-"We are lost! Good.
by, gentlemen!" These were Car
ranza's final words before his fight
from the besieged trains in the early
afternoon Of May IA, while pausing
momentarily before crowd Of terri
fed civilian refugees few miles east
Of San Marcos, accompanied by few
intimates and guarded by what the
special dispatches term "a very small
cavalry force"
The fugitive president crossed the
narrow valley through which the
Mexican Railway passes, stopped for
a few moments to watch the Liberal
revolutionary forces occupy the stalled
trains, then disappeared among the
mountains.
1t is believed that Carranza is head
ing northeast toward the coast by
way Of Cofre de Perote. with the In
tention of boarding steamer at some
small port and escaping from the coun'
try. Judging from the list Of captured
officials and generals received Sunday
at the headquarters in Mexico City OF
the Liberal revolutionary government,
a few are accompanying Carranza.
Among them are believed to be Luis
Cabrera, Secretary. Of the Treasury;
Gen. Juan Barragan, chief Of staff;
1en. Francisco Murguia, commander
of the train guards; Gen. Francisco
Urguizo, Sub-secretary Of War, and
Ygnacio Bonillas, former ambassador
to the United States.
Gold And Silver Bars.
An inventory Of the funds Of the
National Treasury aboard one Of the
trains shows a great quantity Of gold
and silver bars, but comparatively lit.
tie minted coin. Pastor Ruaix, Sec
retary of Agriculture, was In charge
Of this train. Manuel Aguirre Ber.
langa, Secretary of the Interior and
head Of the cabinet, is believed to be
in hiding, as he was overheard to say
that he could not stand the hardships
of a horseback flight.
A motor-truck load Of gold coin,
which the Carranza party attempted
to carry off, broke down, the soldiers
obtaining the major part of it.
With more than $500 prisoners al
ready counted, it is belieyed that the
strong and heavily-armed force which
Carranza took from the capital has
been completely scattered, as hundreds
of the soldiers fed into the mountains
when the president abandoned the
trains. Refugees tell pitiful stories of
hardships and terrors which began
with fight from Mexico City on May
Z and which ended in the afternoon
of May IA. Hunger, thirst>and bullets
added to the uncertainty Of their fate
as the trains headed into the fast clos.
ing ranks of the Revolutionary troops
sweeping in from Vera Cruz and Pue'
bla Mountains on both sides Of the
railway.
Provoked At Carranza.
They express bitterness at Car
ranza's failure to accept the safe con.
duct offered him by both General Con.
zales and General Obregon. It is be-
lieved possible, however, that Car
rama did not know that Vera Cruz
had been captured, nor that virtually
the entire republic had turned against
his administration, and persisted in
the attempt to reach Vera Cruz and
there set up his administration In
temporary capital.
Cavalry columns under Generals
Camarillo, Guajardo and Gonzales are
pursuing Carranza. The pursuit is diff
ficult because Of the nature Of the
terrain, and his speedy capture is con
sidered improbable unless his party is
intercepted by opponents of his regime
who have beer operating in that dis
trict for the last five years.
The manifesto Of Pablo Gonzales,
published Sunday, announcing his def
mite retirement from candidacy for
the presidency in the July elections,
was followed by the news that Gen
eral Obregon was leaving Mexico City
Sunday night for a northern destina'
ton, probably Queretaro. General
Obregon holds no Office, and has not
named any interim officials. It is be,
lieved that his move is intended to aid
the purpose expressed by Gonzales in
retiring from his candidacy, which
was to remove any possible chance
of friction between leaders Of the Lib