New-York tribune., 1920-02-10
Big Bend Raids
Described by
Col. Langhorne
Cavalry Leader Tells Sena-
tors How p American
Troopers Charged Into
Body of $50 Mexicans
Bandit Bands Wiped'Out
Thieving Expeditions Over
Border Headed by Car.
rama Officers, He Asserts
By Wilbur Forrest
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

4
Ell PAsO, Tex, Feb. "a small
band of American cavalrymen-a lieu
tenant and twenty-one men--charginp
into the midst Of 250 armed Mexicans
whom they had followed across the
Rio Grande and far into Mexico was
sample of to-day's testimony before
the Senate subcommittee Investigate
ing "the war; waged in the Big Bend
district of Texas since 1917.
Colonel George T. Langhorne. COM
mander Of the 9th United States Cav
airy, stationed in the Big Bend to pro-
tect Americans from Mexican raiders
testified that he sent his cavalrymen
across the Rio Grande on numerous
occasions to chastisc Mexican cattle
and horse thieves and murdcrers who
had raided American soil. On one
occasion, he declared, Lieutenant Mat
lack Of his command, with twenty-one
men, was ordered to cross the Rio
Grandc at Buena Vista in search of
cattle thieves. Matlack followed the
trail into a canyon, where he detected
an ambush.
"Matlack lodged this ambush and
charged into the center of the Mex
lcans," Langhorne testified, "killing a
large number of them and losing one
OF his men, After Matlack returned
to the American side it was discov-
cred that the Mexicans had abducted
the American ranch owner from whom
the cattle were stolen. Matlack re-
turned to Mexico and rescued the
American.
Bandits Virtually Exterminated
Colonel Langhorne's Headquarters
until he was relieved from the Big
Bend command were at Maria, Tex,
a considerable distance from the Rio
Grande. Describing how on at least
two occasions American troops pur-
sued bandits until the Mexicans we're
virtually exterminated, Colonel Lang
horne said his troopers faced difficult
Typographical conditions as we'll as
desperate enemies in the Big Bend.
For example," he said, word came
to me one day that raiders were attack
ing the Neville ranch near the river,
| sent one troop of cavalry 100 miles
by rail to point where it detraino j
ana crossed mountain to reach the
Iahch. AhC her troop mafched seventy
hve miles between midnight and 4: SO
the following afternoon to reat lii
Nevllle's place. They then took up
the raiders trail, which followe
seventy miles over the mountains. In
The running fight our troops killed
many of them and recovered horses
stolen from Neville. These raiders
had killed Neville's son and Mexican
woman at the ranch before the troops
arrived.
There were originally twenty-ninp
in the raiding party, but when we
checked up" the colonel said. smiling,
Eve found the troops had killed thirty-
three. One American cavalryman also
was killed"
Colonel Langhorne told the con-
mittee that in almost every case tie
raiders were Carranzista soldiers.
Sees Peril for Americans
Captain William V. Ochs, nephew of
Adolph Ochs, New York publisher, told
the committee that life in the Big
Bend district would become "veritablc
help and American citizens now in the
district would be compelled to leave
if American troops should be with
drawn. He added that not week
passed during two years of his border
service in the vicinities of Presidio
and Indio, TEX, that depradations we're
not committed on American soil by
Mexicans who crossed the Rio Grande
from Mexico.
Captain L. f. Matlack, who followed