Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26

the trail. Scouting with inspector John j. Far
reil he picked up the tracks of two mules and
o horse at am. near San Miguel, Ariz The
tracks were son,e 20 hours old, giving the SNUG
glers a start Of As or SO miles, but the two men
gave chase.
arrived near Silver Bell and taken three Next
cans. horse, two mules and goodly supply Of
contraband.
They tell how Edgells exhausted horse died
its saddle had been removed and
how after standing guard all night, Farrell
went scouting in the dawn and came back to
camp with wild horse Looping behind Edgell
mounted that horse and stuck to it until it
stepped in a gopher hole and both were thrown.
Badly shaken he mounted it again and rode it.
After Is miles-weary miles. for they were
without food or sleep and had very little water
the wild horse gave out and another had to
be roped and broken. During the excitement
one OF the smugglers, well mounted got away.
But at o'clock on the second day they reached
the ranch with their captives and their bootv,
PITCHED battles are often fought near FL
Paso, the Mexicans shooting from ambush
and covered by snpeis on the opposite bank of
the Rio Grande. and If the invaders were not
such bad shots the honor role Of the patrol
would be much longer. The patrol inspectors
agree that your average Mexican could not hit
the proverbal barn door If he was locked inside
and that you only need TO fear him If he is not
aiming at you.
1t was in such a battle that Patrol Inspector
Ivan E. Scotch was killed in July, 1929, 30
miles south Of the city With five companions
he was stationed at the Los Pompos crossings
fovared points for liquor and alien smugglers
and a rendezvous for thieves murderers and
outlaws, who live in mud and grass huts on the
Mexican side of the river.
1t was a pitch black, rainy night and the
men were lying hidden on the ground sheltered
by the heavy fringe OF bush along the irrigation
bitches. Three guarded the upper crossing
and three the lower. To west and east stretched
cotton fields, muddy and impossible.
Three ANA splashing sound in the river
and lone rider is commanded to halt He
opens fire instead and falls in a rapid exchange
of shots. The six officers unite and hunt
the fallen man to give aid in case he is
wounded. Then the patrol car is run up to
get the booty.
Suddenly out of the darkness rifles begin to
bark-right, left and behind. The group is
surrounded and Scotch has fallen. More
splashes in the river as mounted reserves arrive
TO help the attackers. Back into the cotton
field the officers retreat under fire from fully
20 armed desperadoes.
The battle is at its height but Inspector Isben
worms his way back to the car to see IL Scotch
IL beyond help. Another retreat back rs feet
now, and the ofncerS are blazing away, their
only target the sound Of the guns as they send
out their volleys Of shot. But the little con-
tngent Is mad clear through, fighting like
nobody's business, and the pack Is gradually
forced back to the river, carrying their dead
and wounded
To say that conflicts such as this are an
everyday occurrence would be to exaggerate
the picture bit, but 1t would be possible to
recount dozen such stories. It was only q
few months ago that e Paso itself was turned
into a military shambles during a similar battle