Show fierce battle with smugglers S m jugglers customs guard has desperate fight with rum runners on mexican border WIFE TELLS OF ENCOUNTER knives and pistols pistol were used in dat bat tle tie in brush on the banks of the rio grande automobile Is riddled hidalgo Ul dalgo te tey L oue one of the most desperate single handed encounters counters eo which ever took place between a united states stales customs officer and a gang of mexican smugglers or on the 1110 grande border fell to the lot ot of dick mcconnell a government river guard liere here a few nights ago mcconnell accompanied by Ms his wife and two little daughters was riding in an automo bile along the 1110 granbe Gra uce neur near town leaving the car mcconnell i started toward the river bunk bank lie iad had gone but a short distance when he was fired upon from fromam ambush buah A bullet knocked off ills his hat fiat ile he rushed toward the spot from which the bullets were coming lie he returned the fire as lie he ran In into alie brush and there came upon the two mexicans on of them grabbed him by the back of neck and a scuffle ensued during which lie reveled rece led knife wounds and had his pistol holster cut to pieces lie ile drew a small gun which lie he carried in the he holster under his fits shirt and fired it fit his whom lie he killed and the body fell into the rapidly ris lag rio nio grande mrs mcconnell who was in the car at the time of the attack gave the following account cifes account 1 I 1 and the children were bere iere in the baff seat of the car when we drove up lip near the river bank near the he small boat ferry lan landing dlug As my husband got out of the car and started to go doun the bank there came a lash flash of a gun almost in his bis face and his hat tell fell off and something struck the car dick ick jumped back pulled his automatic and began to shoot again and again came the flush flash and something struck lie he car again the children anil and I 1 could see the man who was shooting at my husband backing down under the bank and my husband walking toward him shooting they both disappeared under the bank when we heard a noise like roen men fighting or struggling I 1 was getting nervous not know cihat hat to do we heard beard throe three more shots and I 1 heard some one yell out la in mexican shortly after my husband came to the top of the bun ban holding ills fits hands band to ills face and told me to drive to deputy collector J it darks clarks house and bring him and also at 11 lantern I 1 drove as fast as I 1 could and returned with dark clark and the lantern we found my husbands hat fiat near the car with a bullet hole in the top I 1 of the crown on the river bank we picked up a long bladed knife lying partly in the water was a felt hat with three bullets in it near tin boat was a sock sack containing ser seventeen enteen quarts of tequila upon returning returning tc I 1 the car we found where three bullets bad pierced the cowl one of which passed through and hit the steering abeel ft heel breaking a part of it oft off one of the bullets piercing the cowl but spending its force against the iron from dash was picked up by deputy collector clark and was waa said to be from a 45 the other hit the side of the cowl and glanced oft off |