OCR Text |
Show -1LU FES1S II TIP HAS BEEN I SET BY HUEHTA 'Evacuation of Federal Strong-i! Strong-i! holds in Northern States IK May Mean Desperate p. Fighting to the South- Jrebel commander i will move slowly (Bullion Train Is Straggling Across Desert With $2,- 500,000 From Silver Mines at ParraL I " J JUAREZ, Moxico, Deo. 6. The fooling fool-ing epread among rebel leadera today that tho Huerta govornmont was pro-paring pro-paring some ainistor surprises in oon-liectlon oon-liectlon with the projoctod march of eneral Francisco Villa's army toward Mexico City. f That tho federal troops had abandoned abandon-ed almost all of the northern part of iho republic, after they had been beat-in beat-in und forced to Book safety in tho feountains or on tho Unitod States border, bor-der, and that General Salvador Merco-Mflo. Merco-Mflo. the federal commander, bad pro-nounced pro-nounced his forces bankrupt, was not SJjBjecepted as indicating that tho robols" iarrill bo unresisted in their advance l8With. mh- Somo belief was expressed that tho federals had an object in ovacuating Chihuahna and other isolated federal garrisons whore it was impossible for them to do muoh more than defend themselves and that their purpose in abandoning their posts was to permit a more ooncertod and energetic defense in tho central and southern states, where fort are moro numerous and comnranlcatioa among them is easier. Army of 20,000 Men. General Villa 'a lntontlon to augment aug-ment hifl present army of 7000 by the scattered bands about Torreon and Zao-atecas Zao-atecas and to maaB a solid forco of 20,000 or moro rebels' on tho march to Mexico City would placo tho rebels in a unique position. Heretofore they have been scattered, while tho strongth of tho foderals was divided by their having to garrison tho northern oitios. As tho rebels gain territory, tho relative rel-ative positions of the federals and rob-els rob-els will bo roverscd, the latter having to protect what thoy have won. while tho fedorals will bo more at liborty for aggressivo fighting. It was this condition con-dition that led Villa to considor whether wheth-er the government at Mexico Oity was not planning a campaign of considerable considera-ble extent further south, and whether the comparatively, undisciplined rebel I forcos might not have to contend with greater numbers and superior fighting machinery. Noon tomorrow was fixed by General Gen-eral Villa for his entry into Chihuahua, Chihua-hua, tho stato capital, evacuated a week ago by General Alorcado, who with six other gouorala and 5000 troops and civilians, aro fleeing toward tho border at Ojinaga. General Villa tonight was encamped at Sauao, about thirty miles north of Chihuahua. Communication between tho city and his camp was by courier, as tho telegraph between the points had not been restored. Federico Moyo, the civil governor, announced his readiness to turn the oity over to tho now authority. It is tho first time slncothe days beforo President Diaz that this capital had changod authority while a rovolution was pending. The event will bo signalized sig-nalized by tno ringing of bells and the blowing of bugles. Mercado Moving Slowly. "Word enmo from the vicinity of Ojinaga, Oji-naga, on tho Texas border, that General Gen-eral Alercado and tho other federal officers of-ficers and troops wore moving slowly and many of tho civilians were on foot and tho rebels had guaranteed not to disturb them until tho border was reached. Tho picturesque exodus of the people across tho dosort has attracted attract-ed thousands of poople to Presidio, op-posito op-posito Ojinaga. Somewhere behind the refugees a bullion train Is straggling across tho desert with $2,500,000 from tho' silver mines at ParraL Parral haB boon cut off from train sorvice for months and it was decided to bring the silvor to the border in wagons. |