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Show GUNBOATS FORCE REBELS TO RETIRE WASHINGTON, Dec U. Alter four days of florcc fighting the Mexican federal fed-eral garrison at tho seaport of Tnmplco, reinforced by the arrival of gunboats with troops, ammunition and dynamite, has driven tho attacking constitutionalists out of range of their guns. With tho cessation of hostilities medical medi-cal officers from the United States gunboat gun-boat Tacoma and the scout cruiser Chester are ashore in tho military hospitals hos-pitals helping to earn for more than 200 wounded. This information was contained in dispatches dis-patches from Rear Admiral Fletcher to tho iin,vy department The last message was dated 10 p. m. Saturday, when tho firing had ceased and tho constitutionalists constitution-alists had withdrawn. The message was sont by wlrcleB3 from Tamplco to Vera Cruz, where It was cabled in cipher to Washington via Galveston, which accounts ac-counts for its slow transmission. American Wounded. Tho only foreigner montloncd in Rear Admiral Fletcher's dispatches as having beon injured is Edward Flnlay, who was shot In tho ankle, but Is being cared for in the hospital In Tamplco and Is reported re-ported to bo doing well. Practically all tho foreigners were out In tho harbor, several miles from tho scene of tho fighting, some aboard the German and English ships, but the greatest number on tho American battleships Rhode Island, Virginia and New Jorsoy. Tho American army transport Sumner and the American Ameri-can liner Morro Castle were duo to arrive ar-rive at Tamplco today to take uway any refugees who desired to go. The official offi-cial number of refugees aboard tho American battleships was given at the navy department tonight as 105 men, 160 women and 146 children. From the maps at the department showing the relative positions of the opposing forces tho foderal gunboats undoubtedly un-doubtedly wero a Etrong factor In causing caus-ing the attacking force to withdraw. Decided by Gunboats. Admiral Flotcher at first estimated the strength of tha constitutionalists at 6000. I while the federal garrison had about half that number. The gunboat Bravo wan tho first to arrivo with a few hundred men and she was followed in quick ouc-cesslon ouc-cesslon by the fedoral gunboats Zaragoza, Vera Cruz and Tamplco, swelling the federal fed-eral force to about 6000. Tho gunboats could shell tho rebel positions from tho river and koep them from making much of an Impression on tho federal defenses In tho city. Whether tho constitutionalists have only temporarily withdrawn or have given up tho Idea of attacking Tamplco while It Is protected by th6 gunboats Is not disclosed dis-closed In any of the dlspatchos thus far received. Fletcher Commended. Satisfaction was expressed at the navy department over Rear Admiral Fletcher's method of dealing with the situation. Not only have foreigners been taken safely out of danger, but, according to latest advices, no valuable property has been destroyed. Stories that the position of the American ships in the river had embarrassed the federal gunboats were declared to bo groundless as the dispatches dis-patches to the department showed tho Mexican boats to be above and below the city, where they could flro upon the rebel positions without endangering any of the American vessels. Admiral Fletcher was In communication communica-tion with the navy department tonight concerning tho disposition of the refugees. refu-gees. It is probable that most of them will be taken to Galveston, though many. It Is believed, will now desire to return to Tamplco. No other dispatches of importance on the Mexican situation wero given out at the state or war department. Charge O'Shaughncssy cabled with reference tc reports of tho alleged flight of tho famll of General Hnerta, that he had seen Mrd. Huerta out walking In Mexico City yesterday. |