OCR Text |
Show MAJOR TOMPKINS RELATES STORY OF THE PARRAL FIGHT I WASHINGTON, July 8. Major Prank Tompkins, who commanded the Thirteenth cavalry squadron attacked by Mexican soldiers and citizens at T'nrral when the chase southward of j Villa was halted, reached Yashington ! today and gave war department officials j a first-hand story of the fight. He is , en route to Vermont to instruct a na- I tional guard cavalry contingent. , At the time of the Parral fiizht Major Tompkins was operating under a rov- i ing commission against Villa and his ' bandit force, and commanded the troop- ; ers who. penetrated deepest into Mexico. ; Army officers here are confident that he was close upon Villa "s heels when he was forced to give up the chase because of opposition from Carranzista forces at Parral. Parral is about twenty miles east of Corral it os, where state department dispatches received yesterday said Villa was operating and had been continuously continu-ously since the American pursuit was stopped. Major Tompkins would not talk for publication about his experiences. |