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Show TORREON TIE1 81 THUS f TEH FIGHT Villa Is Not Present in Person, Per-son, but Gives Order to Protect Lives and Property Prop-erty of Foreigners. WASHINGTON, Dec 2-1. Official Offi-cial reports to the state depart-mant depart-mant today said Villa bandits yesterday yes-terday occupied Torreon. No de- I tails of the action were given ex- I ccpt that many foreigners had departed de-parted before the bandits entered. EL. PASO, Dec. 24. A representative of tho stato department here today announced an-nounced that he had received information he considered reliable that Francisco Villa's troops had occupied Torreon at 1 o'clock Friday afternoon, following a fight which started at 4 o'clock the same morning. morn-ing. From tire same sources it was announced an-nounced that Villa had not harmed any l'o reign property and had given guarantees to the foreigners still remaining in the city. Villa was not at Torreon in person, it was said, as he was in the vicinity of enne.iiUo yesterday. Report Believed. , The report that Villa forces had occupied occu-pied Torreon was accepted here as a fact i today by Americans who have been watching developments in Mexico. The j leports from Torreon brought by the 1 refugees from Parral were that General Talamante had only a comparatively small garrison and the fact that the Americans left he fore the attack started was taken lo indicate the apparent inability of the . Carranza forces lo withstand the attack. Government agents sent a report to Washington tonight confirming the capture cap-ture of Torreon Friday by Villa troops. No details were given of the battle which preceded the occupation of the Ooalmila metropolis, as the brief message which was said to have confirmed the first reports re-ports of the capture was received here from Eagle Pass, Texas, Will Move on Monterey. These government agents also sent a report tonight mat Villa had abandoned his plan of attacking Chihuahua City alter taking Torreon and was planning to move on Monterey, where the government govern-ment was said to have been coining money. mon-ey. -If Villa is successful in taking Monterey, Mon-terey, according to this source, he will move to Tampieo and besiege this east coast port in order to have a port of entry for ammunition and supplies. Saltillo wns also included in Villa's plan of campaign, it was said. A member of General Jose Murguia's staff in Juarez tonight made a statement to an American that confirmation of the capture of Torreon by Villa had been received re-ceived by the Carranza officials in Juarez. This was officially denied at military headquarters. Foreigners Safe. EL PASO, Texas. Dec. 24. An American Ameri-can here known to be a close friend of, Francisco A" ilia, claimed today to have re ceived information that Villa forces now j occupied" Tn ri'Oii, having c:i pi u red the . city at 1, o'clock Friday afternoon. Villa : gavi; ordi-t s to comtmtndrs t hp re not to harm the li vos or property of forf igiif r. j G'-nr-ral Francisco ' lonzalr-s will leave : Juarez tomorrow with his entire command I to oppose Villa south of Chihuahua City, |