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Show CRISIS AT HAND. The Murmon colonist- at Coloina Dub-Ian Dub-Ian a nd 'olo:ii a .Juan;, are not filled with -meh a sweet yen-; of security that t hey ca re to rcmai n on their ranches in Mexico after the withdrawal of Per-hing's expedition, so the greater part of them aie on the way to the border with the A meriran troops. By the same token the other foreigners down there are making their way to the United States, some by train, some by wagon and auto and some on foot. Thee refugees have no faitii in the ability of Carranza to garrison the posts vacated by the punitive expedition. It does not seem possible that the ord-r for withdrawal would have been issued unless the authorities at Washington Wash-ington were absolutely certain that the time had at last arrived when it was safe to do so. Yet the fact that the foreigners are fleeing to the .border naturally breeds suspicion that the followers fol-lowers of Villa are likely to descend upon the unprotected settlements before General Murguiaran garrison the towns with a sufficient uumber of men to afford af-ford the necessary protection. Of course it. is possible that the colonists and other foreigners in Sonora and Chihuahua Chihua-hua do not expect any better treatment at the hands of -the Carranzistaa than they havo received whenever the bandits ban-dits have swooped down upon them. If this be the case the movement to the border is perfectly natural, for it is better to bo sure than sorry. According to advices from Mexico City, Minister of War Obregon has given orders that the pursuit of Villa bo continued without interruption until un-til the .bandit chief is either killed or captured and his band annihilated, and it is claimed there are enough troops in northern Mexico to turn the trick. At the same time dispatches aro being sent out from the border towns that Villa's men havo occupied El Valle, the outpost recently evacuated by General Pershing, and that the main Joody of his troops will soon appear at Casas Grandes. One Hawe.s, said to be Villa's agent in this country, has given out a statement in New York that numerous bodies of Carranza soldiers in Sonora and Chihuahua will desert to Villa just as soon as Pershing crosses the international inter-national boundary line. This is probably prob-ably a lie made out of whole cloth, but the thing is not impossible and it would require no great stretch of the imagination to picture conditions in northern Mexico far worse than they have .been since Madero first raised head against Dictator Diaz and precipitated precipi-tated the series- of revolutions which have brought Mexico down to a very low state. There is some comfort in the fact that if there is any truth in tho reports sent out concerning Villa's movements the people of this country will soon be apprised ap-prised of it and there will be many recruits to the ranks of those who favor intervention. Under the present arrangement ar-rangement the government of the; United States is free to pursue raiders; across the border, and if it becomes ' necessary to send another punitive expedition ex-pedition in pursuit of Villa we may safely conclude that the whole situation will be cleaned up before the troops are again ordered to withdraw. As we look at it, the situation along the border is precarious and something may happen hap-pen at any time. The outcome depends upon the ability of Carranza to make good. |