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Show I RAPID CHANGES -1 INMEXICOCiTY ji'ly H Mexico City, July 31, via Vera Cruz. lHjjj Aug. S, and Via Laredo. Texas, Aug, fidi III 10 (Delayed in Transmission.) Dur- HIiIIII lng the last 2i h0UhJ tuIs capital has wlslw 8een tnree chanBes of government. I 'mm Such a kaledioscopic shifting of the jj) mijjj political status has alarmed even this city, accustomod as it has become to rapid changes of political leadership. Shortly after the noon hour yesterday yester-day the inhabitants were startled by the precipitate evacuation of the Zapata Za-pata army before an Invisible enomy. Two hours later, the Villa contingent of the former army of occupation rallied ral-lied and street fighting ensued with the Invading Carranza forces. At 5 o'clock the firing ceased ana In Its place was heard the clanging of bells. OfficeB and stores which had been in the line of fire were opened and the occupants emerged to learn that the city had been captured cap-tured by Captain Manuel Sanchez and twenty men of Carranza's army. It is estimated that 2500 Zapata soldiers sol-diers fled before this force, believing It to be much larger. .Captain Sanchez Installed himself In the national palace and the Red Cross ambulance and cars gathered up the dead and wounded numbering eleven, all of whom were civilians, the fighting having taken place In the main streets of the business section. The city had settled down to the first breathing spell of the day when the Zapata troops, learning that they had been routed by a force of twenty men, returned. Sanchez, with his Carranza forces thereupon evacuated the palace, -which was taken possession posses-sion of by General Castillo, who occupied oc-cupied It during the night Castillo, when morning broke, left the palace because of a rumored approach ap-proach of hostile forces, and General Aldama, claiming to be a Villa follower, fol-lower, occupied the government offices. of-fices. Towards noon heavy firing on several streets leading to the national na-tional and municipal palaces announced announc-ed a second approach of Carranza men. This firing lasted all forenoon and well into the afternoon and when it ceased the Inhabitants were in doubt as to whether the forces of Villa, Vil-la, Zapata or Carranza "held the capital capi-tal of the republic. Again ambulances ambu-lances of the Red Cross made their round and gathered up their toll of wounded and dead civilians. The soldiers of all factions escaped. The American Red Cross headquarters, headquar-ters, which is situated on the edge of the residential district, has been surrounded sur-rounded by crowds of miserably hungry hung-ry people, piteously begging food which the Red Cross has been unable to give because military necessities render it Impossible to have the many governments supply transportation for corn long since purchased, but detained de-tained by soldiers not fifty miles from the starving capital. nn |