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Show MASSACRE OF THE AMERICANTROOPS Washington Is Stirred Over the News of the Base Treachery of Mexicans. Washington, June 23. General Pershing's report indicating that tbe American cavalry command engaged at Carrlzal was the object of a treacherous attack by Carranza soldiers sol-diers and virtually was wiped out, stirred Washington tonight with a deeper apprehension than has been aroused by any other development in the series which has brought the two countries to the brink of war. While no official would mako any statement whatever to indicate the probable course of the United States should the report prove true, there were many grim evidences that tension ten-sion had been greatly Increased. President Wilson, who had retired before be-fore the news reached Washington, was awakened and talked with Secretary Secre-tary Baker over the telephone. At the war department officials apparently apparent-ly credited for the first time the story that the Mexican troops had been guilty of an act which could lead only to the most serious consequences. Casualties Unknown. Late tonight the Pershing report told of in news dispatches had not reached the war department officially. A report received from the commander command-er in Mexico, however, said that seven negro soldiers who had held the horses of the others had become separated from them in the fight, had straggled Into the field base at Colonla Dublan arid repeated the version of the incident inci-dent told of in messages from General Pershincr received earlier In the dav. The dispatch tonight said that at the time it was written there had been no definite indication of the number of American casualties. General Scott, chief of staff, in giving giv-ing out the dispatch, emphasized that failure to get in touch with survivors of the fight could not In itself be accepted ac-cepted as Indicating that the command had been annihilated. He pointed out that Carrlzal was sixty miles from the American base and that three or four days would be only a reasonable time for a troop to travel that distance over the broken country of northern Mexico. The clash occurred only two days ago. Scott Discounts Report. General Scott indicated that the war department did not expect any further report from General Pershing until relief troops sent out after the battle had returned to camp. It was suggested by several officials that General Gen-eral Pershing's failure to forward promptly all the reports brought to him by the stragglers reaching his camp was due to the fact that ordi- liui ii v tutic i iuvlisv 1'iagu uj army officers In stories coming from such sources. There still was hope that an official version of what happened hap-pened and how it came to happen would be obtained soon from responsible respon-sible officers of the engaged troops. Secretary Baker did not return to the department tonight after the new official and unofficial dispatches regarding re-garding the incident- had come in. Army officers, however, kept In constant con-stant telephone communication with his home and kept him advised fully. It was nearly midnight when the secretary sec-retary called the White House and tolj officials there he wanted to talk with President Wilson. The conversation between the president presi-dent and his secretary of war lasted several minutes and afterward Mr. Wilson remained up half an hour waiting for possible receipt of further details of the developments of which the secretary had told him. He then retired without gong to his office or talking to ecretary Tumulty, who was waiting there. |
