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Show HOW COL DODD FOUGHT BANDITS Villistas Started to Retreat as Soon as They Saw the Americans Approaching. Columbus, April 5 Further particulars partic-ulars of Col. Dodd's fight at Guerrero aro related by returned soldiers. Surrounding a Mexican village requires re-quires much time, because these places plac-es cover several square miles and are enclosed by a maze of adobe walls from four to six feet high To this. In Guerrero was added the handicap of operating in tho full light of the morning sun. However, despite his difficulties, Colonel Dodd was able to partly encompass the town and to enter en-ter portions of it before his troops were discovered. Reports reaching here say that Villa had been in Guerrero all night resting rest-ing from the wound ho waB said to have sustained two days before In the fight with Carranzlstna. According to the story told the Americans, he had departed in a carriage a short time before Colonel Dodd's cavalry made Its attack. At any rate, ho was not present at the Tight. Puroulng Retreating Bandits. bbiuiu ia AiimncuDS couia complete com-plete their encircling movement the Villistas began dashing out of the town on all sides, firing as they rode They divided into small groups, sometimes riding singly In their effort to scatter the onslaught of the Americans, Ameri-cans, during horseback fight In which the American troops performed desperate des-perate feats of bravery. During five hours they rode hard on the heels of the retreating Villistas. For ten miles to the northeast the pursuit lasted, the broad lane of the fight being dotted hero and there with tho bodies of dead and wounded Mexicans. With what he considered accurate information that Villa was badly crippled, crip-pled, so that he could neither rido horseback nor walk, Dodd turned northeast for pursuit of tho routed bandits, maintaining also a force at Guerrero, ready to strike in any direction. di-rection. Once In the fight with Dodd's men, the Villistas seemed to be preparing for a stand outside the town, but they broke without a serious fight before the rush of the cavalrymen. The fighting ended shortly after noon, when the last of the Villistas mounted on fleeter and surer-footed horses made their escape Into the mountains. In retreating to the northeast, the Villistas went Into a district along the northern edges of which other columns col-umns of American cavalry already were arriving. Provldencla and Santa Ana, from forty to fifty miles north of the scene of the Guerrero fight, mark tho upper borders of this district. The Villistas headed for hills and mountains, moun-tains, ranging in height from several hundred to several thousand feet, apparently ap-parently thinking they could find temporary tem-porary refuge. Among some of these hills the Americans found marks of carriage wneeis. Pershing Goes to Front. "Was this Villa's carriage or was it a vehicle carrying supplies to the head of some trail leading to a mountain moun-tain hiding place?" was the question every officer asked This was the news hurried back to General Pershing, Persh-ing, a few hours after tho fight. It met him already at the front, for he had passed through his most advanced base the morning after the Guerrero fight and had joined the picked command com-mand cf Maj. Robert L Howze of the Eleventh cavalry, lately stationed at Foft Oglethorpe, Ga. This command was ordered Immediately Immedi-ately to block one of the passes through which Villa's men might try to escape. Word was hurried back to Maj. Frank Tompkins at the advanced base by automobile. Major Tompkins Is of the Thirteenth cavalry, the officer offi-cer who led the American pursuit across the boundary from Columbus, N. M., the morning after Villa raided the American town. The officer who carried word back to Major Tompkins asked the automobile mechanic one question: '"Have you extra tires?" "Yes," was the answer. Not another anoth-er word did the officer speak. But he threw the car into high speed, over rocks, ditches and hills, until the escort es-cort riding with him used both hands to keep from being bounced out of their seats. Tompkins' orders were to close another of the passes against Villa's escape. The men who had been without ra tions except such as they could pick up in the country for four days, were favored by the arrival of an automobile automo-bile supply train, which pulled In just before they left on a night ride. These cavalrymen were ordered to leave their swordB beslnd and were told that no matter how much else they might accomplish, it would be of little avail until they caught Villa himself. Make Midnight Start. During the night the troopers from headquarters' camp made a midnight start for their station, which it was hoped would close the last door by which Villa's men might escape northward. north-ward. Tho men were awakened from sleep, given coffee, the first some of them had tasted in several days, and which arrived opportunely by automobile automo-bile just before midnight, and then silently si-lently assembled by troops. They worked so quietly that fifty feet away from their campflres it was not possible pos-sible to discern that an important troop movement was getting under way. Once after they left a tattoo of hoofs was heard from a rocky mountain moun-tain trail, but otherwise the departure waB unheard and unseen by most of the men remaining in camp. This morning an aeroplane came Into In-to headquarters camp, having picked Its way through a snowstorm and through air which the aviator described describ-ed as 'boiling." This condition consisted con-sisted of occasional whirlwinds sweeping sweep-ing down off tho mountains upon the mesas, the superheated air rising from sand flats wherever the sun shone for a few minutes. When the sun was out the weather was uncomfortably hot, but when cloudB whirled across its face the men began to shiver slightly with the cold. Tho aeroplane, the only speedy means of communication communica-tion except automobiles, came in on dispatch duty. It circled the camp once at about 100 feet, enabling the aviator, who had never sen this tableland table-land before, to choose a landing place. Soon after these aeroplanes arrived" most of the cavalrymen still remaining remain-ing in camp galloped out on a short .ride, exultant because they were going c Investigate a report thnt Villa was ir the mountains only a few miles from here. Rescue Two Scouto. Yesterday while coming here by automobile au-tomobile General Pershing's escort took the wrong road, riding nearly Into In-to a town which was believed to be full of Villistas at the time. They wore within two miles of the place when tho error In the road was discovered. dis-covered. Later In the day it was reported re-ported that two scouts for the Americans Ameri-cans were in this town and In possible danger. Volunteers wero called for to bring them in. So many officers rushed forward to offer their services that none of the privates got a chanco to join the rescue party. The scouts wero brought in Bafely. Several mulo packs of Mexican silver sil-ver money has been sent to Colonel Dodd's troopers to enable them to obtain ob-tain food and fodder from the Mexicans. Mexi-cans. Their American money was such an unknown quantity among the Mexicans that trading with it was difficult- At this camp General Pershing has set a limit of the prices which may-bo paid for chickens. This Is to prevent bidding up prices among those with money to spare, which might result In a general Increase in cost of chickens and raise the limit beyond be-yond the means of private soldiers. The price has been fixed at 50 cents' to $1 per chicken, depending on the size. Supplies of all sorts are at the mfinimum to maintain health. All comforts have been discarded, either voluntarily or acldentally. |