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Show SHARP DEFEAT FOR VILLISTAS American Cavalrymen Outwit Mexicans at Own Game in Slipping Unseen Through Mountain Passes. THIRTY OR MORE DEAD Forty Horses Captured 200 Negro Troopers, Best Trailers in Army, Head Off Bandits, Pershing Camp, at San Geronimo Ranch, Mexico, April 3. By Aeroplane Aero-plane and Motor Truck to Columbus, N. M., April 7. News of the second Villista defeat, which reached here late today, was taken as a sharp moral mor-al defeat for the Villistas because the American cavalrymen had outwitted them at their own game, that of slipping slip-ping unseen through mountain passes. The news came in after General Pershing had been out of touch with General Funston for two days on account ac-count of bad flying weather, and a temporary shortage of gasoline which prevented the aero squad from carrying the general's messages back : to the wireless at his field headquar- j ters. These losses of the Villistas tonight to-night given as thirty or more dead and forty horses captured in the Aguas Callentes fight, were not con- sldered of as much significance as the manner in which the coup was executed. Mexicans Rely on Speed, Ever since the Villistas retreated from Guerrero, tho presence of Villa bands In some force between Guer-roro Guer-roro and Bachinava, 55 miles north of Guerrero, had been known. It also I was evidence from the reports to headquarters that these Villistas under un-der Manuel Lopez were inclined to rely for safety or their intimate J knowledge of the mountain passes. That they were relying on nothing else than their speed in making for difficult passes, was Indicated last Friday, March 31, when two American Amer-ican scouts Inadvertently frightened the entire band, estimated at about 200, out of tho town of Bachinava. The .scouts got into a bloodless duel with two Villista outposts at Bachi- j nava. The sound of the firing aroused i the Villistas who at the time were camped in the plaza of the town. They scrambled for their horses with shouts of "Los Americanos." Scatter for Mountains In a Hurry. They rode out for the mountains in a hurry. Saturday and Sunday two separate columns of cavalrymen were on the trails which this band had taken. tak-en. In spite of fast riding, or rather fast walking, for it is by walking and leading their horses most of the way that the cavalry gets around and directly di-rectly over the mountain tops, neither neith-er of these troops was in position to catoh the Villistas. Apparently that Is what the bandits had expected but they reckoned again, as at their first defeat at Guerrero, without accounting for tho unexpected unexpect-ed striking power of tho American cavalrymen. The Americans were not relying merely on two columns of cavalrymen cav-alrymen to box the Villistas. Below Bachinava, either the Villistas did not know of their presence or they considered them too far away to be a menace, were 200 negro cavalrymen under Colonel W. 0. Brown. Negro Trailers Catch Band. The negroes have the reputation of being among the best trailers In the army. They caught the Villistas after aft-er the bandits had ridden only a few hours out of Bachinava, Like Dodd's fight at Guerrero, it was quick work for a few minutes with rifles and then a chase. The Americans did not stop to report what they had done but stayed on the trail so that tonight, to-night, two days after the fight, no details have reached headquarters' I camp other than the bare report of a Bkirraish and the story of twoMexi- can ranchmen giving tho location of j the encounter and Villista losses. The news of the encounter caused no surprise or special elation in this j camp. "Wo expect to get them," was the usual comment of the officers when asked whether they were surprised at striking the hiding Villistas so soon again. |