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Show 9 More Villa Bandits Are Locatecl Near Bachineva By American Cavalrymen I PERSHING'S MEN CONTINUE PURSUIT IN NORTHEAST GUERRERO REGION Much Misleading Information Given and Reliable Guides Difficult Dif-ficult to Obtain Fight Between Villa and Carranza Forces Under Colonel Cano on March 29 Reported Bandit Leader Emmanuel Boco Killed Rumor of Cano's Disloyalty Unfounded Americans Obtain Corn and Beef Cattle From Mexicans. Laredo, Texas, April 3. Military authorities at Nuevo Laredo opposite here declared today the reported defection of Colonel Cano's forces in Chihuahua was untrue. They said the Chihuahua forces were loyal and "working indefatigably for the apprehension of Villa." San Antonio. Texas, April 3 The detachment of Villa's forces defeated at Guerrero by American troops Wednesday Wed-nesday was located yesterday near Bachineva, northeast of Guerrero, according ac-cording to General Pershing who re- l ported today to General Funston. His (j report was sent Sunday. The remainder of the dispersed force, he said, was scattered through the region northeast of Guerrero and American troops are continuing their pursuit. General Pershing said Villa himself had not been located and added that his intelligence department had been given much, misleading information and that securing reliable guides was becoming more difficult. Grazing for the animals was scarce, he reported, but some grain had been found. Colonel Cano Loyal. Washington, April 3. A fight between be-tween one of the smaller groups of Villa and Carranza 'forces, the latter "under Colonel Cano, on March 29, was reported to the war department this afternoon by General Funston, Sman-uel Sman-uel Boco, the Villa- leader, was killed. Although previous reports had placed plac-ed doubt upon the loyalty of Colonel Cano, General Funston's 'report indicated indi-cated that he was aiding the American troops against Villa, Pershing's Official Report The war department's statement follows: fol-lows: "A dispatch just received through General Funston from General Pershing Persh-ing tells us that one of the smaller bands into which the Villa force scattered scat-tered was struck by Colonel Cano on March 29, with the result that Emanuel Eman-uel Boco, the leader, was killed. This I seems to dispose finally of the rumor K of disloyalty on the part of Colonel Cano. "The report further tells us: That while grazing is scarce, corn of Inferior In-ferior quality Is plentiful, and that beef cattle are available in sufficient quantity. Two additional truck companies com-panies are now at work and General Pershing reports the supply system Is generally Improved. Communication between the front and Casas Grandes Is maintained by aeroplane." Camp of General J. J. Pershing at the Front, April 2, (By Aeroplane to ' Colonia Dublan, and by Radio to Columbus, Co-lumbus, N. M., April 3.) American cavalrymen encountered a fleeing force of Villlstas near early today and sounds of firing have been heard from that direction but no report re-port has been made to headquarters as to the results. The mountains of Guerrero are being be-ing combed thoroughly for Francisco Villa by the American forces, but nothing has been learned as to his I whereabouts other than that captured bandits said he was being carried farther into the mountains in his jolting jolt-ing coach. Infantry Mountain Climbing. General Pershing announced today that troops of the infantry are to be used for mountain climbing in the search for Villa, co-operating with the uJ cavalrymen who have borne the brunt tfW of the five-day pursuit of the broken if - . i - nvH. linn I bandit. The inianirym. u" "-" going through hardening preparation in hill climbing marches for about two weeks and their officers say they are In excellent physical trim. The troops were closely behind Villa yeBterday entering the village of shortly after he had fled from It. It ia Buspected that he might be hidden In one of its huts and every precau-tiol precau-tiol was taken to effect the capture. Two squadrons of cavalry entered the village from opposite sides simultaneously. simultan-eously. Every preparation had been made for the engagement which failed to develop. . , , km There havo been a number of minor & skirmishes in tho vicinity of the villi vil-li lage two scouts reporting today that !they encountered two VilHstas on its outskirts yesterday and fought for five minutes without casualties. Air Scouts Busy. American air scouts are now flying over the entire Villa territory and are carrying dispatches from the -front to the field base and field headquarters. Motor trucks also have been able to penetrate the mountain wasto aQ0 as far as the territory occupied bj ,fk the cavalry under Colonel George A. W Dod(1, M El Paso, Texas, April 3. Francisco A "Villa has again become the man of aovBtery Almost within tho grasp or 5 ithe American cavalry after the bat- jtle of Guerrero, the bandit is report- ' , M today to hare jUppad.-th.Miet- clos- y 1 ' ing about him and to have covered the trail of his flight. Mexican officials offi-cials in Juarez sought information of the brigand's whereabouts but the land lines brought no definite word. Mexican reports had it that Villa and another band of his followers were moving on Chihuahua with the intention of getting, the garrison of the de facto government to revolt and join him against the Americans. These reports brought here by travelers trav-elers were scouted by Mexican Consul Con-sul Garcia. Villa's Large Forces. While the bandit's main command was scattered at the battle of Guerrero Guer-rero It Is believed here than Villa has several other large bodies of men disposed dis-posed at convenient positions in the nnntinonUl . iir-fl-i otw. fli-,- HAlnnfll Dodd and his troopers may come In contact with them at any time. While the search for Villa continues, Colonel Colo-nel Dodd will at once seek to destroy de-stroy these armed bodies of Vllllstas who are a constant menace to the -line -of American communications. There is no light on the recent operations of the Carranza forces against the VilHstas. General Bcr-tani Bcr-tani has sent no report to the Juarez headquarters for several days and what assistance the troops, or the de facto government, is giving General Pershing and his men In not known. Traffic More Active. Traffic over the Mexico Northwestern Northwest-ern railway is becoming more active since the advent of the American expeditionary ex-peditionary forces in the Casas Grandes Gran-des and Madeira districts. A freight train arrived from Casas Grandes this morning. Later in the day a mixed passenger and freight train started out for Pearson, 30 miles south of Casas Grandes. Two carloads of oats and two carloads of express matter, mat-ter, shipped by private parties but expected ex-pected eventually to reach the army, made up the freight consignment. The passengers included many Americans returning to the interior after flight to the border following the Columbus massacre. Bandit Not Wounded. Nothing was said in the reports of Villa's alleged Injuries, an omission which helped to confirm the opinion already freely expressed on tho border bor-der that the bandit's wounds were an Inventing of his own, reported with the intention of deceiving his pursuers. pursu-ers. Tho absence of any official news from the front since the defeat of the VilHstas near Guerrera by Colonel Dodd last Wednesday has considerably consider-ably dashed the hopes of those who saw in the victory tho beginning of the end of the bandit's career. At tho same time. It Is pointed out that the American cavalrymen have a for mldablo taBk before them In searching search-ing the barren mountain wastes where Villa 16 supposed to havo taken tak-en refuge. The fact that no further fighting has been reported is taken as an Indication that the bandits have been effectually scattered by the American troopers. Border a Hive of Rumors. As usual', in the lack of definite information in-formation tho border is again" a hive of rumors of an alarming and sensational sensa-tional nature. The majority of the rumors are based on stories brought from the interior by Mexicans and the few Americans who straggle in here by ones and twos dally. The most circumstantial of these stories at present deals with the reported defection of Colonel Cane, the Carranza Car-ranza commander at Namlquipa. There is a great deal of mystery attached at-tached to tho movement of Mexican troops at points close to the border. It is known that large bodies of Carranza Car-ranza soldiers have been moved from camps in the interior to various places within twenty miles of tho international in-ternational line, but no explanation has been given of these maneuvers, hoyond a general intimation that tho de facto government is anticipating possible action by tho followers of Felix Diaz, who Ib now consldored the head of the clentlfico party. Stories Flatly Contradictory. Most of the stories brought from the interior are flatly contradictory, especially those from Moxlcan Bources. American refugees generally general-ly agree In describing conditions as alarming but they invariably refused to be quoted on the ground that they expect to return to Mexico and are afraid of arousing prejudices against themselves. Their stories are offset by tho fact that several of -their-num bers, who fled across the border after the Columbus massacre, have returned return-ed to their former homes convinced that they have nothing to fear. oo |
