Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1916 — VILLA, BY RUSE, ESCAPES PERSHING [ARTICLE]

VILLA, BY RUSE, ESCAPES PERSHING

Bandit Fleeing With Oijly Eight Men and U. S. Force Is Left Sixty Miles in the Rear. Official reports say that Francisco Villa has eluded U. S. troops successfully and with only eight men is leading our force at a distance of at least 60 miles. He has not been wounded in the leg as reported, but is having “his fun” and seems now to be ia a country that he is particularly well acquainted with. It seems that Villa took no Tart i n the recent battle with U. S. and Mexican troops. The road taken by Villa is thoroughly familiar to him and is known among peons as “Pancho’s road.” Villa will at least be at liberty for some time yet, for no one knows the country better than he and no one at the present seems quite sly enough to catch the old fox. The report that Carranza’s chief, Gen. Cano, has deserted and joined Villa is probably another false report, as nothing since the report seems to indicate such. In fact, the Cano troops are working vigorously against Villa. Supplies have been to some extent lacking, especially feed for the animals, but now the troops are in a country where there is plenty of corn of inferior quality.