Bell's Report on Villa

1916

Washington, Sept. 21. — The most detailed account yet received of the fighting at Chihuahua City last Saturday, when Villa celebrated the Mexican Independence day by a successful assault on the Carranza garrison, reached the war department today from Bridg. Gen. George Bell, commander of the El Paso military district. It asserts that Villa personally led the attacking forces; that he took and held numerous important buildings in the city for several hours; that he was joined by a thousand or more men of the Carranza garrison, and retired, promising to return soon, and taking with him a large quantity of captured arms, ammunition and artillery.

No official would predict what effect the incident may have on the negotiations at New London, which embrace General Carranza's request that American troops be withdrawn from Mexico. It was deemed certain, however, that no agreement could be reached by the commissioners until it was known precisely to what extent the situation in Northern Mexico had been altered by the Chihuahua City developments and until it was made clear what the Carranza government would do to cope with the new situation.