STRONG LEADERS '
IN MEXICAN ARMY
Long Era of Warfare Has Pro
duced Several Highly Effi
cient Generals.
OBREGON AND ANGELES BEST
Angeles Said to Have Contributed
Largely to Villa's Successes
Obregon Is a Highminded,
Humane, Capable Leader.
San Antonio, Tex. —Were the Mexi
can army throughout as capable as
fiOine of its generals the United States
would have no easy task in subduing
Its unruly neighbor.
It must be remembered that Mexico
xias had almost uninterrupted war of
one kind or another for a period long
er than the American Civil war.
While conscientious American army
officers have been puzzling over maps
mih] working out problems in military
Strategy and tactics, the Mexican gen
erals have been actually leading large
forces in the field and giving and re
ceiving blows in the same territory
where they now clash with Uncle
Sam's Napoleons. This is an enor
mous advantage.
In addition, the Mexican military
Academy at Chapultepec, near Mexico
City, which is similar to our West
I’oint, has a high rating among insti
tutions of this character. In the Mexi
can war of 184 G-47 the Chapultepec
cadets put up a desperate resistance
to the American invaders on the?
grounds of their school. They were
only overcome after nearly all had
been killed or wounded.
So, while the Mexican forces are
badly equipped and lack ammunition
and food supplies, they will in many
~-ises be as well led us the Americans.
Mexico’s two leading masters of war
—leaving out the undoubted genius
Francisco Villa —are Alvaro Obregon,
“Pancho’s” conqueror and present min
ister of war, and Felipe Angeles, form
e* superintendent of Chapultepec.
Obregon bus the best record. Of
him more anon.
Angeles is the greatest artillery ex
pert Mexico ever produced. Indeed,
his ability is recognized by European
military men.
At last reports Angeles was in the
United States, but it is believed he will
L
General Obregon.
return to Mexico, uuless apprehended
by American troops, and otter his
sword to Carranza.
Supplied the Brains.
Angeles remained with Villa when
the latter broke with Carranza. He
contributed largely to many of Villa’s
victories. Some critics say most of
Villa’s glory should go to Angeles—
that he was the man behind the scenes
and supplied the brains, while Villa
Inspired the enthusiasm.
He was Villa’s minister of war when
Villa had an organized government
and was proposed several times as
provisional president of Mexico. In
this position he could have counted on
the confidence and support of the
United States. But Villa feared An
geles’ strength and kept him in a sub
ordinate position.
Then' Angeles quarreled with Villa
over the bloodthirsty and unprincipled
methods of the northern bandit gener
al and left him. He did not go over
to the constitutionalists, however, but
sought refuge in the United Srntes.
i On March 28 last he expressed the
opinion at El Paso that there would bo
war between the United States and
Mexico within 30 days if American
troops remained for that period on
Mexican soil.
“Mexico is a powder magazine.” said
the vet* ran general. “A spark w ill ex
plode it.”
If Obregon remains at Mexico City
to direct operations from there, actual
charge in the field will probably be In
the hands of Francisco Serrono, his
chief of staff. He is another military
man whose worth has been proved In
the series of revolutions and is re
garded by American officers as a *ajm
ble leader. He has not figured promi
nently up t<> the present time.
On the northern border the three
principal leaders are General Ricaut,
LATEST PHOTO OF GENERAL PERSHING
New and hitherto unpublished photograph of General Pershing, com
mander of the American forces now in Mexico.
in the east: General Jacinto Trevino,
commanding in Chihuahua; and Gen.
P. Elias Guiles, military governor of
Sonora.
These are all war-seasoned veter
ans. General Calles has been friend
ly to Americans and has gained a
rather high opinion along the border.
He gave bis word be would personally
see that American refugees' were not
molested in their flight out of Mexico.
He will probably try to lead his force
through the mountains to attack the
American expeditionary forces from
the west.
It was General Calles who over
threw Moytorena, the Villa governor
of Sonora. Calles is believed to have
15,000 men under his command.
Carranza himself may take the field,
with the object of inspiring the Mexi
cans and showing he is with them
heart and soul. lie lias no military
ability, but has shown sense enough
in previous campaigns not to interfere
with the plans of Obregon and other
experts. , /
Obregon is undoubtedly the man of
the hour in Mexico. If he were not
unswervingly loyal to Carranza he
could seize the reins of government
and become himself dictator. But he
is as true to the bearded first chief as
a good dog is to its master.
He is unlike most Mexicans, a big.
breezy, youthful fellow —he is only
thirty-nine —who reminds one more of
an American westerner than of the
sordid, dissolute, brutal type so often
found in high places in the southern
republic.
Like Villa, he is a man brought to
the command of an army without reg
ular military training and rising by
the simple genius he possessed. He
has been called the Cineinnatus of
Mexico.
He comes of an old Sonora family
and is wealthy.
Mexico’s troubles found him a peace
ful farmer, known to but a few peo
ple in Sonora. He aided the revolu
tion of Francisco Madero against Por
firio Diaz in many ways, but did not
take the field.
Obregon’s Fame Spreads.
When in the early months of Ma
dero’s term of office Pascual Orozco
and his “reds” became a terror in the
state of Chihuahua, Obregon collected
a band of 4(H) Maya Indians and under
the command of Victoriano Huerta,
then a Madero general, went out to
quell the rebellion. In the buttle of
Ojito. Obregon’s men gained for them
selves the title of “Invincibles.” His
fame spread, and so many came to
join him that he rode home at the
head of an army of 4,000.
He was made colonel in the Sonora
state militia, and when Felix Diaz
started the military uprising which re
sulted in the death of President Ma
dero and the seating of Huerta, Obre
gon organized 500 Indians and routed
the garrison at Nogales, which had
gone over to Huerta.
Soon after this Goveruor Carranza
of Coahuila was declared first chief
of the Constitutionalist army and he
made Obregon general of the army of
the West, while Villa became general
of the central army.
It was the activities of Obregon in
the Vicinity of Mexico City which
forced Huerta to flee for his life. Ob
regon then occupied the capital with
ids troops.
Then came Villa’s break with Car
ranza. Obregon was made Carranza's
chief general, and organized the larg
est army Mexico had yet seen. His
great triumph came at the battle of
Delays, Villa was crushed and
forced to flee.
In this battle Obregon was desper
ately wounded. His right arm was
amputated a few days later. His ro
bust constitution resulted in quick re-
NORTHERN WISCONSIN ADVERTISER, WABENO, WIS.
covery, and he was soon again direct
ing the operations which reduced Villa
to a flying bandit leader, at the head
of only a handful of cutthroats.
Six feet tall, immaculately dressed,
smiling and clean-cut, Obregon is a
man well liked by all who come In
contact with him. Mexico’s troubles
are due to having too few men like
him.
Is Unhurt in Long Fall.
San Francisco. —Bryant J. O’Con
nor, a metal worker, fell seven stories
to the pavement recently from a scaf
fold on a San Francisco office build
ing, and surprised horrified spectators
by rising and attempting to walk
away. He was restrained and taken
to an emergency hospital, where an
examination showed that no bones
were broken and that O’Connor’s in
juries were confined to minor bruises
and scratches.
OFFICIAL FLY CATCHER
“Catch the fly” is the slogan of SL
Louis. The pesky things that carry
millions of germs at the end of their
fine fuzzylike toes, or whatever you
sail ’em, are banned by the St. Louis
authorities, and a price has been
placed on the heads of the flies just
as a price is placed on the heads of
stray dogs.
While practically every city, town
and hamlet boasts of its dog pound,
St. Louis has taken the initiative and
established a fly pound. The fly traps
that are located in various parts of
the city proved the center of attrac
tion to the Democratic delegates who
were in the Mound City to attend the
national Democratic convention, and
it is dollars to doughnuts, that when
they get back home they are going to
follow the example set by St. Louis
and set fly traps in their own home
towns. The trap is a huge imitation
of the ordinary fly traps one often
sees in butcher shops. At the bottom
there is a conical opening, and under
this opening one places a piece of suet
or a piece of meat. The flies swarm
by the thousands around the bait and
fly up through the opening in the
cone, into the trap from which there
is no escape. The St. Louis traps are
three-story affairs with plenty of
light and air for the flies that like the
free apartments into which they are
invited.
THE
This is “Tremedden,” the house at Bridgehampton, L. 1., where Charles E. Hughes and his family will live
throughout the summer.
This is the St. Paul Municipal auditorium iu which the Prohibition national convention will be Held, begin
ning July 18. The building, which was erected by popular subscription at a cost of $450,000, lias seating capacity
for almost ten thousand persons, and its stage is the largest in tlie United States.
NOT AT VERDUN, BUT IN NEW HAVEN
At the Vale commencement exercises the class ot o<j, Sheffield, paraded
as a “preparedness” corps, in costumes similar to those of the I' rench troops.
The helmets were made of papier mache.
OPENING LABOR’S NEW HEADQUARTERS
K sSSjSf® 3 |-ty. SjKi 5 5 BjaggMmap/ Awl K#, y&sjsm '
representatives of almost every trade allied with the American Federation
of Labor participated in the parade celebrating the opening of the federation s
new home in Washington. Reviewing the parade were, from left to right
President Wilson. Samuel Gompers, president of the Ameiican Federation of
Labor, and William B. Wilson, secretary of labor.
WHERE THE PROHIBITIONISTS WILL CONVENE
SECRETARY BAKER’S BABY
Margaret Baker, aged four, the baby
in the family of Secretary of War and
Mrs. Newton D. Baker.
POLING AND UNIQUE GAVEL
Of peculiar significance will be thfc
gavel to be wielded by Daniel A. Poling
of Boston ns temporary chairman of
the Prohibition national convention in
St. Paul. The gate! is of wood ob
tained from an ancient elm tree In the
yard of the home of Gen. Neal Dow,
“father” of prohibition, In Portland.
Me. Boys of a manual training clasr
In St Paul fashioned the cuveL*