COMIC OPERA WARFARE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2821, 12 July 1916, Page 8

COMIC OPERA WARFARE

HOW MEXICANS TIGHT

"Mexicans fight like babies!" ■ Mrs. Prank' Brown, who is appearing at the Sydney National Theatre ns Clara L» Tour in a novel soap bubble act, ' has come straight to Australia, after a Mexican \lotir, in which she and her husband had some remarkable experiences. It is she who made the statement. Actually Mr. and Mrs. Brown witnessed a battle between the Villa bandits and Carranza's troops. According to Mrs. Brown'it,was a cross between a sham fight and a farce. The comment seems justified when she mentions that she and her husband were guests of General Calles, one of Carranza's right-hand men, at tho battle for the possession of Agna Priefa, just across the border from Douglas, Arizona.

Tho town at the time was in the possession of Carranza's troops, and Mrs. Brown and her husband went there specially to give a benefit, performance for the soldiers. Afterwards General Calles, to indicate his appreciation, offered a money gift to the artists. This was refused, and the general presented Mr. Brown with his signet ring. It is a curiously made silver circle Toughly handworked, and worth a couple of shillings. But it may yet be of historic value. When the Villa irregulars attacked the town Mr. and Mrs. Brown and a number of American doctors were allowed to attach themselves to General Calles's staff, and. watch the battle, if it could be dignified by such a term, from an-emin-ence. "Such fighting!" Mrs. Brown remarked. "Each side hid behind -rocks. Bauds of men would let.off a couple of dozen rounds from their rifles and then apparently without having sustained a casualty would calmly surrender. The Carran'za men did make some shoeing, but the rebels looked like a lot of armed tramps with no definite plan, and no very keen desire to get shot.

"The rifles they use," she continued, "are about equal to an ordinary Winchester sporting rifle. The bore is quite tiny, and unless a bullet strikes a vital part the wound is not often serious. It is pretty hard to kill n Mexican at any time, and I knew of one man with seven bullet holes in him who lay in the open for two nights without any food, water, or attention, and got well in a few days after he was found. You can take it from me if there is war between th© United States and Mexico, it won't take muoh munitions from the Allies.' It mil be merely ti problem—perhaps' a fairly long and costly one—of chasing and rounding up groups of bandits after tha Carranza comic opera army has been dispersed. Each Mexican general, .and even commanders of other units, will play a lone hand, and to anyone that knows the Mexican leaders the idea that they can put an army—in tho sense of a cohesive body moving with, one aim—int». operation is ridiculous.'"