Slocom, New Mexico Episode Two Pick Pocket Week

March 9,1916: Pancho Villa and the Villista Raid on Columbus

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In other football news, TMQ readers know my hobby horse is coaches who punt on fourth-and-short when trailing or inside opposition territory. Sometimes such decisions rise to the level of Preposterous Punts. Saturday at New England, Chuck Pagano ordered a punt for which "preposterous" is too mild a word. Colts trailing with Who cares if the spot was the Colts' 29?

Trailing by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, it's insane to punt on fourth-and Norv Turner once had his Chargers, down by two scores with 9 minutes remaining in a playoff game, punt on the opposition Clearly Pagano quit on the game, and was more concerned with holding the hosts under 50 points -- Indianapolis lost the last time it visited New England -- than going all-out to win. But what to call a fourth-and-1 punt when trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter of a playoff?

Stats of the Divisional Round No. Tom Brady became the first player to throw for 6, yards in the postseason. San Francisco has followed a streak with a streak. From the point at which Carolina took a lead, San Francisco possession results: In two trips to Seattle over six weeks, the Saints fell behind by a combined With the Saints, Drew Brees is indoors and outdoors.

Indianapolis turned the ball over 14 times in 16 regular season games, and eight times in two postseason contests. Denver averaged 24 points against San Diego and 40 points against all other teams. Peyton Manning won a playoff game for the first time in four years. Sweet Play of the Divisional Round: Even considering bad weather, was that really the New England Patriots with 28 called passing plays and 45 called rushes?

Flying Elvii leading early in the fourth quarter, the hosts took possession at their 27 and lined up in a power set with a single wide receiver. By that point, expecting run, the Colts had eight in the box, with a lone safety. Left guard Logan Mankins trapped right and made a good block, backup tight end Michael Hoomanawanui got a pancake at the point of attack.

Undrafted tailback LeGarrette Blount went through the line untouched; the lone safety, LaRon Landry, whiffed on a tackle attempt and there was no one left between Blount and the end zone. It doesn't seem to matter who lines up at receiver and runner for New England, because the Patriots have the NFL's most stable situation at quarterback and offensive line.

Sour Plays of the Divisional Round: San Francisco leading in the first half, the Panthers reached third-and-goal on the Niners 1. Carolina came out in a power set and ran straight ahead: Then on fourth-and-goal, came out in a power set and ran straight ahead: No misdirection either time. Now leading , the Cats again faced third-and-goal on the Niners 1, and this time did employ misdirection: The runner crashed into his own pulling guard, and the home team settled for a field goal.

Eight first-half Carolina snaps in goal-to-go situations resulted yielded three points. Sweet 'N' Sour Kickoffs: Scoring to pull within with six minutes remaining, San Diego onside kicked. Nick Novak launched a terrific onside, very high in the air; the Denver man beneath the ball didn't have the presence of mind to signal fair-catch. Sweet for the Bolts. Now it's Denver and San Diego is kicking off again with four minutes remaining. Sure, lightning isn't likely to strike twice, but the league's No. San Diego did not onside kick a second time and never touched the ball again; the clock struck midnight on the Chargers' improbable late-season run.

Florida State won the final BCS title. In the run-up or the postgame, did you see any media coverage about the Seminoles' 58 percent football graduation rate? The team's cheating scandal that led to probation? The program's recent history of classifying many players as learning-disabled , waiving most classroom requirements? At Florida State, 65 percent overall of African-American students graduate, but only 50 percent of African-American football players do. Why was the sports media silent on these Florida State issues? Seminoles boosters and alums who are proud of the crystal trophy should feel embarrassed by the football program's subsidies and poor classroom performance.

Of the 11 Seminoles selected in last year's NFL draft, eight graduated. But what about the much larger number of Florida State football players who will never take a snap in the NFL, and never walk to "Pomp and Circumstance? Florida State and its coaches exploit those players; the sports media is complicit. Unified Field Theory of Creep: Reader Bill Ferguson of Utica, N. Saranac Brewery had its collection of spring beers for sale. Nothing makes me think spring like 7 degrees and drifting snow.

Bill Belichick suggested recently that PAT kicks should be eliminated. At the risk of saying something nice about Belichick, he's got a point.

He noted that back in the day, there was drama to whether the PAT kick would succeed. This season, more than 99 percent were successful: It might well be that injuries are more common on PAT kicks than misses, at least at the professional level; the missed PAT kick does remain a standby of prep football. Should an NFL touchdown simply be seven points? Tuesday Morning Quarterback would rather the PAT kick be eliminated, and replaced with a two-point try from the 2-yard line.

The case for this change is the same as the case was for bringing the two-point play into the NFL, which happened in -- the only effect would be to make football more exciting. The deuce try is one of football's most interesting moments. But the deuce is rare. This year, NFL coaches went for two a mere 58 times. If every touchdown led to a run-or-pass try from the 2-yard line -- essentially, to a fourth-and-goal from the 2 -- this season that would have seen 1, deuce tries, an average of five a game.

That's a lot more excitement, and the NFL is, at heart, an entertainment enterprise. In , 50 percent of deuce tries succeeded; for the past decade, that's been the approximate average. Is the deuce try somehow different from a regular fourth-and-goal from the 2? Over the last decade, ESPN's research department reports, 51 percent of NFL plays on fourth-and-goal from the 2 have resulted in touchdowns.

If roughly half succeed, scoring wouldn't change -- but a lot of excitement would be added, both with lots of deuce tries and because fourth quarter lead-margin dynamics would become harder to predict. Anything that adds interest to the game is a plus. If purists must cling to the singleton PAT kick, then move the spot back. Teams could choose between spotting the ball at the 35 for a one-point PAT kick of about 52 yards -- that's where it would have to be to prevent the kick from being automatic, because NFL kickers now hit nearly all attempts from the 40 to the 49 -- or spotting the ball at the 2 for a two-point run-or-pass try.

This rule could only make football more exciting! Tuesday Morning Quarterback proposes a grand compromise in which the kickoff is eliminated -- after a score, the opponent takes possession on its 25 -- in return for changing the point-after rule. In , the kickoff spot was advanced by five yards in order to increase touchbacks; concussions on kickoff plays declined as a result.

Eliminating the kickoff entirely would further reduce concussions, especially concussions suffered by the relatively low-paid unknowns who populate special teams. Changing the point-after would add back the amount of excitement that eliminating the kickoff took out. Football would remain just as much fun to watch, while kickoffs, the most concussion-prone play, would be done away with. If all-deuce-no-kickoffs worked in the NFL, college and high school would follow, potentially avoiding thousands of concussions each season. This item is a trailer for TMQ's Jan.

How Did Denver Do It? The Chargers had two defenders moving around at random pre-snap; no matter how much arm-flapping Manning did, he never figured out where those defenders would be because, moving randomly, they didn't know either. Sunday in the divisional round, San Diego switched from unorthodox to a conventional West Coast defense. The box-score results were about the same -- 20 points allowed to Denver in December, 24 points allowed in January.

But the hosts built a quick lead, then spent the contest hanging on. Maybe San Diego figured Denver had prepared for random movement, and conventional would come as a surprise. TMQ notes hidden plays -- ones that don't make highlight reels, but stop or sustain drives.

A couple snaps before the Broncs' first touchdown, Manning threw the ball directly to San Diego corner Shareece Wright, who dropped it. The Bolts started slow -- 1 yard passing in the first half -- which perhaps made Denver overconfident. In the second half, San Diego gained yards passing, and had the home crowd sweating. Philip Rivers has been eerily efficient all season, and this contest was no exception -- he finished with a A couple weeks ago, San Diego struggled to score against the Kansas City junior varsity; in the fourth quarter at Denver, the Bolts offense looked like the Broncos offense.

With corner Chris Harris out for the title game, the rest of the Broncos defense must turn it up. Denver's offense played well enough to win, but hardly was the juggernaut of the record-setting regular season. Last season in the playoffs against Baltimore, Manning seemed to tense up and throw ultra-short: Versus San Diego, this happened again: Manning's ultra-short throws resulted in an average gain per pass of only 6. Denver' big gainer of the day was a yard catch. Maybe the coaching staff just wanted to get the Bolts out of the way and prepare for the title game.

But it's going to take more voltage on offense to defeat New England. Weasel Coach Watch No. Last week Mike Munchak was fired as head coach of the Flaming Thumbtacks, after being offered the chance to scapegoat his assistants by firing them. Munchak refused, and was shown the door. Reader Jonathan Flanders of San Antonio writes, "This is the opposite of a weasel coach -- perhaps, a bald eagle coach. Wade Phillips, recently shown the door by the Texans -- his defense only finished seventh overall in , get rid of the bum! Buffalo had been with playoff appearances in its first two years under Phillips; the front office and fan base were furious because in his next season, the team "missed the playoffs for only the third time in 13 years.

Perhaps the football gods cursed Buffalo for firing a head coach who was a winner and who had the backs of his staff. If so, the next few years for the Houston Texans may be unpleasant. The Bills' playoff drought is a league-worst 14 years, beginning with the dismissal of bald-eagle Phillips. I grew up in Buffalo, and it's been excruciating for all true sons and daughters of the city to watch the once-proud franchise bungle away season after season -- blown draft picks, bad player-management decisions, a succession of head coaches who appear to be taking naps on the sideline.

Besides the firing of a bald eagle, there's something else that happened in the football artificial universe 14 years ago -- TMQ began. One of my frustrations is that in the entire 14 years I've cranked out this column, I have never gotten to tout my hometown team, because the Bills consistently have been bad.

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I'm signed to do this column through the end of the coming season, so the Bills' condition may not improve. The Road to the Swamps: I asked readers for quirky facts about the Garden State. Fred Bartlett of Hamilton, N. Getting in is always free, but you must pay to leave. Let's call this the Jug Handle Bowl. New Jersey has been on the nation's front pages for a week, and as usual, for all the wrong reasons. Chris Christie, who not long ago was mocking those who said lane closures had been used to create traffic jams in a city whose mayor didn't support him, last week admitted this was true but claimed he was never told the traffic jams occurred.

Of course he doesn't know what happens to average people on roads -- he takes personal trips in state-owned helicopters, at public expense. At least one Jersey pol apparently fears criminal charges may result from the lane-closure mess. Only in New Jersey! Newspaper readers surely are weary of the ruckus over highway cones, though the real issue is the credibility of a potential presidential candidate. The scandal needs a name, and Lane-Gate is too obvious.

Readers submitted suggestions via Twitter. The Bridge Too Fargled scandal suggests Governor Abutment is the all-too-familiar sort of politician who wants credit when things go well and blames others when things go poorly. Matthew Cooper writes in Newsweek -- which exists again! Auto congestion is found all over the country, but in the Garden State, traffic holds a special place.

New Jersey is the nation's most densely populated state, which means cars are more densely populated. Bruce Springsteen waxed poetic about 'hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard. For the governor's office in New Jersey to go out of its way to create traffic gridlock would be as if the governor's office in Kansas went out of its way to stop combines during harvest season.

The scandal suggests Governor Abutment either has no idea what's happening in his own office, or is a spiteful bully. As the Boss sings, "The highway's jammed with broken heroes. Louisville alums and boosters, how can you feel good about Bobby Petrino getting the football coaching job? People deserve second chances, but Petrino has been a weasel more than once. In , he signed a year contract with Louisville, then walked out on his promises one year later when money was waved by the Atlanta Falcons.

There he couldn't keep his word even for one season, walking out on the Falcons during his first year when money was waved by the University of Arkansas. There he cheated on his wife and put his mistress on the school payroll. The University of Louisville should at least pretend that it cares about character. When you hire a coach who only cares about himself, you get a coach who only cares about himself.

The Cats seemed to be in good shape when, leading , they stopped Frank Gore at the goal line with time almost expired in the first half, then flushed Colin Kaepernick from the pocket on the next snap. Kaepernick looked like he'd throw the ball away, and the Niners would settle for a field goal, but instead perfectly rifled a touchdown throw to Vernon Davis as he was going out-of-bounds.

The side judge ruled only one foot in, but several Niners immediately pointed out the divot on the field that showed Davis did drag his foot. Replay awarded the touchdown, and it was all downhill from there for the home team. Carolina's normally stout defense faltered, not forcing a punt in the second half. San Francisco had the ball just thrice after intermission, but mounted two long scoring drives and a clock-killing drive that concluded with an obnoxious fake punt with 23 seconds remaining. Carolina had the ball four times after intermission, resulting in two punts, an interception and the clock running out on the Panthers' season.

San Francisco leading , Carolina reached first-and on the Niners' The Cats went incompletion, sack, sack, punt. Until a desperation heave-ho in the final seconds, San Francisco held Carolina to 71 offensive yards in the second half. The Niners offense was plodding but held the ball for three long scoring drives. The word is out on Vernon Post -- the play, which resulted in a touchdown at Green Bay, was double-covered by Carolina and presumably will be by Seattle.

Squared Sevens leading and facing third-and-1, a pre-snap shift resulted in double tight ends left; at the snap, right guard Alex Boone pulled left. The overload crushed the Panthers defense on that side; Gore's 39 yard run was the back-breaker for the hosts. Absent this down, Carolina held Gore to 45 yards on 16 carries. Seattle will notice that and try to take away Gore, forcing Kaepernick to throw at the Seahawks' well-regarded corners. One reason Bill Belichick has such a mixed reputation is that he snarls at the sports media. Geoff Foster of the Wall Street Journal reports Belichick has smiled in public exactly seven times this season.

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NFL coaches' contracts require them to address the press corps, else Belichick likely would never step behind a microphone. He appears to think sports reporters are idiots and the requirement to explain himself to such lower life forms is an awful burden. He's not the only one. Last week, Marshawn Lynch was fined for refusing to speak to the media, which NFL contracts also require players to do. Star athletes and coaches tend to perceive the media as press agents. When reporters ask questions with an edge instead, they get upset.

That's not how you should speak to royalty! There's another level to why NFL stars and coaches snarl at the media -- they want to believe what they're doing is incredibly serious and important, a life-or-death matter. Actually, what they're doing is providing entertainment, and the sports media is part of the act. Often it's terrific entertainment -- but entertainment is all that it is. When reporters are snarky to NFL stars and coaches, it's a subconscious reminder that whether the Patriots win or Lynch scores a touchdown has absolutely no lasting impact on American life.

Proposed titles under consideration:. Actually I am serious about the first title: The third title would be timed for the holidays. The Colts hadn't won at New England since Andrew Luck's first visit, in , was a debacle. Indianapolis gained yards on offense -- and lost by 35 points. On the initial Indianapolis possession, the Colts faced third-and-2; the Flying Elvii had press corners across from every receiver. Luck threw a short stop, which can't work against a press corner, rather than audible to a go or an out. Interception returned to the Colts' 2.

Luck is much-praised, including in this column. But he's also thrown eight interceptions in three postseason contests, and is fortunate to be There but by the grace of being the No. The performance of the New England offensive line was worth the price of admission.

Most of the year using quick-snap pass-wacky tactics, the Pats not only favored the rush but controlled the clock, with time of possession at 35 minutes. A small garrison of Carranzistas soldiers provided scant protection for the border town. Favela left his men and headed toward the ranch located several miles to the west; as he topped a hill he spied a large Villista force heading for the border.

He immediately turned his steed about and raced toward Columbus, warning the Carranzista soldiers as he raced through the Mexican customs station and headed for the American military encampment 3 miles north. There, he demanded an audience with Colonel Slocum.

Colonel Slocum, commander of the small garrison encamped in Columbus at the time of the Villista Raid. Pancho Villa State Park. In the months prior to the raid on Columbus, prospects of Villa initiating a border attack had long been considered by American government and military officials.

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In fact, raids on US soil from across the border had occurred with alarming frequency. From July to June there were 38 raids on the US by Mexican bandits, which resulted in the death of 37 US citizens, 26 of them soldiers. Evidence that Villa and his men were making their way toward the New Mexico border was made known to US officials in as early as February of , but they were unable to successfully track his movements due to a lack of financial resources that prevented them from hiring secret service agents. Cobb delivered this information after he allegedly witnessed Villa and approximately men near Madero, Chihuahua, heading north toward Columbus, New Mexico.

Although this newly acquired information was believed to be reliable, its credibility was short-lived. Three days later, on March 6, journalists were notified by the Carranzista General Gavira in Juarez that, contrary to popular belief, Villa had no intention of reporting to Washington. Instead, Gavira stated to George L. Pershing understood it was unrealistic to establish the truth by any means other than concrete reconnaissance, which was unthinkable.

All of these reports were additionally sent to Colonel Herbert J. He arranged further patrols and strengthened his positions, but this was the extent of his capacity to safeguard his territory. The colonel was accountable for 65 miles of uninhabited border that stretched from Hermanas in the west to Noria in the east. Furthermore, the number of troops under his authority was exceptionally small to encompass such a vast region.

His regiment consisted of 21 officers and soldiers, 79 of which were non-combatants. Altogether, Slocum possessed approximately one officer for every feet of border. Slocum had dispatched two officers and 65 men at Palomas at an outpost to the east, and Major Lindsey controlled seven officers and men 11 miles at another to the west — thereby leaving roughly soldiers in Columbus.

As the day ended many of the regimental senior officers retired to their rental homes located outside of the camp and within the town of Columbus. Slocum and several other officers boarded the train to attend a dance in Deming that night, not to return until morning. Lieutenant Castleman took charge of Camp Furlong as Officer of the Day and inspected the border patrol after the coming down of the flag at retreat.

Roy Edward Stivison, a local school principal, recounted: We found out later these were spies from the Villista forces ranging just south of the border. This was later to prove a miscalculation as the garrison was four times greater than the Villistas had observed. One column was to strike the commercial district where the raiders would loot the stores for clothing and blankets as well as other supplies. As they waited, three men merged out of the darkness.

They held a brief consultation with Villa… These three Villistas, experts with knives, crawled up to an American army outpost and killed the two soldiers on duty there. Tied to many of the saddles were five gallon cans of kerosene. The railroad depot was in the middle of the crossfire between Villista and American troops as evidenced by the clock that was stopped by a bullet in the early morning of the attack.

Immediately three groups of Villistas began swarming Columbus and Camp Furlong from various directions. One of these had entered the camp by way of a dry arroyo; another had entered the town and was ready to begin looting the stores as soon as it was safe to do so. As the Villistas advanced into the town, they drenched each business building as they came to it and put it to the torch.

Soon the entire area was illuminated by dancing flames. The remaining unit passed into the corrals and was scattering horses before any firing took place. Upon hearing the first shots at about 4: Castleman, ran to the guard tent, shooting a Villista on the way, and turned out the guard.

The camp and town were under a general attack from two directions. Lucas, who had just returned on the midnight train from El Paso, where he had been participating in regimental polo matches, saw a horseman ride by his window. He was wearing a high-peaked sombrero characteristic of the Villistas. Hurrying outside, he joined the attackers, who were running toward the barracks, the darkness concealing his identity.

Reaching the barracks of his machine gun troop, he led his men to the guard tent where their weapons were under lock and key. Despite several incidents of the French-made Benet-Mercier machine guns jamming, the four gun crews managed to loose 20, rounds at the enemy. The Benet-Mercier did not use belts of ammunition but instead depended upon timely insertion of long stripper clips.

Operating the gun in the early morning darkness required an expert crew to prevent jamming — something not present in Columbus, New Mexico, in After fighting in camp for 30 or 40 minutes, the soldiers began to gain the upper hand and then were able to send aid to the beleaguered citizens. Lieutenant Castleman ordered the troop on toward the town, where the heaviest firing was concentrated.

They threw a cordon of troops across the main street and thus kept the bandits from entering the north part of town. Sergeant Fody recounted the following:. After crossing the railroad track we had our first man hit, Private Jesse P. Taylor, who was shot in the leg. I told him to lie down and be quiet and that we would pick him up on our return. Advancing about ten yards farther Private Ravielle tripped over barbed wire, discharging his piece in front of his nose, the concussion of which made his nose bleed. We made about four stands in about five hundred yards.

Private Thomas Butler was hit during the second stand but would not give up and went on with us until he was hit five distinct times, the last one proving fatal. We advanced and took position on the Main Street near the town bank, having a clear field of fire. For over an hour we lay in this position but were unable to do effective work on account of the darkness. As soon as it began to light up our ammunition was getting low.

I sent Private Dobrowalski to the guard house after some ammunition, he had to get three Mexicans who disputed his way before he could comply with his orders. When the Mexicans set fire to the Commercial Hotel, the blaze illuminated the section. We were then in the dark and had the advantage. The group of which I was a member, numbering twenty-five men under Lieutenant Castleman, was the largest group under one command during the fight.

Our forces were scattered in little bunches throughout the camp and vicinity but did very telling work. As soon as the light was bright enough we made every shot count and soon thoroughly discouraged the invaders. The Mexicans began immediately to retreat. Major Frank Tompkins obtained permission from Colonel Slocum to give pursuit. There had been various accounts of the strike from the residents and soldiers. However, as the Mexicans were in the process of stampeding the horses their moment of surprise was taken away when they were happened upon by an American trooper.

An army sergeant who had claimed credit for firing the first shot and for killing the first Villista described the following to Dr. I pulled my army pistol and shot him in his tracks. One account has it that the Villistas were searching for a merchant who cheated Pancho Villa. He was in the store the brothers owned when the Villistas struck. He burrowed his way under a huge pile of cowhides and prayed.

His prayers must have been been answered, because the bandits overturned the place looking for Sam, at the same time looting the store of everything of value, and destroying the rest. They tore the heap apart, but stopped before reaching the bottom, and it is well that they did, for underneath the last lay the shivering Louis. Arthur, the year-old brother of the Ravels, ran out of the building and raced up the street in his underwear. He tried his best to escape but was captured after a short chase by two Villistas. They were caught in a crossfire where the Villistas were killed by American gunfire and the young Ravel ran as fast as he could toward the outskirts of Columbus.

In the lurid light we could distinguish men dashing hither and thither and riderless horses running about in all directions. Then with the coming of daylight, the firing diminished and finally ceased altogether. As the first streaks of sunlight began appearing, Villa realized that without darkness he and his men could not hope to survive, and so ordered his bugler to sound the retreat. The retreat was orderly and well planned but Villa did not plan on losing so many of his men.

At full gallop and with a fine assortment of booty including over horses and mules and rifles, the Mexicans galloped for the canyon-slashed sierras to the south. Well over 60 Villistas were scattered about in the streets of Columbus. As daylight came and the sounds of gunfire ceased, a few of the townspeople began venturing out to the streets. We met the good man and his wife coming out, as bewildered as we were, Together we set out for the main part of town. Coming to the Walker Hardware Store we found our old friend and neighbor, James Dean, a grocery merchant, lying in the middle of the street, his body riddled with bullets.

We learned that he had thought the Lemmon Store had been set afire accidentally and that he might be of assistance in putting it out. The raiders got him before he reached the scene of the blaze. Continuing to the Ritchie Hotel, we found the body of Mr. Ritchie with his legs partly burned off, lying beside the building.

They took the money but shot him and threw his body into the burning hotel. Rings were taken forcibly from Mrs. Their little daughter, Edna, a pupil of mine, showed me holes in the back of her coat, put there by the bandits as she was escaping down the back stairs. Five men, guests of the hotel, were taken with Mr. Ritchie and all met the same tragic fate. One of these was a Mr. Walker, who with his wife had come the day before to attend the Sunday School convention.

He had volunteered to take the place of the regular representative, Mr. Gray, who was ill at the time. Perera was indeed a prize for the Villistas.

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