The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-20
ABOUT NICARAGUA.
Fannie B. Ward Gives a Brief
History.
THE LATFER-DAY INVASION
The Dream of Iturbide-An Interest
ing Paper From the Canal
Basin.

Special Correspondence of The HERALD
LEON. ooNicaragua, November 6, 1888
Since the fat has gone forth that q
blue-eyed race is again to invade Cen
trail America-this time, not of Latin,
but of Anglo-Saxon origin, nos with
swords and crucifxes and the
DIABoLICAL INVENTIONS OF THE INoUIsI.
TON,
but peaceful conqWistadOreS whose wea-
pons are books and newspapers, plough
shares, locomotives and implements of
industry-i it behooves US, who belong
to the conquering horde. to post our
selves on the history OF our new pos
sessions.
The term manifest destiny" is no
longer a myth of enthusiasts, and a
prophetic eye is not needed to discern
the time when the whole American con-
tinent will be one vast republic under a
common government.
1t is but the survival of the ittest, as
illustrated over and over in the history
of nations since the world began AS
was the case with Florida, Texas and
California, it is but question of time
when the descendants of the Monte
zumas and the Spanish colonists, must
come out from the shadow OF centuries
into the sunlight of progress. Shake
off their lethargy and superstition and
become "AmericaniZed" in the truest
sense of the word.
Nicaragua-the present objective
point of the new conquest of peace
has checkered story. Her earlier
history is involved in the deepest OBJ
lived heretofore eChrist wac born
fore the island Atlantis sank in
mid-ocean and that great disaster gave
rise to traditions of universal deluge
is attested by their ruined temples
and palaces, above which mighty
forests have grown.
According to Senior Guarros, the
Guatemalan historian, Nicaragua was
discovered in the year 1914, by Don
Pedro Arias de Avila. This enterpris-
ing Spaniard, who had already made
himself Governor of Panama, fitted out
an expedition during that year to the
South Sea-" as the Pacific was then
called; and returning by land to Pan
anna he passed this portion of Cen
trail America. Five years later his
brother-Don Gil Gonzales de AVila-by
virtue of an agreement entered into
with the Spanish monarch, fitted out
another and more numerous eXpedi-
ton, which sailed northwest from
Panama. They disenbarked in the
Gulf of Nicoya, making their way east
ward by land; discovered Nicaragua's
great inland sea. and converted" ESQ
their records say) many of the Indian
caiques to the Catholic faith
1t is 70 be feared, however, that
THIS METHOD OF CONVERSION
would hardly stand the test of latter
day investigation-it being merely to
demolish the temples of the wondering
natives, to knock down the idols their
fathers had worshipped and set up
new one in the form of cross, COM
polling the terrified people to bow down
before it and be baptized. Bat, at any
rate, they seldom failed to thoroughly
convert all the available wealth of the
country to their own possession.
Among the Indian caciques thus hast
lily Christianized, was one whose name
was NicdrnO, and, being powerful chief
with many followers, the conouerors
gave his name to the great lake near
which he dwelt and to all the adjacent
region. Whatever may have been
Nicaragua's original name, it died with
the conquered, and in Spanish mouths
King Nicarao's cognomen soon became
Nicaragua.
Captain Gil de Avila penetrated as
far as the populous Indian city, Niqui-
chizi (now Grenada) converting" all
the way both souls and shekels, and
then returned to Panama. In 1923
Don Pedro de Avila, the original dis
coverer r, sent out the afterwards famous
Francisco Hernandez de Cordova, for
the conquest of Nlcarao, or Nicaragua.
That gay but cruel cavalier, accompan-
led by a host of Castilian Adventures,
reached the northern part of the
present state. and founded the cities of
Grenada and Leon. That was only
thirty-two years after the discovery of |
the continent by Columbus, and con
sequently those two Nicaraguan cities
rank among the Oldest in the New
World.
With Cordova's brilliant but bloody |
record all readers of history are |
familiar. The country through which |
he and mis- fierce soldiers swept, with |
fire and sword and hulberds and blood |
red banners. followed by a dark
gowned train of no less greedy monks
and friars, with crosses and Bibles and |
instruments of torture, was gradually
settled by Spanish colonists; and sub
sequently became incorporated into
the great captain-generaIcy, CATER
wards known as the vice-rovalty) of
Guatemala. which included not only
Nicaragua and Gust mala, but Hon
duras, San Salvador, and Costa Rica.
The commonly received statement
that the first revolutionary movement
in Central America occurred in 1921, is
no: correct. Early as 1918 the Spanish
cortes conceded to the city of Carriage,
Costa Rica's ancient capital). the title
Of may noble, and that of cuidad (city)
to the villages of San Jose and Heredia,
as reward for their
FIDELITY TO THE CROWN
in an instruction which took place in
San Salvador and Granada proclaim
ing their Independence from the mother