The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1893-09-16
4A=Y0uN0 HEBel


How Gorilla. the stnnngest Eoetfeee Of
South Ameriess W. cepnfqI
The recent revolution in Nicaragua,
which has ended in the success Of the
lfkeral party. viii be celebrated n NJ
texy a. the WARM which the mdstsd&r
6 ieeaer sNas q span5h boy sixtssn
years old. WITH thirty men he cap
stured the fartseas of Gorilla. the stroNs-
est military post in Central America.
Lieut.. Garden, Of the United States
navy, describes the capture in Harpera
Weekly:
ssEcading up 10 the gates of the fort
from the wharf was winding road.
U Ahie sead AhezSoppG srebel and bis
men marched, the boy Leading of
some twenty feet IN advance, md
swinging his sharp razorlike sword
much "a ono Woh1 "a svaaki1s.stick.
could hardly believe my eyes. Here
wasa mere boy with only handful OF
mon marching straight up ID the gates
of the strongest fort in Nicaragua. In
stinctively l found myself on. the dock
and follovh91 thsinf Ny a1rnis sd1n.
sisted mainly of q revolver, and doubt
Il in the excitement realized that |
|mieAt have escasion to use it. To look
at that body Of men swinging along up
|thSfJroadway in splendid unison, one
would haEe {ancied that il was merely
q accommodating party in from q tramp.
ssFe I'd s1fpyselt th& zeal
reack he kStea Ypfey nee6r ~ ibly
'.At this moment the great, ponder
(pn gates opened, and an officer. the
Officer of the day, stepped out. He had
|eyiaently Just spsspe ontsof bed, for
4ler9z W. hAnq1wn Nroup4 his
|1d6afA aahe NADIA l<arQrapcG The
sentry had told him that reinforce
ments were coming up~the road. This
was good news. 1t would mean lighter
duty atthe post and zanore scumrsnion-
ship ALI this doubtless passed through
sthe mind Of the officer Of the day as he
stepped osat ID greet the commander of
Ethe frcinforcing party. As for the
thought of caution it had not entered
his mind. The rebels he had heard of,
but had not seen. He doubted il any
really existed; and if they did they
swure hundredsaef miles -frpm Gorilla.
while, besid6e, tllese men coming up
49, ssadway wsse dfesselAe regulars
$50 with q CHEEKY Glad to see You.
Where are you from?H he advanced
some twenty feet beyond the gates.
! Inside the gateway the guard was
draw Up, prepared to receive the new
afriva. J The cheery hail of the officer
Of the fort received an indistinct reply
from the young Spaniard. In another
moment the two were but d few feet
apart. recall at that instant whirl
Of steel in the air, sharp agonizing
cry, and the next instant the body of
the officer of the fort lay writing on
the ground Without SO snuch as a
look 1t thS mAh he had cdt down in
his track, the young sspaaiard, with
the bound Of q panther, ,sprang
into the open doorway, ana quicker
than u can he told he had cut down
two soldiers. Like the sudden blast Of
"a niEhty Wand exery man of the COM
smand rush@ 1orWarG Carried away
with the excitement, followed; and as
a did, stumbled over the bodies of a
dozen men of the guard. Every man
had bgeh Dayonetted~ where 'he.stood.
This lad then proceeded to slaughter
smost 6f IL Men III thu fbrt, and in
other ways to act like pirate. In
Other words This brave lad Is al1o the
sort of . boy who ought to be put into
a reformatory. He has exhibited quali-
ties similar. TO Napoleon's, and The
world wiz pet On very well indeed
without any, more Bonapartes like the
first and greatest.