The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-06-08

battle stained, with smoke begrimed rifles
slung Mt their hips, file through the streets
and take up quarters in an old barrack on
the beach Without hating "A meager de
tail took possession OF all sailing craft in
the harbor. even to II schooner under the
Costa Rican flag that had just cast anchor.
The soldiers-for such they were-who
thus tQsiS liberty with whatever could serve
their purpose in San Juan constituted the
American phalanx in the service Of the pro-
visional Der iocratic government of Mica
ragua. They had just marched days jour
ney from the battlefield of Rivas, a town
near the west shore Of Nicaragua lake,
where they alone had battled nearly four
hours against Geo Legitimists. Originally
mastering 56---an army no larger than IL
often marshaled on the mimic stage-6 had
been killed and 8 disabled and captured.
The battle of Rivas was the opening trag-
eiy in the bloody drama Of Walkers Mica
raguan campaign. Walker and IS com
panions landed from California June II,
and ten days later enlisted in the Demo
cratic or revolutionary service. Walker
was colonel of the phalanx, Achilles
Kswen lieutenant colonel and Timothy
| Crocker major The attack on Rivas had
been ordered by the provisional government
as the first step in the renewal Of hostilities
In the civil war Just then languishing for
lack of sand" in the Democratic camps
Rivas controlled the Transit route where
Walker expected to gather recruits from
travellers crossing the isthmus. 1t held the
enemy's treasure box, for there tax on
! Transit fares was paid to the strongest
claimant, and an attack made there carried
the war away from the impoverished dis
tricts of the Democrats.
The latter held only few towns in the
narrow coast strip on the northern border
of the state adjoining Honduras, the de-
| partment where the revolution started two
years before Walkers arrival Nicaragua,
as whole, was Legitimist by musket rule.
! The Democrats had neither soldiers, money
nor heart for the struggle. A contingent {
100 natives had marched on Rivas with tie
Americans and stampedcd at the first fire,
leaving the fifty-six aliens alone to cope
with odds of ten to one The phalanx
fought its way into Rivas. Kewen and
Croker and others We're killed and 10
wounded, Of whom II escaped, when the
survivors cut n path of retreat TO San Juan.
The rifles Of the Americans knocked over
1870 Legitimists, and almost to man the
victims were shot through the head.
| The Americans had sailed to San Juan
originally in their own schooner, the Vcsta.
She disappeared during the fight at Rivas
and the San Jose was impressed to trans
| port them back to Leon, the seat Of the
! Democrats in the north. The Costa Ricans,
whose flag the San Jose sailed under,
favored the Legitimists, and defiance of
their colors BODIED no good to the aliens.
The revolutionary populace of Leon was
astounded and ovcrjoyed at the prowess of
the phalanx. But the admiration was a
trifle one sided. The Democrats had an
army--on papcr-,lnd general in chief
one Munoa. a report reached the Amcri-
cans to the effect that the Legitimist COM
mander at Rivas had been warned OF the
atta>k of June % by n German who left
: TIE TIE ,S}eegg,,ecratic camp shortly before under
a passport signed By Al sSs2ssez; Walker IN
sisted that Munoz he called to account for
treachcry, but the Democratic director
hadn't the nerve to break with hfunoz.