The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-02

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, May "a
1896, by the Associated
Press.l-In view of the fact that the
controlled the the wires
at the time, the correspondent OF the
Associated Press here has been COM
PEELED to send by mail the following &C
count of the landing on May at Cor
into, of force OF about 100 American
and British marines from the United
States ship Alert and the British
cruiser Conus, who, acting in the most
perfect harmony, occupied that port,
protected, until May 4, the property OF
foreigners in the custom house and at
the railroad station, subduing a r1otous
and drunken mob which threatened to
cause the most serious disturbances.
During the recent
REVOLUTION IN NICARAGUA,
there were remarkable instances OF the
laWless manner in which so-ca,Med MIN
listers of provincial governments can
act when they have the opportunity:
For instance, about March "a, Samuel
Mayorga, who was minister for the
treasury in the Baca or revolutionary
government, made demand on Mr..
H. S. Harding, an English subject,
controller OF the branch at Leon of the
London Bank of Central America, for
a loan OF $4,000, on about $4,000 of
Nicaragua bonds of doubtful owner
ship, threatening to withdraw protec-
ton from the bank if the demand was
not complied with within a given time.
Mr. Harding succeeded in staving off
until he had letters delivered secretly
to Commander Franklin Hanford. Of
the United States ship Alert, then the
only warship at he port of Corinto,
and to the United States consular
agent at Corinto, Mr.. Henry Balazio.
Commander Hanford Immediately as
sured Mr.. Harding that he
WOULD RESIST ANY EFFORT
to take by force the property of cfti-
zens of the United States or of sub
jects of foreign governments in friend
ly relations with the United States.
Commander Hanford sent this Letter by
the United States consular agent, who
took prompt action and succeeded in
saving the money of the English bank
from the Nicaraguan officials, while at
the same time, clearly showing the in
surgents that he property of foreign
ers could not be interfered with.
But on April 16, Minister Mayorga
issued a decree in the name of the
revolutionary government, declaring
that the officers and books of the Gus
tom house at Corinto were to be at
once removed to Leon, the capital of
the revolutionary government, situated
about thirty miles in the interior, add
ing that lowing to the fact that the
troops of Honduras, (sent to assist the
army of President zelaya) might at
any time overcome the small force of
Baca'S troops at COrintO and
SEIZE THE MILLIONS
of dollars worth of merchandise in the
custom house belonging to the citizens
of Nicaragua and to foreigners, as
they had robbed private dwellings and
stores in the town of Ell Viejo, twentv
miles from Corinto." he, Samuel
Mayorga, minister of the treasury, had
come to Corinto with railroad trains
in order to remove the merchandise
belonging largely to foreigners from
the custom house Of CoGinto to Leon.
1t was evident, however, the real OBJ
ject of Mayorga was to obtain possess
sion of this property and
HOLD IT AS SECURITY
for war loan The foreigners pro-
tested to Commander Hanford and to
Captain Henry H. Dyke, of the British
cruiser Comus, which had arrived at
Corinto about April 5. The American
and British commanders decided that
they would not allow the insurgents to
take possession of the property of for
eigners in the custom house or rail-
road depot at Corinto, as the latter
buildings, being within six hundred
yards of the guns of the two warships,
were at least as safe as ff the prop
erty was at Leon.
This enraged Minister Mayorga so
much that he caused the arrest of all
native males in Corinto between the
ages of II and 20 years, ON the plea that
a great battle was imminent at Mono
tombo After OBTAINING them on the
railroad cars for a few hours, Mayorga
released all of those who could pay
him from 500 to $3.50 in cash and re-
turned to Leon with the other unfor-
tunate inhabitants of Corinto without
giving amy receipts for the money col
lected, but declaring he would return
again to Corinto This he did on May
l, with his party disbanded, and
SOUGHT SAFETY IN FLIGHT
with considerable sums of money ex-
torted from the people of Nicaragua.
They escaped to Guatamaja on small
schooner, the commanders of the
American and British warships having
IL
fight showed the necessity of protec-
ltion for foreigners to be greater than
ever. Although the chiefs of the insur-
gent party succeeded in escaping,
great number of the officers and
soldiers of the irsurgent army with
their arms, flocked to Corinto in the
hope of getting out of the country
but failed, owing to lack of means. The
disappointed soldiers became reckless
zrtr J>.rJ i AL
gan drinking and rioting. Some OF
them succeeded in crossing the estu-
airy and made for the woods. Others
commenced rcbbfng houses and threat
ening the lives of everybody of the
law and order class at Corfnto.
WOMEN WE'RE INsULTED
and an attack upon the custom house
was planned. The native COM
mandants and the handful of police at
the port were utterly impotent and
about OF clock in the morning of May
2 the commandments. at the request of
the peaceful residents, sent a commit
tee to Chinaldega with letter to
Manuel Bonilla, vice-president of Hon
duras, who was in command of the
troops of that republic.
Senior Bonilla was at Ell Vieio, and
when he received the request from
Corinto to send a force to protect that
port. he promised to comply. There
was considerable delay and the few
policemen sent did not reach Corinto
until 1880 p. M, which would have been
to late to save the custom house and its
contents, although Chinandega is only
about twenty-five miles, from Corinto.
While the committee was away the
most serious disorders broke out at
Corinto. The disbanded soldiers SEEM
ed insane with drink, robbed houses.