The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-28
Government Troops Capture Bar
bocoa, Accomplishing the Feat
However Only After Suffering
Heavy Losses
GEN. SATAMAYER IS
EVERYWHERE DECRIED
Rebel Leader is Said to Be Re-
SponSibIe for the Liberal Re-
verseS--American Named Muir
ply Says Gunboat Pinzon Fired
on Porto BeIIo

Colon, Colombia, Nov. 27-2 p. m.-The
following dispatch has just been re-
ceived from Panama.
THE Colombian gunboat Boyaca was
| dispatched Tuesday, having on board
about so soldiers, for Chame or it's vi
entity, where, it was declared a party
of Liberals. under Gen. Porras, had re-
ceived quite recently fresh supply of
arms and ammunition.
San PaOlo and Barbacoa are known
here to be Liberal strongholds and
places very easy to defend, while to
cross the bridge spanning the Chagres
River, now swollen, was next to i'm
possible for an attacking force. The
feat was accomplished, however, but
| the reason the Liberals abandoned Bar
| bacoa is not made clear. The death
rate on the government side was very
great, many bodies falling into the riv-
er. An attempt was also made to make
a detour on the river in boats, but the
| boats were capsized and many men
were drowned.
Gen. Castro commanded the govern
ment forces at Barbacoa. Gen. Alban
tried to get a train yesterday morning
to convey 200 men to the scene OF the
engagement at Barbacoa, but Capt.
Gil VI lllG IONd Sdlu lIldI IlOl d Sill
| gle armed man would be allowed to
entrain.
THE feeling here against foreigners,
particularly the Americans, runs high.
| "A special train at Panama, to con-
vey Gen. Alban, alone and unarmed,
awaited the arrival for hours Of the
morning train from Colon, but on the
arrival of the latter here at o'clock
in the evening, bringing 40 wounded
men. among whom were several Off
| GERS. with the news that the govern
ment troops had VIGOROUSLY crossed
the bridge at Barbacoa, the special
train was not dispatched, and Gen. AL
ban remained at Panama.
'At $50 p. m. yesterday a large pro-
cession, headed by a band of music,
marched in an orderly manner all over
the city Of Panama shouting Gen. AL
bans praises, and proclaiming that the
death blow had been given to the Lib
eral cause in this department"
1t was learned on the highest author
| tty this afternoon that Gen. Jeffries is
| with Gen. Alban on the Colon side of
Barbacoa, and that 300 men from Pan
anna are now marching to join them.
An American, named Murphy relates
the following story Corroborating the
| report that the Colombian gunboat
! General Pinzon fired on Porto Bello.
| On Monday morning Murphy was in
an open boat bound for Playadonna on
a mining excursion. Besides himself
| there We're three Chinese and a Colom-
bian negro in the boat, which was COM
manded by the colOred man. When they
| were passing Porto Bello, a boat con-
! tanning soldiers from the General Pin
lion, then at anchor off Porto BellO cap
tured Murphy and his cmpanions. AZ
| ter they had been made prisoners, and
while on their way to the gunboat, the
! General Pinzon fired many shots at
! Porto Bello.
On arriving on board the gunboat.
Murphy learned that no less than 50
shells had been fired at Porto Bello He
also says that one or two of the largest
houses of the place could from the gun
| boat, be plainly seen to have been
wrecked. Those on board the General
| Pinzon. who went ashore at Porto Bel
! 10. said the town was reduced. Not a
single person was to be seen anywhere.
| They all took flight on the arrival of
| the Pinzon.
/ Our property was handed over to the
| officers Of the United States gunboat
| Marietta when the General Pinzon re-
! turned to Colon. In a skirmish last
night at Buen Vista the government
! troops lost ground and retreated ia
! Tabernilla, losing 5000 cartridges. The
| government forces nov occupy Taber-
nilla, which is on the Colon side of
! Barbacoa.
General Sotamayer, with $50 men,
| commanded the Liberal forces at Bar
! bacoa bridge. Good authorities hold
| that 20 men ought to have been able to
! prevent the government troops from
! crossing the bridge. Sotamayer's con-
! duct is everywhere decried. He seems
| to have sheltered himself and to have
| supervised nothing personally hence
| the reckless waste of ammunition
| which caused the eventual retreat of
the Liberals, who lost less than a dozen
! men Yesterday