Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-21
HONDURANS DEFEATED
Troops of Nicaragua Reported
Again Victorious.
CENTRAL AMERICAN WAR
President Zelaya Seeks New Ally in
Castro of Venezuela.
THE vICT0Rs WILL NOT LOOT
Americans Appeal to United States for
Protection Against Excuses
Threatened by Soldiers.
THE vICTORs WILL NOT LOOT

PARIS, March 21.-The following dispatch
was received today by the Nicaraguan lega-
ton from Senior Gomez, the minister of for
eign affairs of Nicaraguan:
Five thousand Salvadoreans and Hon.
durans have been decisively defeated at
days battle"
MANAGuA, Nicaragua, March 21.-The
Nicaraguan troops are reported to have in
ficted another severe defeat upon the Hon
duran soldiers. Details of the engagement
were not obtainable last night.
Senior Sanchez, the confidential agent of
President Zelaya, sailed for Ecuador yes
terday, where he will endeavor to persuade
President Alfaro of Ecuador to join with
Nicaragua In its war on Honduras The
em1ssary will also go to Venezuela in an
effort to enlist the aid of President Castro.
NEW ORLEANS, March 21-Merchants
Of New Orleans interested in Central Amer
lean trade and development have appealed
to the United States for the protection of
Americans against the threatened looting of
Honduran towns by the victorious Nicara-
guam troops and Honduran revolutionists
The copies of proclamatons issued by the
which they promise. in order to encourage
enlistment and active service, that the
troops will be allowed to loot the first Hon
duran towns they capture, have created
great alarm.
AS the troops have already looted a num-
Der of towns captured on the frontier. great
fear is entertained lest they shall similarly
loot the coast towns, where American in
tereSts are very large, and those of New
Orleans merchants and members predomi-
nate. A petition has been sent to the State
Department through the New Orleans
Board of Trade and Senator NJ. J. Foster
asking for a man-o'-war to afford protec-
ton.
May Capture Towns.
The greatest fear Is for the towns of
Puerto Cortez, Ceiba and Tela all of which
are likely to fall into the hands of the MIC
araguans in the next few days. now that
they have secured Judgment at Trujillo,
in the very center of the Atlantic coast of
Honduras. They have considerable army
there we'll equipped, with number Of can
non, as well as five war vessels capable Of
transporting six thousand men. Trujillo is
only forty-two miles from Ceiba, which will
not be able to hold out against any attack,
as it has practically no defenses and has
been drained of troops for Bonillas army.
The business there is entirely in the hands
of Americans. mainly from New Orleans.
A railroad was built into the interior
owned by the Vaccaro brothers of this city
Puerto CorteZ has a few French merchants.
but nearly the whole town Is owned in
New Orleans, and any looting would be at
the expense of Americans. A number of
people of the better class have already left
these towns, and for several days past ca
Diagrams countermanding orders for goods
have been received. Mail service is wholly
suspended on account of the war
Costa RIGA Neutral.
between Nicaragua and Honduras broke
out Costa RIGA has been trying to show to
the world that she means to take absolutely
no part in the trouble. One of the first
things President Gonzales did was to call
all the leading Nicaraguans before him and
| read something like the riot act
There are living in Costa Rica upward of
800 natives of Nicaragua who have been
forced to leave that country for one reason
or another Some of these men We're driven
out after the unsuccessful revolution of
1894, and others left after the failure of
Gen. Reyes movement in 1899.
These Nicaraguans live in the banana
and coffee districts, and they all hate the
present head of the Nicaraguan govern
ment In addition to these men of little i'm
portance there are a great many very
prominent Nicara guans who have earned
the displeasure of President Zelaya and
have been forced to leave. Their first idea
and greatest hope was that they might
have an opportunity to cross the frontier
and join a revolutionary force in the re-
public or be the cause of the creation of a
revolutionary movement
They had no arms, however and without
the assistance of Costa Rica could do moth
ing. President Gonzales called before him
the leading men who he thought could con-
troll the Nicaraguans living in the republic,
and he prohibited them from making the
slightest move. He even went further and
had men stationed to watch these Mica
raguans. The most friendly feeling exists
between the president and these citizens of
adoption, but he does not want TO take the
slightest chance of having Costa Rica en-
tangled in the present war He wanted to
make his position plain from the very start.