The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-03-29
THE H0NDuRAN
CAPITAL is TAKEN
Nicaragua's Latest Triumph Ends
The War.
Mr.. BONILLA WILL BE 0UsTED.
Probable That Nicaragua Will Install
Another President at Tegucigalpa and
Then Withdraw Her Troops to Her
Own Territory-The Casualties Light
in the rt-lived Conflict.

Washington IS p &c ID = Senior
Corea, the Nicaraguan minister, re-
ceived a dispatch from President
Zelaya, of Nicaragua, announcing the
capture and occupation of Tegucigal-
pa, the capital of Honduras.
The capture of Tegucigalpa, the
capital of Honduras, by the Mic
araguans, coupled with the recent
defeat of the forces of Honduras and
Salvador at Choluteca and the fight
of President Bonilla, of Honduras,
puts an end to the latest Central
American war. 1t is now probable
that Nicaragua will install another
president at Tegucigalpa in lieu of
President Bonilla and then withdraw
her troops to her own territory.
The conflict has been of short du-
ration, and judging from the reports
which have been received here none
of the various engagements has been
serious. The casualties have been
Comparatively light, four or five hun
bred in the most important engage
ment reported, the fight at Choluteca.
Honduras has been helped in this
war by Salvador, with whom she had
an offensive and defensive alliance,
and she has had to contend with a
rebellious outbreak of her own peo-
pie. This was also the case in Mica
ragua, the latent revolutionists in
each country seemingly taking ad-
vantage of the difficulties of the gov
eminent to further their own cause.
Only three Central American states
have become involved, Costa RIGA
and Guatemala remaining neutral.
Mediation Was Refused.
The government of the United
States sent gunboats to both the Pa
cific and Atlantic Coasts, and ma
rines were landed at two or three
ports on the northern coast of Hon
duras for the protection of Ameri-
can interests. These ports were in
the possession of enemies of the
Honduran government at the time,
and the government of Honduras
approved the action taken by the
United States.
Early in January the trouble be-
tween Honduras and Nicaragua ap-
peared to be becoming acute MeXi-
co and the United States endeavored
to avert an open conflict, but in
spite of the fact the presidents of
both countries assured President
Roosevelt that peace would be main
tanned, these promises went for
Taught. and hostilities broke out in
the early part of February. The
United States then permitted the
fighting to go on, but stood ready
to put stop to it if it went too
far or threatened seriously to en-
danger foreign interests.
Setting aside the mule that the
Nicaraguans are alleged to have
stolen in the frontier town of Las
Manos one night, the cause of the
conflict apparently is found in the
ambitions of President Zelaya, of
Nicaragua, to see as chief executive
of Honduras man who would favor
ably consider the claims of Nicaragua
in the matter of delimiting the
boundary between the two countries.
An underlying motive lies possibly
In President Zelaya's more far-reach-
ing ambitions; he is credited with a
strong desire to bring about fedora
ton of the states of Central America,
and Honduras stood in his way.
On the other hand it is asserted in
some quarters that President Bonil-
la brought about the trouble for the
sole purpose of averting disaster at
the hands of the revolutionary party
daily growing stronger in Honduras.
A feature of the conflict has been
that each country has time and again
disavowed any and all responsibility
for the war.