The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-12-24
THE BATTLE
OF RAMA

.>luefields, Mic, Dec. 24.-The de-
tails OF the battle of Rama are now
known. The victory of the insurgents
was as complete as was claimed by
them. After two days of the fiercest
figlting Central America has seen.
General Estrada on Tuesday wiped
out the enemy of Zelaya's army of B.
600 men and but five hundred escaped.
The killed and wounded on both
sides numbered six hundred and nine
teen hundred OF the government
troops surrendered after a desperate
resistance.
Three Hotchkiss and four Maxim
guns, two thousand rifles and a mill
ion rounds of ammunition were in
cluded in the booty
General Luis men arrived ON the
scene of battle when the victory was
In the balance and turned the tide in
favor of che insurgents.
Six Americans participated in the
battle. operating the rapid fire guns.
Only one of them was wounded. a
man named Bashford receiving three
bullets in his leg.
After Zelaya's trenches had been
saelled they were taken by assault.
In the trenches were several women
who preferred to risk their lives in
the conflict of battle to starvation in
rifles and fought courageously. One
of them was wounded and later was
brought to the hospital here.
A large proportion of the prison
ers were found to be boys under six
teen years of age. They accepted de-
feat as though ii was very welcome.
The second days fighting began at
nine o'clock in the morning. The first
days conflict mad driven the enemy
hack IN the main fQYfificatinpS in the
village of Recree. where for three
weeks they had been stringing wires
and digging trenches.
Their position was very strong but
the PROFESSIONALS, who believed they
faced the oppressive rule of MadriZ,
or as the only alternative in case of
defeat, the humiliation of interyen-
ton by the United States, bore them
selves with valor that should forever
relieve them from the charge of be-
ing comic opera soldiers.
Zelaya's soldiers frequently left the
trenches and advancing through the
jungles met the insurgents in hand
to-hand conflict. These clashes We're
followed by retreat to t..<. trenches
and the advance of the PROFESSIONALS,
who cut the wire entanglements with
their machetes. Many were killed in
these encounters.
General Clanorro. who looks like
a typical North American regular
trooper. and General Diaz. exposed
themselves with reckless bravery.
They walked erect amid a hail of bull
let's, directing the fire of their men,
but insisting on the men keeping un-
der cover wherever possible.
The evening approached but the
enemy still resisted after repeated
assaults. The insurgents wavered
through PHYSICAL exhaustion, though
their courage never failed. and but fol
the timely arrival of General Luis
Mena, il is quite possible the outcome
of the battle would have been wholly
different. Indeed, at one time the po-
sition of the insurgents was desper-
ate.
How Mcna and his 600 men covered
the last two miles through the brush
the general himself, is unable to ex-
plain. The clothing of the men was
almost torn from them in their des-
perate rush. But without xhesitatiol
they charged when they arrived at
the scene of the battle. yelling at the
top of their voices, and in the face
of a furious fire plunged over the
trenches. In ten minutes 1t was all
over. but il was a bloody ten minutes.
Scores were killed outright and
the wounded covered the hills. Hund-
reds of the enemy threw down their