The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-25
ESTRADA WINS
GREAT VICTORY
Details Il Battle Of Rama
Known
HUNDREDS KILLED. MANY HURT
Insurgents Capture Nineteen Hum
dred Prisoners.
General Chamorro. in conamaad Of
Rebels, Repeatedly Exposes Him-
self to FIRE Of zelaya's Men,
BUT Chastises Men For
Doing the same.
HUNDREDS KILLED, MANY HURT

" rHN~-
was as complete as has been compiled
BY them. -
After two days Of fighting. the fierc-
est dght. that Central America has
ever seen. General Estrada on Tues
day wiped out the enemy. OF zeIaya's
army Of 5000 men. only 500 escaped
The killed and wounded on both
sides. as before reported. numbered
600. and 1000 of the government
resistance. Three Hotchkiss and Max
i'm guns. 1000 rifles and million
rounds of ammunition were included In
the booty.
General Estrada processes to be-
iieve that his march to Managua VIII
be unopposed.
RluefieIds and the neighboring coun-
try are delirious with joy. The VIC
tory is said to have been won on the
tion OF DR.. Madriz as President of
Nicaragua in succession to zeIaya.
Turns Tide for Insurgents.
General Luiz Mena is again here.
His troops arrived on the scene of bat
tie when victory was in the balance,
and turned the tide In favor of the In
surgenfs.
AT the request of United States Con-
sui Moffat. Commander Shipiey or the
United States cruiser Des Motnes. sent
his hispital squad ashore, establishing
an independent hospital where forty
OF the wounded are receiving care.
The American medical men have
been able 10 give their services TO All
who were in need of them.
six Americans participated in the
battle. operating rapid IRE guns. They
escaped Injury. with the exception OF
one named Bashford. who received
three bullets In one OF his legs.
The prisoners included General
gonzales and General Castrilio. Gem
eraf vasquez who was returning to
Rama from Managua when hoatilifies
began. did not reach the scene during
the fighting He was a few miles ola.
fant when the government troops were
routed and it is possible that some
500 men escaped with him.
Take trenches BY Assault.
After Zelaya's trenches had been
sheiied they were taken by assault.
IN fhe trenches were several women
who preferred risking their lives in the
conflict 20 starvation in camp. THESE
&vonaen were armed with rifles and
fought courageously. One OF them
was wounded and later brought to the
hospftal. here A large proportion Of
the prisoners were found to be boys
under 1s years of age. They accepted
defeat as though II was very welcome.
General Gonzales, the yanquished
,aader of the government troops, to-
day shares the quarters OF General
Estrada and is eating the latters ra-
lions with great relish and smoking
fnsur&ent tobacco as though ne en-
5oyed 1t.
o'clock in the morning. The hrst
DAYS conflict had driven the enemy
back to the main fortfhcattons at the
village of Recreo. where for three
weeks they had been stringing wires
and digging trenches. The country
Al that vicinity had been partially
cleared of underbrush but 1t remained
more like a Jungle than otherwise.
The position OF the government troops
hehind their entertainments and barbed
wire proved Unexpectedly strong.
However, the PROFESSIONALS who believ-
ed that they faced the oppressive rule
De Madrfz. or az the only alternative
in the event OF defeat. the humilia-
tIon OF intervention by the United
states. bore themselves with a show
Of valor that should ever relieve them
from the charge of being comic opera
soldiers. Indeed, there was nothing
comic in the fighting and the 100 dead
and $50 wounded gave the surviving
insurgents something to think about.
fI00AV WiuOWA
seen wandering about the streets
weeping. Yet no expression or re-
greet is heard The PROFESSIONALS admit
their heavy losses. and estimate those
of the army at about an equal num-
Der.
Tugs Garry Hotehhiss Guns.
General Chamorro, General Diaz and
General Matutv first faced the enemy.
The tugs Pioneer and Blanca. upon
TAtA err4n
and half buried in sand. steamed up
creek tributary to the Mico River, up
on which the village of Recreo is sit
mated. For hours thew shelled the
village, the gunners maintaining great
accuracy. Zelaya's troops frequently
left the trenches and advancing
through the jungles. met the insur-
gents in hand to hand conflict. These
dashes were followed in each in
stance by a retreat to the trenches
and a forward movement by the pro-
visionals. who cut the wire entangle-
ments with their machetes. In these
brushes, many were killed OF wound
ed.
typical North American regular
xrooper, fought with frenzied vigor.
personally using a pistol and invas
riably killing his man outright. Gen
70. TO take to cover Diaz walked
erect amid a hail of bullets. directing
the fire of his men. who, however. he
insisted should keep under cover when
ever uossible. When one soldier
enthused by the example OF his COM
mander, fought on his feet. Diaz turn
ed his pistol upon the man and COM
manded him to get behind stump
TIM soldier was momentarily perplex-
ed as he saw Diaz constantly expos
ed 70 the enemy's fire.
There was no farce about the Skin
mfshes and the conduct of both lead
ers and men, who knew for what they
were fighting and that death for many
was imminent was worthy OF the
greatest admiration.
ChamoFro In Command
General ChamorTo, who has been
fghtinR for twenty years. is idolized
by his men. He swore eheerfullY when
his troopers exposed themselves and
good naturedly pushed them behind
the cover OF stumDs and tangled un-