Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-24

his march to Managua will be unopposed
| Bluefields and the neighboring country
are delirious with joy. The victory IL
| said to have been won on the very day
scheduled for the Inauguration of DR.
Madriz as President Of Nicaragua In sue
cession to Zelaya.
| Gen. Luis Mena is again here. His
| troops arrived on the scene OF battle
when victory was In the balance ant
turned the tide to favor Of the insurgents
| At the request of United States Consul
Moffat, Commander Shipley of the United
States cruiser Des Moines sent his hos
pital squad ashore. establishing an indie
pendent hospital. where forty OF the
wounded are receiving care. The Amer
lean medical men have been able TO give
their services to all who were In need OF
| them.
Americans Operate Rapid-Fire Guns.
| Six Americans participated in the bat.
tie. operating rapid-fire guns. They es-
capped injury. with the exception of one
named Bashford. who received three. bull
| lets in the leg.
The prisoners include Gen. Gonzales
and Gen Castrilo. Gen. Vasquez who
w
when hostilities began. did not reach the
scene during the fighting.
| He was a few miles distant when the
government troops were routed. 1t is
| possible that some 800 men escaped with
him.
Women and Boys Fighting.
After Zelaya's trenches had been
shelled they were taken by assault. In
the trenches were several women, who
preferred risking their lives in the con-
fiict to starvation in camp.
These women were armed with rifles
was wounded and later brought to the
hospital here.
A large proportion of the prisoners were
found to be boys under sixteen years OF
age. They accepted defeat as though II
were very welcome.
Gen. Gonzales, the vanquished leader
Of the government troops, today shared
the quarters of Gen. Estrada and is eat
ing the latter's rations with great relish
and smoking insurgent tobacco as though
he enjoyed it.
Second Days Fighting.
The second days fighting began at o
o'clock in the morning. The first day 8
conflict had driven the enemy back to
the main Notifications at the village Of
Rocreo where for three weeks they had
been stringing wires and digging trenches.
The country in that vicinity has been
partially cleared Of underbrush, but it re-
mains more like jungle than otherwise.
The position OF the government troops
behind their entertainments and barbed
wire proved Unexpectedly strong.
However. the PROFESSIONALS, who believed
they faced the oppressive rule of Madriz
OF, as the only alternative In the event
OF defeat, the humiliation Of Intervention
by the United States. bore themselves
with q show of valor that should ever re-
lieve them from the charge Of being
comic opera soldiers.
Indeed, there was nothing comic in the
fighting The hundred dead and the $50
wounded gave the surviving insurgents
something to think about.
Widows and Orphans Weep.
Today widows and orphans may be seen
wandering about the streets weeping. Yet
no expression Of regret Is heard.
The PROFESSIONALS admit their heavy
losses and estimate those Of the enemy
at about an equal number.
Gen. Chammorro. Gen. Diaz and Gen.
Matuty first faced the enemy. The tugs
Pioneer and Blanca. upon which were
mounted Hotchkiss guns half buried in
sand. steamed up a creek tributary to the
Mico river. upon which the village Of
Recreo is situated.
For hours they shelled the village, the
gunners maintaining great accuracy.
Zelaya's Troops Kept Out.
Zelaya's troops frequently left the
trenches and. advancing through the
junGies. met the insurgents in hand-to-
hand conflict. These dashes were fol
lowed in each instance by a retreat to
the trenches and . forward movement by
the PROFESSIONALS. who cut the wire en-
tanglements with their machetes
In these brushes many were killed or
wounded.
Gen. Chamorro. who looks typical
North American regular trooper. fought
with frenzied vigor personally, using q
pistol and invariably killing his man out
right.
Gen Diaz disdained. as did Chamorro.
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 whenever pos
sible.
When one soldier, enthused by the ex-
ample OF his commander, fought on his
feet Diaz turned his pistol upon the man
and commanded him to get behind
stump. The soldier was momentarily
stantly exposed to the enemy's fire.
Fighting Was Real.
There was no farce about the skir-
mishes. The conduct Of both leaders and
men, who knew for what they were
fighting, and that death for many was
imminent was worthy Of the greatest ad-
miration.
Chamorro, who has been fighting for
twenty years. is idolized by his men. He
swore cheerfully when his troopers ex-
posed themselves, and good naturally
pushed them behind the cover OF stumps
and tangled underbrush.
Chamorro was in actual c0mWand.
Estrada having merely laid out theN gen.
eral plan.
AZ the evening approached and the
enemy still resisted after repeated as
saults the insurgents wavered from
physical exhaustion, but their courage
never failed.
Mena Turns Tide Of Battle.
But for the timely arrival OF Gen.
Msna 1t 10 quite possible that the out.
come Of the battle would have been
wholly different. Indeed. at one time
the position Of the insurgents was des-
perate.
chamorro and Diax had moved on the