Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-11-19
MEETING OF LITTLE REPUBLICS
NEW AMBASSADOR WITH TAFT
is POSTPONED.
REIGN OF TERROR EXISTS.
More Than 500 Suspected of Revolution
airy Sympathies Have Been Sum-
marily Executed.
POWERS MUST NOW INTERVENE.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. Nov. 49,
Two Americans, Leonard Grace and Le-
roy Cannon, captured while serving with
revolutionlst army in Nicaragua, have
been sentenced to death by President
Zelaya's orders and it is believed that
sentence has already been carried out.
The cruiser Vicksburg has been Or
dered to proceed in all haste to Corinto
and the gunboat Des Moines will pro-
coed at once to Port Limon to observe
events there and reach the situation at
that point by wireless
The meeting between President Taft
and the new minister from Nicaragua.
lsadore Hazera, has been indefinitely
postponed.
Refuses to Commute Sentences.
The news as to the two Americans
reached the state department last night
from the American consulate at Man
aqua, and stated that their capture had
been followed almost Immediately by
death sentence. The consul Immediately
appealed to President Zelaya to commute
their sentences, and his answer was Il
will see." Later, on further appeal,
Zelaya said that 1.-The sentence was final-'
A dispatch received this morning at
the state department Is to the effect
that the men have undoubtedly been
executed. Upon this information the
secretary of state asked the secretary
of the navy to order the Vicksburg to
proceed in all haste to COrinto for the
purpose of protecting Americans and
American interests. The Des Moines
was also ordered to proceed to Port
Of for Co No
pose. These vessels will be in constant
communication by wireless with the
state department.
Des Moines Now at Colon.
The Des Moines is now at Colon, about
$50 miles from Port Limon, which she
can reach within ten hours steaming.
under forced draught. The Vicksburg
is on the Pacific coast at San Jose de
Guatemala, nearly 200 miles from the
Nicara guam coast and will be able to
reach Corinto at about the same time the
Des Moines arrives at Port Llmon.
The execution of the Americans is be-
lieved to have taken place at or near
Ell Costello, which is in the immediate
vicinity of Greytown.
The action of the Nicaraguan govern
ment in ordering the execution of the
two Americans without trial of any sort,
is likely to result in this government tax
ing drastic measures to prevent repeti-
ton and President Zelaya will be held
to a strict accountability.
President Taft. upon receipt of this
news was SO incensed that he Immediate
ly announced he would have no commune
cation whatever with the new Nfcara-
guam minister, and that official was
promptly so informed.
AT the Nicaraguan legation it was
stated that no news of the execution of
hn a M rtn hnI ,nI
from the Zelaya government.
Reign of Terror Exists.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Nov. 1S.-A
cablegram from Panama says: Passen-
gers arriving today report that a reign
of terror exists throughout the portion
of Nicaragua controlled by President
Zelaya. Government troops are rounding
up every person suspected of sympathy
with the revolutionists. Persons arrest
ed are executed without trial.
More than 500 men suspected of revo-
lutiOnary sympathies have been sum-
marily shot, and the bloody work con
tinues. Houses are ransacked by Ia
laya's soldiers in search of discriminating
evidence, and when resistance is offered
the houses are destroyed. Women rela-
tives of revolutionary sympathizers have
been subjected to the most horrible out
RACES.
The refugees declare it is time for the
civilized powers to forcibly intervene and
end the atrocity.
Cannon Arrested Before.
Nothing is known at the state depart
ment of the antecedents of Leonard
Grace, who is reported to have been shot
by order of President Ielaya, but the
other American Leroy Cannon, seems
to have had an unusual career in Central
America. His home is said to be in
Pennsylvania. Some years ago he went
to Central America, and since then his
name has figured prominently in revolu-
tons in those countries. Cannon has
been arrested number of times, and
tried for heading raids. On several oc-
casiCns he has narrowly escaped a death
sentence, it is alleged. The general
court at Cartagena, which is charged
with the settlement of certain classes of
cases arising among the Central Amer
lean states, has had Cannon before it
on at least one or two occasions.