The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-03-16
Press Opinions
Where Battles Are Fought.

fGODlG Oh the III SldleS are apt
to think lightly of Central America as
an undeveloped region whose inhabi-
tants are mi-barbarians. either
wholly in Indian blood or of mixed
Spanish and Indian descent like the
Mexican peasants, but alike an unim-
portant class. Undeveloped it undoubt-
eddy is, but in Nicaragua, scene of the
present warlike activities. are some of
The oldest monuments to the conquer
ing white man to be found on the con-
tinent
Granada, which is reported to have
been captured by the insurgents from
the forces of the new president, Mad
riz, was established in 1924 by Fer
nando de Cordova and was settled by
the families Of the Spanish hidalgos
who had accompanied him on his ad-
verturous journey and by people of
the same class who came later to the
wonderful land of promise. Descend
ents of these Spanish families live in
Granada yet, as free from the faint
of alien blood, many of them, no
doubt. as their far-off kinfolk in old
Spain. They were adventurous, these
early Spaniards, but they were not
commercial; they discovered new
countries, but they did not wholly
conquer them as AngloSaxons did and
make the most Of the vast oppOrtuni-
ties. So Central America il far be-
hind the age in material progress to-
day.
| Granada has had varied history
and has been the scene of many an ex-
citing and dramatic event. as it has
passed from the control of one war;
ring faction of the Nicaraguan gov
eminent to another. Once 1t was the
capital of the country, and is still the
largest city, having population Of
something over 10000, but it is now
only the capital of a province. One
of its historic engagements took place
in 1855. or whereabouts, during the
progress of the famous filibustering
expedition under Walker, an Ameri-
can. A former resident of Indianapo-
lis, who died several years ago, was
one of Walkers followers and was
wont to tell most dramatic and pic
turesque tale of that final route of tho
Walker forces-a tale which, unfortu-
nately, for the sake of literature, IL
not for the accuracy of history, was
never written down. He declared that
|
never been told, Walkers own narra-
tive emitting much for reasons best
! known to himself. The thrilling Incl
dents of the Granada battle-if an en-
counter between two such small bod
les of troops could be called battle
had not been related at all. he said,
Walker himself not having been pres
ent on the occasion. 1t was an en-
gagement both by water and land.
Granada has probably changed very
little in appearance in hundreds of
years. Travellers tell of an ancient
church, of a gateway built in the time
of the Spanish viceroys, of antiquities
in the shape of Indian stone gods, of
caves projecting over the sidewalks, Of
houses built around square court
yards, of old stone buildings with
walls three feet thick, of red and
brown tile peaked roofs, with grass
roof huts in the outskirts. A tropical
appearance is given by disappearance
in courts and yards of cocoanut palms,
bread fruits, mangoes and bananas.
The view from the town over Lake
Nicaragua, intensely green forests, the
extinct volcano Mombacho and the
beautiful but more turbulent cone Of
| Ometpee, is described as wonderfully
picturesque. Ometpee was quiet for
more than a century, but in recent
years has had several violent erup-
tons. Many Americans who objected
to the Panama route for the inter-
oceanic canal preferring Nicaragua
instead, raised the objection that
Panama was, or might be, subject to
earthquakes, forgetting, apparently,
the equally dangerous volcanic ele-
ments in Nicaragua.
1t is indeed storied ground over
which native forces are now fighting
in that remote region. Because it is
remote and off the beaten track Of
travel it does not do to assume that 1t
is lacking in either historic or human
interest, for it is rich in both.-In-
dianapolis Star.