The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-05
CITY BOMBARDED
BY INSURGENTS
Greytown Is Shelled by Gun
boat of Revolutionists.
VIGOROUS REPLY MADE
ity of Managua in Few Days As
Insurgents Are Nearing the
Capital.

Managua, February 4-The insurgents
gunboat ometepe appeared off Greytown
Thursday and bombarded the city for 20
minutes.
Nine houses were set on fire by the
shells from the gunboat. The shore bat
teries replied vigorously to the onslaught
of the insurgents and succeeded in dis
abling the ometepe, which was forced to
retire
The revolutionary gunboat Ometepe, In
company with the gunboats Pioneer and
Blanca, sailed last Monday from Blue
fields, destined for point north of Grey
town, where 700 troops of the government
were reported to be entrenched. General
Estrada and General Matuty and 500 of
the provisional troops were on board the
gunboats, which, prior to sailing, had
taken aboard ammunition and tested
their guns.
The United States cruiser Des Moines
sailed for Greytown the following MORN
ing. Recently Captain Thesiger of the
British cruiser Scylla made an official
declaration that there should be no fight
ing at Greytown, where there are large
British interests, and where the British
consul, Mr.. Bingham, is generally re-
ported to be connected with certain en-
terprises in which former President ze-
laya was also interested. 1t is said that
the scylla was sent to Greytown at his
request.
Captain Thesiger asked Captain Ship
ley of the United States cruiser Des
Moines to attach his signature to the or
der, but the American officer did not
comply.
The belief was held at Greytown that
Captain Shipley had received instructions
from Washington to have nothing to do
with the order.
Greytown lies on the east coast of Mic
aragua and is the principal seaport of
the republic. Its trade consists mainly
of hides, bananas, cocoanuts, rubber,
mahogany and oyster shells. The har-
Dor of Greytown once was the best in
Central America.
The town has a population of about
1000 Most of the territory is owned by
British subjects, many of them negroes
from Jamaica.
All indications point to the imminence
of g. decisive battle for supremacy in
Nicaragua between the government forces
and the reyolutionists under the leader
ship of General Estrada, the provisional
president of the republic.
The insurgents are spreading the con-
fiict over a wide area In the mountainous
districts to the eastward of Managua and
also are holding forth in considerable
number about Greytown. Everywhere
they are confronted by the troops of Pres
ident Madriz, however. who are resisting
every advance. Fighting is almost daily
an occurrence. Yesterday the insurgents
captured Boaca, 60 miles east of Managua,
forcing back the governments troops to
their main army at Teutepe, to the north
ward of Lake Managua.
On Tuesday, however, the vanguard of
the government army at Las Garitas, In
the mountainous district between LA
Libertad and Acoyapa, engaged and de-
feated a band of insurgents numbering
500. Colonel Valdes of the national forces
threw out an ambush, and into It walked
the revolutionists. He then inflicted ser-
GUS losses upon them and finally, after an
hour of fighting, forced them to take ref
uge in the mountains. Nothing daunted,
however, the revoutionists the same day
made other fruitless attempts to take Las
Veritas
General VasqueZ, commanding the
troops of President Madriz, In a telegram
received here today, says he expects the
insurgents to make other and more des-
perate attempts to take the town immedi-
ately, and that decisive battle is immi-
nent.
A party of 40 American tourists from
Seattle or other points In the states of
Washington and California were received
in audience today by President Madriz.
Late tonight advices were received here
from General Estrada addressed to Senior
Salvador Castrillo declaring that the re-
ports sent out from government sources
| In Nicaragua are unreliable A dispatch
dated at Bluefields today and signed "Es-
| trada" says:
..The news given out by Madriz is alb
| solutely false. The insurgent army occu-
| pies Chontales under General Chamorro.
! and Madriz does not dare to attack