New-York tribune., 1910-12-11
BACK FROM NICARAGUA
Young Soldier of Fortune, How.
ever, Not to Stay Here lonq.
TELLS HIS STORY OF WAR
William P. Pittman Says he
Owes His Life to American
Consul in Nicaragua.

William p Pfttman. the Young soldier ~
/ fortune from Somerville. Mass. who fosn.4
the forces Of General Chamorra I'm N.
/ revolution against the government of Mica
/ ra qua. arrived here last night from CriSto-
/ bal on the Panama liner Allianca- but no.
| for good Indeed. no. Senior Colonel Pitt
man intir1ated that ne had "a good thfnx
of IL down in MsnsgIa" and had no tn
tention of staying here more than month
~ Just came ND on visit he said last
night. almost bIushing YOU see. I'D in
Sonerville T have mother. sister and
two brothers. They are BIT anxious abous
me- 7 want 70 get up there and see them
and let them know that I am all right
And after that? Well I'm going 20 hav.
a look over Broadway. see just about how
tight the lid is on, and then III go back
TO Nicaragua.
How was treated after I was captuTe6-
Well, sometimes bad and sometimes good E.
The young man sat in the Office Of Mr.
Stu, the chief steward. and recalled frax
ments Of his adventures In the army Of
| Estrada He was interrupted In the middle
of his talk by a photographer who asked
permission to make A flash light picture OF
him.
tn pose Just once laughed Pfttman.
I've been through so much noise and
shooting that 7 don't want TO hear even a
hrecracker for while, at least
The young man talked lightly IT his close
calls, until il camA TO the recital OF his de-
te1tion i'm the penitentiary at ManagIIa and
then he waxed enthusiastic over the cour-
age and persistent efforts Of joss de OIL
wares. the American Consul. Who ha said.
was largely to be credited for his life and
subsequent freedom.
Mr. OivsreS-" said Pirtman. stood by
me when they threw me into the dungeon
at Manasua. The official, of the peniten-
tlary made no effort to give me any food
All the while 7 was incarcerated rnves-sf{
was sent to me bv Mr. OIivar.s a.. ir
came from his own table II was he xho,
reminded Estrada continually that r We anl
that get square deal
Asked how he came TO toin The rev7lu-
tionists Mn Pittman said:
II was i'm Panama and was engaged bv
Carlos Chamorra TO go with him and take
charge of q detachment of 10 mem His
brother. EnlilisnO Chamorra. was Their.
nghtIng in the rebel army. I and a fellow
from Philadelphia named Sam Drebin vers
in charge of q Gatling gun in the trenches
at Ramas. The government forces stola
upon us in the darkness, and as soon as
they got within hundred feet of on
trenches our men ran away.
''Drebin and / thought in the darBness
that the enemy was our own men and thas
is how 7 was captured Dreoin got away
and with three men jumped into canos5
He turned up later at RIuefelds a worm
out nag The animal was no good and het
wanted a fresh horse. Seeing the fine norsS
of Aureiio Estrada tethered in front of ths
Campo de Marte Palace. he seized il and
left his old naa in it's place. Drebin vas
a good fighter and a mighty brave man.
One Escapes: Others Captured.
Well. RaJnss Drehip went in one Do
rection and 7 in another. He went the
right way and got away. I went the wrong
way and six government soldiers got me.
They all called some pretty tough
names in Spanish. and five Of them wanted
20 kill me on the spot. but one fellow told
the others that they had better wait
while When it grew light they marched
me 70 False Bluff. the headquarters ot
up the beach.
II was good and tired when I got ther5
and wanted to rest but they stretched ouc
two poles and tied a box Of silver in ths
middle of it and made Colombian prisoner
named Lopez and myself shoulder ths load.
T shall never forget July T. when ! was
marched into Nanagua. sore and ragged,
with nv right arm tied 70 the left arm OF
the dusky Colombian He was A spy, BUT
he denied it.
at BluefieIds I was confined in = dun-
seon with Jamaica negro. in a small cell.
and again at Nanagua they made me- share
a dungeon with the same fellow. I could
never get away from him and prison
verr1in.
They held mo in the penltentlarY NJ
Nsnsg,1a for two months There were six
hundred prisoners there and eighty guards
watched them. The secretary of tho prison
and his clerk learned that CoU1nlandanis
Janis had threatened TO blow UP the prison
the moment rhe insurgents entered ths
CITY. Part of the prison was used as .
magazine for explosives and II vas fun of
the stuff. The secretary and his clerk. nos
wishing TO be parties 70 q whc!esals st5Vsn-
ter. exposed the plans of CoI71nIandanis
Janis but Estrada said the story cf the
plot was not true and would not give the
matter hearing
Mr. OIfvares finally got rhe other cor"
suIs together. and they went 70 Nadri1
about me Then Nadriz sent for me and
promised me my freedom. Fearing rhFS
the ian really would he blown up ~
eighty guards fled and thA prisoners broke
their doors to freedom. was freed, how
ever. the day Madriz Left the city.
Pittnan said his rank in the insurg-ns
army was thar Of colonel
That may be hard 70 believe. h- de-
eIsred but il is nevertheless true