Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-04
ESTRADA ARMY is CRUSHED
Nicaragua Rebellion is Practically
Ended by Defeaa of ChamOrro.
REBELS ADMIT TRUTH OF NEWS
only Hope Now T. in DesuItOry war
fare or I'm Separate Republic,
with Intervention by the
United states.

BLUEFIELDs, Nicaragua, March 3.-The
nsurrectionary movement. headed by Cen
eral Estrada against the Nicaraguan gov
rrment, has been practically crushed. The
lnsurgent campaign in the west has .un
out and nothing Is left to the PROFESSIONALS
but a resort to guerilla warfare. encouraged
by the desperate hope that the United
States may yet intervene in a wish to put
an end to the disturbed situation in the
republic.
Talk of New Republic.
For the first time today the correspond
ents and the more prominent ~personages
Of this city wore told the true situation,
which, however, had been suspected for a
week. The public generally is still in the
dark and pinning it's faith to the false re-
ports circulated of insurgent successes.
The reports have been given currency not
only in this city. but have been sent broad
cast with the deliberate purpose Of In
fluencing opinion In the United States and
elsewhere Of attracting recruits from the
governments force. 1t IS now admitted
that General Chamorro's campaign was a
failure. He had hoped that the interior
would welcome and reinforce the insur-
gents arms. This was possible up to the
llIlG LndL GItSluGlL Ltlhgd ItSlhutus his
resignation and the election Of President
Madriz appears to have satisfied the people
n the interior and the west generally, and
when General Estrada's army reached the
heart Of the country they were given a
lukewarm reception and little or no aid.
There is still talk OF a new republic COM
prising the eastern half Of Nicaragua.
General. Estrada may proclaim such a re-
public and appeal to the United States to
protect It from invasion by the Madriz
government. Addition supplies of mmunl-
ton are expected here and will be used to
further a guerilla warfare.
The destructive blow fell at Tlsma on
February ", when General Chamorro was
defeated. In killed, wounded and captured
the insurgent general lost 500 men.
Cartridge Supply Exhausted.
Chamorro himself barely escaped and
with 100 or 200 men fled to San Vicente,
where General Mena was entrenched. God
frey Fowler, the American who was in
charge of the insurgent artillery under
Chamorro was wounded in the leg and
left at a plantation near Tisma.
General Chamorro is said to have
reached San vincente Sunday and to nave
wired his report yesterday. He estimates
NAAG OAAIAA . AOoo oN AtVNN ANA eAA captains
his defeat by the exhaustion of his cart
ridge supply.
with the remnant of Chamorro's force
there are now at San Vincente 500 provi-
sional soldiers. Fifteen Americans re-
cruited at Panama started for the front
today and an effort is being made to
gather 500 additional recruits among the
Nicaraguans of this city. The present
I -, 50 49, So AAn - -
style Of bush warfare presumably with the
idea of compelling the United States to
intervene.
Some suggest separate republics. When
the revolution began, last October, this
idea had been fully agreed upon. A con-
stitUtlen had been drafted. ana a. flag de-
signed as the emblem OF a new republic,
which would embrace the eastern half of
Nicaragua. Then the leaders OF the con-
sentative party who had been exiled by
President zelaya and had fomented an in
surrection with the primary object Of re-
covering their confiscated property in the
lake region, became encouraged by the
small initial successes and finally were
convinced they could capture the entire
country.
In this idea they claim they were en-
couraBed Dy the government at Washing
ton which desired the punishment Of Pres
ident Zelaya.
ZeIayR's Retirement Fatal.
The experience the last two months, how
ever, has demonstrated the revolutionary
sentiment in the interior did not survive
the retirement from the presidency Of
Zelaya, and General Chamorro, who began
the march on Managua, the capital, subse-
quently found himself in the enemy's coun-
try and almost alone.
Chamorro's defeat leaves only General
Mena's comparatively small force inter-
posed between the enemy's army Of 1000
and the east coast.
Some Of the provisional leaders profess to
believe that with Mena's soldiers and such
Of the insurgent force as could be rallied
from the frontier for the defense Of a new
republic they would stand some chance of
success and that there is a possibility that
the United States would recognize the new
government and forbid further fighting on
the ground that the movement of the gov
eminent forces to the east would be an in
vasion OF one country by another.