The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-21
AMERICAN SCOUTS
FIGHT vAL|AN TLY
-----------------
They Are III Thiekcst Of Fray al
Battle Of ST. Vim
ccnto.
GENERAL vAsouEz BEATEN
Insurgents Forces Drive Re
GENERAL vAsouEz BEATEN
Insurgents Forces Drive Re
gulars Back Although Out
numbered Two to One.

|
Bluefe1ds. Nicaragua, February 2o.-
Americans took very active part III
:, the battle between the insurgents and
the Madriz forces at st. Vicente, and
one of them at least was badly wound
ed. They were under Captain Victor
Gordon. with General Mena, the con-
tingent being known az the American
scouts. The wounded man is William
| wilkins. who joined the provisionals
from Panama. A steel bullet struck
the cartridge clip swung across his
shoulder. near the heart. and detected
penetrating the arm and leg.
Another scout. G. r. Bnshby, was
bruised when a stone. from behind
which he was firing. was shattered by
cannon ball. Bushby was thrown
twenty feet, but he came back to the
fight
In dispatch which he has sent here
Captain Gordon states that the battle
began on the 10Th. They reached
Chinao on the 18th, when. after ter
hours of desperate attacks and coun-
ter attacks, the enemy, under General
Vasquez, retited to a secondary posi-
sition. from where this morning they
opened desultory artillery fire. which
ceased entirely at 10 o'clock.
YasTuex Beaten.
According to Captain Gordon. Vas
quez was beaten. although his 500 men
outnumbered the provisional forces
two to one. Nasauez can receive no
reinforcements. and when all Matuty's
men arrive, and they are expected
hourly General Mena will assume the
aggressive and will attempt to drive
Vasquez towards the lake.
Early in the morning of the 18th
the enemy's guns demolished Mena's
left trenches, drawing out his force
including tho Americans. Mena re-
formed and recaptured the place. TIL,
epcmyitflen opened in front of a new
hill, but Mena executed fankins
movement, causing the government
! troops to retire in great confusion
They abandoned many rifles and mar
rowly saved Maxim. Some of Vas
/ quez's personal effects were taken
and the general himself got away onl.
| by r. close margin
The fierceness of the battle is indi
Gated by the fact that two of Aena'
guns were disab Another wa.
twice dismounted. but each time re
planted. doing effective execution
Mena's loss was twelve wounded. Cor.
don Is of the opinion that the enemy.
loss was heavy, as their assaults were
delivered across open spaces in the
face of artillery.
When the enemy Withdrew, Frank
Reynolds. at the bead of five other
Americans. hotly pursued them, COM
ing within fifty yards of capturing a
Maxim. when they were compelled to
desist.
At times the bullets, shells and
Shrannel. n tcIr hot
difficult to see because of the dust
kicked up. One of the enemy's MaXims
was captured by assault, this being
the operation In which Wilkins was
wounded. He was borne to the rear
by comrades in the midst of hail OF
bullets.
In Hand-tO-Innd Fight.
Once the Americans ran out of am
munition and before new supply
came were compelled to defend them
selves in hand-to-hand fight.
Five additional Americans under
General Zeledon We're placed in COM
mand OF forty Nicaraguans, with whom
they turned the enemy's left bank in
a movement which shortly afterwards
terminated in the enemy's complete
retirement. These Americans were
Don NJ. Turner. of El Paso; j. I'll. Her
man, of Mascouta, ILL.,; Il. r. Thomas,
recently of Johannesburg, South Afri-
ca; Lewis Ross, of Milwaukee, and IT.
d. Moore. of Dover. Fla.
Upon the enemys retirement, Mena's
cavalry gave chase, but were unable
to come up before Vasquez had taken
shelter on high hill 1t was from
this new position that Vasquez bom-
'barded to-day. Apparently further
fighting is inevitable, although prison.
Eers taken by the provisional forces re-
port that Vasquez's men are deserting
in squads.