El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-24
b.
Frederic
]. Haskin

teacher, and became such a g1utton for
graft that the last years of his reign
were indeed a nightmare to everybody
During these last years no one in
Nicaragua was sure either of his for
tune or his life. If anyone happened
to have property which Zelaya wanted
he either gave it up or went to Jail. If,
in travelling about the country, he
happened to see any young woman who
struck his fancy, she must come to
Managua and become his mistress. II
her people rebelled they were sent to
Jail until they became reconcfled to
this condition The Jefe politicos and
other undefstrapp of the Zelaya ma
chine curried favor with him by assist
ing him in all his nefarious schemes
Seeing their leader engaged in these
things. they themselves followed suit
in their own behalf, and the result was
such widespread system of depravity
as TO constitute blot on Amer
lean civilization
Seek Restoration to Power.
Snice the abdication of the "mad-dog
Of Central America" as Zelaya has
been called, the Liberals have realized
that the only way for them to secure
through decent conduct, and when their
banished leaders were permitted to re-
turn under a decree Of amnesty, they
all came back with the announced in
tention Of laying low and hoping that
at the end Of the provisional govern
ment and the election under the new
constitution they would be returned
to power. They have professed to feel
that they are in the majority in the re-
public and that they can win a revolu-
ton or carry an election whenever the
contest is on even terms.
The new American minister to Mica
ragua arrived here just about a month
after the return of the banished Liber-
al leaders. These Liberals were per-
suaded that minister Northcott would
be fair with them. and hoped to see
him and relate their side Of the ques-
ton to him before he was prejudiced
against them by the Conservatives.
Explosion Starts Trouble.
The leader Of the Liberals was Dr.
Rodolfo Espinosa, the most popular
physician in Managua and formerly Ze-
laya's minister to Washington The
very day Of the arrival Of minister
Northcott a part Of the barracks near
the Nicaragua white house were blown
up. The Conservatives insisted that
this was a Liberal plot and proceeded
to arrest and send into exile DR.. Es-
pinOSa and a number CT other Liberals.
The Liberals. in turn insisted that the
explosion was due to an accident and
pointed to the fact that the soldiers
had a habit OF smoking around kegs
Of powder and other ammunition. After
the explosion occurred It was but nat
ura1 that the Conservatives should at
tempt to place the blame upon the
Liberals. since this would tend not only
to discredit the Liberal leaders at home
but to place them in bad odor with the
United States government The for
eign element has generally believed
that this explosion was an accident,
and that If the Liberals had deliberate
" plotted their own ruin they could
not have planned it better than by
such q course.
Second Explosion.
But the Conservatives had distin-
guished precedent for blaming 1t upon
the Liberals. Some years before the
quartet, or barracks, in the center OF
the city, blew up Nearly everybody
felt that it was an accident. knowing
how careless all Central American SOL,
diers are with gunpowder, but Ze1aya
insisted that it was the result of a de-
liberate plot. and had two leading Con-
servatives shot on the spot He Or
dered their bodies burned and refused
TO allow the priest to give them spirit
ual comfort before death or to gather
up their ashes afterward- Since the