Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-08-07
In the Land Where Cannon Died
By Frederic J. Haskin

At Masaya Major Butler walked
the streets unaccompanied. A revo-
lutionist ran out and wildly brand
ished a revolver in front of him. Ma
Jor Butler took it away from him,
broke it, threw out the cartridges
and gave it back to him, telling him
to behave himself. The revolutionists
approached an encampment of ma
rines and asked them to move to an
other point, as the town was to be
attacked from this side
go ahead" said the American
officer. Just fire over our heads. We
will be asleep"
The attack was not made.
1t was a Cayotope Hill that the
most desperate fghting occurred ana
at which point half dozen Amer
leans lost their lives. This was
fortress held by the revolutiontsts
and of which the government troops
said there was no chance of capture,
for, they said, 1t had never been
taken. Yet at daybreak one morning
a ring of marines and sailors crept
the very guns of the enemy when dis
covered. They charged the breast
works, stormed them Iand turned their
guns on the fleeing revolutionists.
The trains were run into Managua
and Granada. There the marine Off
GERS called upon the revolutionists
and told them that they might sub
init peacefully or all be killed, as the
whole United States government was
back of the expedition. The reports
of the deadliness of the machine
guns and the accuracy with which
these young men shot had preceded
them. The revolutionists in their
strongholds submitted without a
fight.
A Legation Guard
Americans were no more popular
here than elsewhere in Latin America.
The government of Nicaragua, how
ever, saw great light. 1t had fought
to come into being and had been
steadily fighting to maintain itself.
Might not an acquiescence to-" the
presence of the troops from the
great nation TO the north aid 1t in
remaining in power. Juan Estrada
and Adolfo Diaz believed 1t would.
They welcomed the Americans, and
invited the government to station a
permanent force at the capital, Mana
qua. 1t could be called a legation
guard. Had not Peking such guard ?
! Why should not Managua?
All this happened nearly three years
ago. To-day the legation guard
amounts to but 100 men. 1t is un-
der the command of Captain Pres
ley M. Rixey, nephew of DR.. Rixey,
who was President McKinley's ply
! the cruiser Annapolis, with $50 ad-
ditional marines aboard. Not for
midable force to guide the destines of
a nation of half a million people.
But Nicaragua has come to under
stand the American guard. 1t credits
the United States with being In no
way a menace. 1t accepts the action
| of this government in Cuba as es-
I tablishing a precedent. 1t believes. at
| least outwardly, that the United States
| desires only to serve Nicaragua. 1t
may be that Adolfo Diaz and his as
sociates merely accept the American
protectorate as a condition offering
less danger than would its absence.
At any rate the marines have been
taken to the bosom of Nicaragua.
! They are given most comfortable
quarters. They participate in all cere-
monies. They are asked, by the gov
ernment, to advise 1t as to the crea-
ton of a native guard. They have
done much toward developing an eff
cient organization of this sort and
toward it's training. They are leaned
upon by the president himself. They
are not merely a hundred first class
fighting men. They are the United
! States and there is unlimited force
back of them.
The United States is wondering II
it's accomplishment in Nicaragua will
cause other such nations to follow
the example of that government. That
nation is being transformed by the
influence of peace. as have been Cuba
and Porto Rico. 1t is reaping such
blessings as it has never known be-
fore. 1t has secured practically un-
! limited credit in the United States
| Its customs houses are administered
by it's chief creditors, who thus pays
himself and turns in handsome sums
for the operation of the government
Never before has an arrangement SO
satisfactory been found.