The sun., 1919-11-03
BANDITS LOSE GRIP
ON SANTO DOMINGO
:, Largest Group of Rowing Ma
IN RAIDERS Broken Up by
i3nns
~ b U. s. Marines.
NOW SAFE TO TRAVEL
ELEVEN of the Twelve Prov
ID, inces Have Been Cleared
of Menace.

! =, Charles II. Noxon. Jr,. former First
!, lieutenant of the Guardia Nacional
4 pominicana, writing to THE Sun, says
the bandit situation in Santo Domingo
---is-not as serious as reported. Accord
ing to Mr.. Noxon unreliable reports
have been current in the newspapers as
ward
"Just what the United States has
been doing In Santo Domingo the aver
Z age American knows little" he says,
'tecause Of the rigid Government CEN
I s6fship during the world war. Reports
( OF marines being killed by bandits man
Z aged to reach newspapers in the United
States months after the engagements
had occurred.
4 srhe Dominican bandit is indeed a
\ reality, but the situation is not SO pad
I as some would have US believe. In the
republic is stationed a brigade OF U. s.
7 Marines, numbering some 5000 men.
who are maintaining order among 700,-
! 600 natives. The Intervention in 1915 by
J the United States with the landing OF
tho marines tended naturally to drive
the lawlees elements to the hills, ana
for year thereafter the marines expe-
: r4enced plenty Of excitement in the proc
ess of annihilating these foes of the re-
publics progress.
! 1.-THE day of open banditry in all parts
Of the republic has passed. Now. after
(, three years of pursuit and capture.
! eleven Of the twelve provinces have
been thoroughly cleared of bandits; that
ia Of the organized bands of outlaws
! Who made it unsafe to travel from town
1 to town. The Province of Seybo alone
has the distinction, II you will, OF pos
sessing rowing bands under their -1efes
or. chieftains.
There are three large groups. each
numbering about sixty men. under the
main leadership of Ramon Natera. who
was the right hand man Of Vincentico
until the death of the latter at the hands
OF the Marines. vincentico undoubtedly
caused more trouble than any other ban
ait chief. Ranking with Natera is Mar
tin Ffguero: Felix Chiquito, the leader
of the third group. having been killed In
March. 1919. The two former with some
200 followers are all that remain and
these have been driven away down into
the Province OF Seybo, the extreme east
erfi end of the Island, by the Marines
and the native soldiery. There they are
at present causing some trouble ana
make the mountains passes unsafe for
the solitary traveller. But now 1t is
simply a process of elimination"
One month before Mr.. Noxon left for
the States, July, 1919. to be exact, an
attempt was made by disgrurtled ele-
msnts to rise in the northern part of
the country and join with the southern
chiefs in a general bandit movement.
The rapidity and despatch with which
the Marines nipped the suspected bud
only shows how we'll they have the sit
-uation in hand.
At that time eleven of the twelve
Provinces were safe for the traveller,
where once only armed forced dared
venture. Practically all unauthorized
firearms have been collected by the au-
thorities. When the Americans landed
in 1916 every man. even the small boy
OF the street. had his, revolver OF dag
ger. No man was safe from the assas-
sin. To-day thefe is peace and order.
the bandit Is fast disappearing as an no
stitution and progress Is the watchword.