Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1921-05-13

ly, in view of the lack of information
concerning the numerical force Of the
enemy consequently he had reduced
the arsenal force to 100 men and re-
tanned only his favorite troops Of the
guards and one company of the FIR
teenth infantry to protect the palace
Acting under hastily given tele-
phonic orders, the commanding oli-
GER at the cantOnment barracks had
detailed few hundred men to fight "A
rear-guard action while the main army
fell back in good order behind rail
way embankment which swept in a
wide are around the city and offered
an excellent substitute for breast
works. This position had scarcely
been attained before the furious adj
vance of the rebels drove in the rear
guard, and pending the capture of the
arsenal, Ricardo realized his opera
lions were at an impasse. Promptly
he dug himself in, and the battle de-
veloped into a brisk affair of give and
take, involving meager losses to both
factions, but an appalling wastage of
ammunition.
The arsenal, a large, modern con-
crete building with tremendously
thick walls reinforced by steel, would
have offered fairly good resistance to
the average field battery. Surround
ing it on all four sides was a rein
forced concrete wall 30 feet high,
with machine gun bastions at each
corner and a platform along the wall,
inside and % feet from the ground,
which could use the top five feet of
the wall for protection while firing
over it, There was but one entrance,
a heavy, barred steel gate which was
always kept locked when it was not
necessary to have it opened for in
gress or egreSs. Given warning of an
attack and with sufficient time to pre-
pare for it, 100 of the right sort of
fighting men could withstand an in
definite siege by force not prOvid-
ed with artillery heavier than an or
binary field gun. With full realiza-
ton Of this, therefore, Ricardo and
his confreres had designed to accom-
plish by strategy that which could not
be done by the limited forces at their
command.
AS the column approached the
neighbOrhOOd of the arsenal, three de-
tachments broke away from the main
body and disappeared down side
streets, to turn at right angles later
and march parallel with the main
command. Each of these detachments
was accompanied by one unit of the
motorcycle mounted machine gun bat
terry with its white crew; two blocks
beyond the arsenal square each de-
tachment leader so disposed his men
as to offer spirited resistance to any
sOrtie that might be made by the
troops from the palace In the hope Of
driving off the attackers of the ar
senal
Having thus provided for protection
during it's operations, the main body
nominally under DR.. PaCheco but in
reality commanded by the chief of the
machine gun company, proceeded TO
operate. With the utmost assurance
in the world the armored truck rolled
down the street to the arsenal en-
trance, swung in and pointed its I'm
pudent nose straight at the iron bars
while the hidden chauffeur called
loudly and profanely in Spanish upon
the sentry to open the gate and let
him in-that there was necessity for
great hurry, since he had been sent
down from the palace by the preSi-
dente himself, for machine guns to
equip this armOred mOtOrcar. The SEN
try Immediately called the officer of
the guard, who peered out, observed
nothing but the mOtOrtruck, which
seemed far from dangerous, and with
out further ado inserted huge key
in the lock and turned the bolt. The
sentry swung the double gates ajar,
and with a prolonged and raucOus toot
of it's horn the big car lOafed in. The
sentry closed the gate again, while the
officer stepped up to turn the key in
the lock. Instead, he died with half
a dozen pistol bullets through his body,
and the sentry sprawled beside him.
The prolonged tOOt of the motor
horn had been the signal agreed upon
to apprise the detachment waiting in
secluded back street that the truck |
was inside the arsenal wall. With |
yell they swept out of the side street |
and down on the gate, through which |
they poured into the arsenal grounds. |
At sound of the first shot at the gate |
tine cOmmandante of the garrison |
which had been drawn up In
double rank for reveile roll call,
realized he was attacked, and that |
swift measures were necessary. Fortu-
nately for him, his men were standing |
at attention at the time, preparatory |
to receiving from him one of those |
eXhOrtatiOns so dear to the !
Latin soul