Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14

work. flashing red in the semi-darkness of the
tropical forest
Capt Paroles, sandino's aide de camp, has
told of that cry of the wounded, Shoot me,
but macheteS, mol"
Shoot? Ammunition is scarce and must be
preserved. Machetes, knives, daggers must take
their place whenever possible Often, when
there was dynamite hand after a raid on
some mine, the men used homemade grenades
leather sacks filled with explosives nails, slugs
bolts, empty shells, anything that would in
fict damage and stampede the mules of the
enemy.
In a jungle campaign OF this sort, where the
SANDING forces assemble, attack in wilderness
and melt away after the battle it is particularly
difficult to secure accurate facts about the
fighting.
Naturally enough Sandino's accounts Of his
battles are widely at variance with accounts OF
the same battles compiled by the United
States Marine Corps and the American Gov
eminent.
SANDING has at times for instance, given out
optimistic estimates of the United States forces
which he has defled, as being anywhere from
rs, 900 to as many as 10000.
RUT as the entire United States Marine Corps
- has had strength of only about 10000
during the years since the war; it is evident
that Sandinos enthusiasm may have carried
To contrast the accounts of some Of the
principal battles in Nicaragua as given by
SANDING and the official reports of the same
battles as compiled by Marine officers, however,
is interesting.
For instance, SANDING described to me as
follows the fight at Ocotal:
He attacked Ocotal at the head Of so men on
May 16, 1927 Several hundred peasants of
the neighborhood sacked the Diaz-Moncada
partisans' shops while SANDING and his men
kept blazing away with their eight machine
guns at the garrison of Ocotal composed of
about 200 or 300 Marines and a handful of
Nicaraguan gendarmes, who had been pressed
into service.
SANDING said: 1.-The enemy finally intrenched
themselves in a city block where we kept them
surrounded and peppered them literally with
our machine guns from the neighboring heights.
We could have dynamited the provisory bar
racks of the Americans and the whole town
if We had wanted to. But we desisted because
we did not want to hurt the town people who
were not responsible
During the IS hours which the fight lasted
the Americans did not try single sortie. They
continued firing until dawn, wasting lots of
good ammunition. After sunrise their fire re-
Tented considerably, probably because they were
running short of ammunition. That must have
been also the reason why they did not try a
sortie that morning
lat 10 am two American airplanes arrived
They bombed and machine gunned mercilessly
the surrounding houses and city blocks, caus-
ing many casualties among the defenseless civil
population"
Sandino's losses according TO Capt. de
Paroles, amounted TO seven men-three dead
(among these Col Rufo Marin) and four
wounded. Two of Sandino's men who got
drunk and fell into the hands of the enemy we're
exchanged afterward for two American Marines
whom the Sandinistas captured near Achoapa.
CONTRAST the above with Marine accoints.
The Marines report that the garrison at
Ocotal consisted of 20 Marines and 48 Guardia,
and that no American Marines were ever ex-
changed for bandits. Sandino's force was
given by the Marines as 800.
In the campaign against 81 Chipote again
there is great disparity between Sandino's ac-
count and that of the Marines. Capt. De
Paroles describes the engagement as follows:
AN American column, proceeding from
Telpaneca reached the outskirts of Quilali
SANDING ,Edered his lieutenant, Francisco
Estrada, -. smbush his forces at Las Trim
cheraS On -SzcerahaY x the Americans fell