Evening star., 1934-03-11
BY GASTON NERVAL.

i fusing. Newspaper CORE
spondents, in their quest for
sensationalism, referred in their Ca
bled dispatches to secret plots and
a mysterious implication" Of the
authorities. The circumstantial evil
dence helped them.
Here was man, well known IN the
United States because of his amazing
campaign of several years against
Uncle Sans Marines. picturesque,
colorful figure with an international
reputation, kidnapped in the capital
Of his own country-the country
which he defended from foreign in
vaders-"taken for ride and put on
the spot" in the best Chicago fashion.
And the attackers were members of
the National Guard the very organiza-
tion intruSted with the maintenance
of order and with the personal safety
of Sandino while in Managua. Fur
thermore, the event had taken place
soon after the former rebel leader had
concluded an interview with President
Sacasa, in which the future status
of the Sandinista group and reforms in
the National Guard had been dis
cuSSed.
OF course, the person familiar with
present conditions in Nicaragua inlme-
d!ately realized that there was only
fantasy and distortion behind the i'm
plication which such dispatches tried
to convey. And SO did, at that, any
one who knew, however remotely, the
kind of man that President Sacasa
is. His integrity and his loyalty are
tradition in Nicaraguan politics.
Whoever has the slightest acquaint-
ance with President Sacasa's public
life will readily admit that he is the
last person in all Nicaragua to be
suspected of the sort of thing implied
in those sensationalistic reports.
Facts Strengthened Out.
But for the benefit of those readers.
who, ignorant of the personalities in
volved or the background of the situa-
ton, might have been misled by such
reports, it may be well to review the
conditions leading to the dramatic end
of Sandino's career. This should suf-
flee. in itself, to dispel the "mys-
terry" of his assassination and help
to understand the climaxing events
of the past few days.
In 1927, after long and bitter civil
war in Nicaragua-in which the aid
given by the United States to the
Conservative de facto regime OF Dlaz
against the legitimist sector support
ing the overthrown Liberal Vice Presi-
dent, DR.. Sacasa. presently led to
open armed intervention in the small
Central American republic, with some
5000 United States Marines on the
scene-President Coolidge sent Col.
Stimson as his personal representative
to bring about the pacification OF
Nicaragua.
This, Col. Stimson achieved in the
Spring of that year, after the Liberals
had been clearly made to realize that
the United States would not counten-
ance the overthrow of the American
fostered Diaz government by violence.
At Tipitapa, on May 4, the two con-
tending factions signed a peace agree
ment the two main provisions of
which were the supervision Of presl-
Dental elections by the United States
and the establishment of constabu-
larry or National Guard. non-partisan
and trained and ofhcered by United
States Marines. which was to be the
only armed force in the republic.
These terms appeared detrimental
to the sovereignty of Nicaragua to one
Of the Liberal lieutenants, who refused
to abide by them. Although in the
succeeding elections, supervised by
the United States, the liberals gained
power, the rebel leader refused to fall
in line and took to the hills Of Nueva
Segovia. openly denouncing the new
order of things and declaring war
without quarter to the foreign Marines
who still remained on Nicaraguan soil.
Thus began the odyssey of Gen.
Augusta Cesar Sandino.
Marines Kept Busy.
Although without the support of
any organized political group, Sandino
and his followers kept the United
States Marines busy for the next four
years. With little intervals. he fought
a guerrilla warfare, aided by his un-
canny knowledge of the interior
mountains of Nicaragua, which. in
1923. brought again the number of
Marines to we'll over 5000. His per-
sonallty enhanced by legends Of
heroism. greatness and power which
found ready and sympathetic accept
ance in the popular imagination,
Sandino became continental figure.
Early last year. when his former
chief, Dr. Sacasa, was constitutionally
elected President and the United
States Marines definitely withdrawn,
Sandino carried out his pledge that he
would lay down his guns after the
last Marine had left Nicaraguan
soil. 1t is true that all the diplomatic
tact and the personal influence Of
President Sacasa, for whom he had
fought before. were employed to bring
the rebel leader to terms. 1t is also
true that the possibilities for con-
tinuation of his campaign had been
greatly curtailed just then by the
changed attitude of the Honduran
authorities. Even SO, however, San
dino's honorable surrender vindicated
his moral prestige in the eyes of
foreign observers who had been in
fluenced by the charges of bandit"
and outlaw" hurled at him by New
York tabloidS.
The surrender was not, however,
an absolute one. Sandino, always
suspicious of his former enemies-the
officers of the National Guard who.
after the departure of the American
Marines. were in complete control of
it-asked and was allowed to retain
100 armed men. With these men and
IS per cent of his arms, which he
agreed to return gradually in the
period Of one year, Sandino retired to
a northern region, ostensibly to de-
vote himself to agricultural labors.
This arrangement strengthened,
from the start. the already existing
rivalry between Sandino and the
National Guard, which had fought
against him side by side with the
Marines. Both the Sandinistas and
the officers of the guard pledged
their support to the government, but
they were, naturally, jealous Of each
other.
Increase in Jealousy.
The mast few Y,oonfhs Saw an in