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PC28.05.30B   linsert

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28.05.30b.   Linsert, Report on Banditry, Masaya

P C - D O C S :      P A T R O L   &   C O M B A T    R E P O R T S
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T  R  A  N  S  C  R  I  P  T  I  O  N

2nd Platoon, 77th Company, 5th Regiment Marines, Masaya, Nicaragua. 30 May 1928.

From:     The Commanding Officer
To:       The Commanding Officer, 5th Regiment, Managua.

Subject:  Report on banditry in Masaya section from 28 May 1928 to 30 May 1928, inclusive.

   1.    Between 2300 and 2315, 28 May 1928, I was called by a man who said he is an agent of the Guardia National and showed a card signed by Major Parker. This man said there were fifteen bad men in town and that they might make trouble. Immediately after he left the barracks a native came to report that a member of his family had been killed in Mornibo. I sent two Marines to Mornibo to arrest the murderer as I connected the murder with the report I had just received from the agent. The two Marines were gone about an hour, and returned and reported Mornibo quiet, and that they did not find either the murderer or the body of the dead man. After they had been in the barracks a few minutes, about 0030, I recieved a telephone call from the man who had said he was the same agent. He said the bad men about town whom he had spoken had killed a man in Mornibo and that the were robbing peoples homes on the road to Niquinohomo. I immediately put three squads under arms and left for this vicinty just before 0100, 29 May, 1928. We passed through Mornibo on the way and found all quiet with no lights or activity. On leaving the town of Masaya on the Niquinohomo road we ran into a party of police, about eight as I recall, and all except two said a party of bandits had taken their arms, and had gone down the same road toward Niquinohomo about two hours before. I took the two armed civil policemen with me as guards, and proceeded toward Niquinohomo. Found on the way, a finca that had been robbed of two horses and that a son of the family had been made to join the bandits whom the women said numbered about seventy. Picked up two members of the rural police of Masaya who could not give a good account of themselves. On later investigation I believe they wre a rear guard of the band put there purposely on the trail to report our passage. They were hurrying in the same direction as we were when picked up and said they had escaped from the bandits. These two men Juan and Ascension Espinosa were armed, one with a rifle (loaded) and the other with a cutacha. They are being sent to Managua to be confined.

   2.    At Niquinohomo we found much excitement, were told the bandits had robbed the police station of four rifles, and that the bandits had left town fourty minutes before. The road indicated to us we followed, but later found the bandits had turned off the road about four miles out of town. We finally picked up their trail and followed into a section known as Portillo, a section some ten miles wide and extending to about ten miles south to southwest of

[p. 2]

Niquinohomo. Heard much from fincas passed of robberies committed. The most reliable reports seemed to indicate they were two hours ahead of us. Finally lost the trail about ten miles south-southwest of Niquinohomo, where hoof prints indicated the band splitting. Since we started out to make contact outside the town of Masaya, we had no rations with us, and returned to Niquinohomo, arriving there at 0915, 29 May 1928. Found none of the Sandino family home. Called Managua for planes, and reported by phone to Granada and Masaya. Requested food from Masaya, which was sent to Niquinohomo in the auto of one Perez. Planes arrived from Managua, indicated direction of bandits to them. Left for Masaya by auto sergeant in charge with orders to return to Masaya by afternoon train, which he did with marines and five prisoners who had been picked up on suspicion. Learned in Niquinohomo that there had been much trouble in Masaya the night before and desired to find out about it immediately.

   3.    Upon arrival at Masaya started investigation of the affairs in the town. Deductions as follows: At about 1500, 28 May 1928, fifteen men, more or less, in charge of one Alberto Larios, arrived from Managua on the train, went to the house of Gen. Salvador Reyes, talked over how the affair in the evening was to be conducted, went about town town singly or by twos or threes, assembled on and off at the house of Enrique Tejerino, until about 1045, when by twos, the police stations were robbed of their rifles, homes previously indicated were entered and robbed, and within fifteen minutes to half an hour the entire band, swelled by that time to about thirty, assembled on the Masaya - Niquinohomo road just outside the town of Masaya and started for Santa Terese, and points to the south. They were led by Alberto Larios and Enrique Tejerino. They had 23 rifles and 35 rounds of ammunition stolen from the police stations of Masaya, where they met with no resistance on the part of the police, and four rifles taken from the police station at Niquinohomo, with 30 rounds of ammunition. One pistol was taken from the Inspector of Police Santo Flores.

   4.    Arrested Gens. Salvador Reyes, Joaquin Espana, and Luis Zelaya. Freed three of the prisoners returned from patrol on further investigation. The five are being sent to Commanding Office 5th Regiment, Managua, together with sketches of what they know and what is suspected by the undersigned.

   5.    At 2000, 29 May 1928, recieved call from Capt. Strong that 25 bandits were passing through Sabana Grande and would possibly pass through Masaya. Took patrol of twenty men to outskirts of Masaya, on Masaya-Managua road. At 2300, a party of five persons all men advanced down the road, one mounted and four walking. They were ordered to halt twice, and the point then fired, killed the mounted man. The other four fled immediately into the brush. Before expiring the man said he was Fernando Garcia. He died in a few seconds. He was armed with a loaded revolver, .30, and had an empty cartridge belt. His body was turned over to the civil police of Masaya for disposal. His horse was taken into custody, as was also the revolver. Patrol remained on duty until 0600, 30 May 1928, with nothing more to report. No marines were wounded.

[p. 3]

   6.    Sent out patrol of one corporal and ten privates this morning, 30 May 1928, with orders to stay out four days and cover the area south for about fifteen miles of Niquinohomo.

   7.    Statments taken from various persons are enclosed.


E. E. Linsert
1st Lt. USMC

--------------------------------------
Cy to CO, Granada
Cy File

127/113C/12

Summary & Notes:

   Interesting and convoluted episode of outlawry in Sandino's natal village of Niquinohomo in Masaya Department, far to the south of Las Segovias.  Looks to be some kind of political dispute among factions of the elite, hard to tell without the reports referenced by Lt. Linsert toward the end of the report.

   In paragraph 5, at one hour before midnight on the Managua-Masaya Road, the patrol commander shoots and kills a native man riding a horse, who's accompanied by four other men walking beside him, because the group doesn't halt when ordered to.  Seems a rather excessive use of force.
   Report illustrates continuing political turmoil in zones far outside Las Segovias in the wake of the 1926-27 Civil War, formally ended a little over a year earlier.
   Thanks to Lebanon Valley College student Ian Rex for transcribing this document.

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