24 October 1928.

Memorandum relative to the murder of Dr. Juan Carlos Mendieta and members of his party in San Marcos, Department of Jinotega, on the night of Oct. 1st - 2nd, 1928.
 
1. SOURCES.
 
Among the persons examined in connection with the above incident and upon whose statements the following account is based were:
 
Rigoberto Reyes. Jefe Politico, Department of Jinotega; generally informed as to the events leading up to the tragedy, as to the reports received at the time from eye witnesses of various phases and as to the subsequent happenings.
 
Dr. Adan Medina C. Liberal Political Member of the Departmental Board of Elections; familiar with the circumstances leading up to the visit to San Marcos of Dr. Mendieta's party; was one of the party that went to San Marcos on Oct. 2nd to recover the bodies and accompanied some back to Jinotega; viewed the scene of the killings and talked with the owner of the house where the murders were committed, and with members of the owner's family who were present.
 
Dr. Trinidad Castellon. Brother of Mr. Cayetano Castellon, one of the victims; was to have accompanied Dr. Mendieta to San Marcos but at the last moment was prevented and his place was taken by his brother who was killed.
 
Gustavo Noguera. Liberal Candidate for Deputy of Jinotega District; one of those actively concerned in the events which lead to Dr. Mendieta's visit to San Marcos.
 
Juan F. Lopez. One of two surviving members of Dr. Mendieta's party. / p. 2 / Escaped from the bandits on the night of Oct. 1st - 2nd, after being badly wounded and was recaptured by them the following morning, while attempting to reach Jinotega; was taken before Pedro Altamirano, the bandit leader, but again escaped and is now recovering in Jinotega; was able to make a full statement of the events.
 
Pedro Lopez. Brother of Juan Lopez; started out with a party that went to San Marcos on Oct. 2nd to get bodies and wounded; separated from party near Saraguasca in order to try and locate his brother, Juan Lopez.
 
Jose Santos Rivera. Substitute Deputy for San Rafael, Department of Jinotega; was active in making the arrangements which lead to Dr. Mendieta's visit to San Marcos, and was on his way to join Dr. Mendieta at San Marcos when he was stopped by news of the presence of bandits in that town; his half-brother, David Rizo, who accompanied him when he started for San Marcos, was captured by the bandits near Luni but was later allowed by them to leave and thus escaped.
 
Gilberto Morales Centeno. A member of the Department Campaign Committee of the Liberal Party for Jinotega and Secretary of the Central Propaganda Committee for that Dept.; was intimately concerned in the circumstances which lead to Dr. Mendieta's visit and in the arrangements for that visit; custodian of various telegrams, letters, etc., relating to the visit.
 
Felipe Benito Gutierrez. Father of Carlos Gutierrez, one of Dr. Mendieta's party. Carlos Gutierrez was desperately wounded, escaping from bandits in that condition on the night of Oct. 1 - 2nd; was found next morning and taken to Jinotega, where is now slowly recovering; was not well enough to make a statement.
 
Jesus Picado and Lazaro Zamora. Two countrymen captured by Altamirano on the afternoon of October 4th, forced to act as burden bearers for the bandits' loot until Oct. 6th, when they succeeded in escaping.
 
Major Christian. Chairman of the Department Board of Jinotega; familiar with the happenings as known at Jinotega and a member of a party that went part of the way to San Marcos, on Oct. 3rd, to meet the bodies of the San Marcos victims, then being transported to Jinotega. / p. 3 /
 
Captain Shaw. Marine Commander at Jinotega.
 
Lieut. Wells, Guardia Nacional. Accompanied the party that went from Jinotega to San Marcos on the morning of Oct. 2nd, secured the bodies of the victims and brought them back to Jinotega.
 
Various other persons less intimately connected with the events were also questioned as to the details of the events. The names of some of these and the events with which they are familiar are noted in paragraph 3 of this Memo.
 
 
2. OUTLINE OF THE FACTS.
 
On or about September 23, 1928, Dr. Juan Mendieta, a prominent lawyer of Managua and former Liberal Republican, who in the present campaign had come out as a supporter of General Moncada and the other Nationalist Liberal Party's candidates, arrived in Jinotega as the personal representative of General Moncada, to assist in the conduct of the electoral campaign in the Departments of Jinotega and Esteli. Dr. Mendieta was accompanied by Mr. Julio Prado, his secretary and interpreter. Upon his arrival in Jinotega, he was introduced to the principal Liberals of Jinotega and immediately began actively devoting himself to promoting the organization of the propaganda service of his party. It was Dr. Mendieta's original intention to remain a short time in Jinotega, then go to Esteli and later return to Jinotega, prior to the election; these plans were changed, however, partly as a result of the killing, on Sept. 26th, of certain prominent Liberals at Tamalaque. Shortly after Dr. Mendieta's arrival he wrote letters to the representative Liberals in the various cities and towns of Jinotega, announcing his arrival and indicating the purpose of his visit. There resulted from these letters, invitations to visit various of the cities and towns in question, among them San Rafael del Norte. About this time or shortly previously, the Liberal electoral authorities in Jinotega had considered the advisability of sending a representative to the town of San Marcos, about 10 or 12 miles west and slightly north of Jinotega. San Marcos was a small and unimportant place but was exceptional among the towns in the Department of Jinotega in being reputed strongly Conservative in its political sympathies. It had no garrison of marines or guardia nacional and was not the site of any electoral mesa. / p. 4 /
 
Dr. Mendieta appears to have become interested in the possibility of a visit to San marcos and to have planned visiting that place himself, by making a slight circuit in the course of an intended trip to San Rafael del Norte. There was considerable correspondence, partly by mail and partly by telegraph, between Dr. Mendieta and Mr. Gilberto Morales Centeno at Jinotega on the one hand, and Mr. Santos Rivera at San Rafael del Norte, on the other hand, with references to the plans for Dr. Mendieta's visit to San Marcos and San Rafael.
 
Mr. Morales and other prominent Liberals at Jinotega City opposed the idea of Dr. Mendieta going to San Marcos, believing it involved risks not justified by the possible advantages of the trip. Mr. Morales states that he went so far as to inform Dr. Mendieta that it would be impracticable to obtain animals for the trip, and on Sunday, Sept. 30th, a telegram was sent by Mr. Morales to Mr. Rivera at San Rafael indicating that circumstances would prevent the carrying out of so much of the plan as involved Dr. Mendieta's visit to San Marcos. Dr. Mendieta himself, however, appears to have been anxious to make the trip and to have corresponded directly with Mr. Rivera to that end. No complete record of these interchanges has yet been found.
 
It had been the intention of Mr. Rivera that a party of Liberals from San Rafael should be present at San Marcos to meet Dr. Mendieta on his arrival and to participate in a campaign meeting to be held in San Marcos, and preliminary arrangements to that effect had been started when Mr. Rivera received late on Sunday, Sept. 30th, Mr. Morales' message, stating that the trip to San Marcos had been abandoned. Mr. Rivera immediately telegraphed Dr. Mendieta, indicating that giving up the trip would result in a disappointment to those who had planned being present and urging reconsideration of the decision.
 
Sometime on the morning of Oct. 1st, Dr. Mendieta personally replied to that message stating that he would come, accompanied by some friends and would be present for a meeting in San Marcos that evening.
 
Upon receipt of Dr. Mendieta's message, Mr. Rivera and a small group including his half-brother, David Rizo, started out from San Rafael del Norte for San Marcos on the afternoon of Oct. 1st. / p. 5 /
 
In the meantime, Dr. Mendieta, accompanied by his secretary, Julio Prado, Mr. Cayetano Castellon, Mr. Juan F. Lopez and Carlos Gutierrez, started out from Jinotega about one p.m. to proceed, mounted, to San Marcos. Upon learning of Dr. Mendieta's decision to make this trip, Mr. Morales again endeavored to dissuade him and urged that in case that he, Dr. Mendieta, insisted on going he at least request from the C.O. at Jinotega a guard to accompany him. Dr. Mendieta, however, declined guard as unnecessary and undesirable and left shortly afterwards for San Marcos, unaccompanied by any guard.
 
The part arrived at San Marcos without special incident late that afternoon and went to the house of Mr. Doroteo Lanzas, where they put up for the night. Promptly upon their arrival, Dr. Mendieta sent a messenger to San Rafael with a note advising Rivera of his arrival and, presumably, outlining some plan for a meeting in San Marcos.
 
Meantime a group of about 40 bandits under Pedro Altamirano had, on the morning of Oct. 1st, moved rapidly on foot from the vicinity of Mancotal via Mojon and San Gabriel towards San Marcos. By about three or four o'clock that afternoon the bandits had arrived within a few miles of San Marcos and soon afterward had pickets along the road from San Rafael to San Marcos and, probably, also along the road from Jinotega to San Marcos.
 
Dr. Mendieta's messenger from San Marcos to San Rafael was captured by one of these pickets and the contents of his letter therefore became known to the bandits. It is probable that Altamirano had previously received from other sources information relative to the plans of Dr. Mendieta and his party.
 
After supper at Mr. Lanzas' house, a number of people came in to see Dr. Mendieta and his party, and there was something in the nature of an informal meeting accompanied by music. As the evening wore on, however, and the expected participants from San Rafael failed to appear, the local visitors departed, and, about eleven p.m. or shortly thereafter, Dr. Mendieta and his party decided that the group from San Rafael had been delayed, and would not come before the following day. They then proceeded to retire for the night, apparently without any apprehension of the presence of bandits in the vicinity. / p. 5 /
 
Mr. Juan Lopez, who was the last of the party to retire, had just lain down in his hammock, swung in the entrance hallway to the house, and the lights were still on, when the noise was heard of some party approaching in the street. The owner of the house appears to have gone to the door, which was open, and announced that he thought it must be the party from San Rafael finally coming in. Just at this moment the on-coming group reached the house and rushed in. Lopez states that his first knowledge of their entrance came when two men on each side seized him by his arms, began to beat him with the flat sides and backs of their machetes and throw him out the front door. Practically simultaneously other bandits rushed past him and into the room where the remainder of the party had retired and a moment later he saw Dr. Mendieta, Mr. Castellon, Mr. Prado, and Mr. Gutierrez, successively dragged or thrown out the front door, each surrounded by a group of several men striking them with machetes.
 
Lopez received two or three wounds about this time, one a severe machete cut across his back and neck. He states that he fell or was thrown to the ground and that his captors desisted a moment from their attack in order to rifle his pockets. Meantime he heard Dr. Mendieta pleading for his life and heard the plea answered by curses, a heavy blow, and Dr. Mendieta fell at his, Lopez's, feet apparently dying and was further set upon and hacked up. A somewhat similar course appears to have been followed by the bandits with the other three members of the party, who were taken a little farther from the steps than was Dr. Mendieta, before being killed. Mr. Prado appears to have broken away once from the bandits who were attacking him and started to run. In the momentary diversion which this created, Lopez sprang from the ground and ran toward a neighboring corn field. A number of shots were fired at him but he succeeded in reaching cover and escaped.
 
Mr. Prado was shot as he started to run, fell and was killed. Mr. Castellon was also killed. Gutierrez in some unexplained way succeeded in escaping into a neighboring corn field or thicket after he had been shot several times and had been hacked with machetes.
 
Upon reaching cover Lopez lay down and watched the bandits, after finishing up the three remaining members of the party, leave the bodies where they lay and go over to a neighboring store kept by a so-called "Turk". After staying there some time the bandits, according to Lopez, returned to the bodies and / p. 7 / struck matches, apparently to assure themselves that the victims were dead. Lopez states that he heard exclamations to the effect that some one of the party was still alive and heard the renewed hacking of the bandits' machetes.
 
Before daylight the bandits withdrew and Lopez did not see them again until he was recaptured. After daylight Lopez was found by some local inhabitant, who endeavored to help him to escape and ultimately got him an animal to ride back to Jinotega. Upon reaching a locality known as Saraguasca, about half-way to Jinotega, Lopez rode up to a house on the side of the road. He was immediately set upon by several armed bandits who rushed out of the house and seized him. He states that the bandits were about to finish him off, when an old woman, apparently the owner of the house, said that she knew him and told the men not to kill him. He was then pulled into the house and into a room where he was kept under guard, while one of the bandits went off to report his capture to the leader. Shortly thereafter, this messenger returned with orders from Altamirano that Lopez should be brought over to him. Lopez protested his inability to go but was given the choice of going or being killed where he was, so he went with his captors. He states that upon approaching a thicket a man stepped out from the bushes whom he recognized to be Pedro Altamirano. Altamirano greeting him with the words, "Hello, Johnnie, you gave us the slip last night but you have fallen into our hands again." Lopez states that he then attempted to persuade the bandit leader that he, Lopez, had gone to San Marcos on business matters and not as a member of the political party, to which Altamirano replied: "Don't try to fool me, I had the list of those of you who were to go to San Marcos day before yesterday (Sept. 30th) before I left Mancotal and you were on the list." Lopez supposes that he would have been killed but just at this moment the noise of an airplane was heard, and the bandits, who are extremely afraid of being bombed, all jumped back under cover of the bushes. Taking advantage of this, Lopez took to his heels and escaped. Subsequently he succeeded in getting to Jinotega where he received medical attention.
 
Meanwhile the Altamirano band had captured certain other persons whom they knew, or suspected, to be Liberals and one man named Lucas Osegueda, who was accused of being a former Conservative that had been in contact with Dr. Mendieta's party and was suspected of luke-warmness in his loyalty to his former party. It is also said that this man had incurred the personal enmity of two members of Altamirano's band -- two brothers named / p. 8 / Lumbi -- as a result of having reported the Lumbi brothers for stealing his cattle. Osegueda was assassinated by the bandits, apparently some hours after Dr. Mendieta had been killed, and his body was left on the roadside.
 
Certain others of those who fell into the bandits' hands were not killed, but merely robbed, advised of what happened to Dr. Mendieta's party and directed to spread the news that a similar fate awaited the other leaders of the Liberal party; at least one of these captives was taken down and shown the bodies, so as to further impress the example upon him.
 
Altamirano had placed outposts on the San Rafael and San Marcos road, with the evident intention of capturing the group expected from San Rafael and had apparently also laid an ambuscade with a view of attacking any patrol that might come out from San Rafael towards San Marcos.
 
Early in the evening, Santos Rivera's party which had dwindled to three or four individuals was approaching San Marcos. Two of the group, including Santos Rivera's half-brother, David Rizo, were intoxicated and were ahead on the road, where they ran into a bandit outpost, near Luni, were captured, robbed, and apparently narrowly escaped execution. They were, however, ultimately allowed to get away with a warning. Santos Rivera himself, who was shortly behind these two, stopped at a house on the roadside to inquire whether his companions had passed, learned that the bandits were ahead and did not go farther on. He was later joined by the two men who had been captured by the bandits and by another who had learned of the happenings in San Marcos.
 
Early on the morning of Oct. 2nd, news of the San Marcos happenings reached both San Rafael and Jinotega, word having been taken by persons who had been captured by the bandits and escaped, and by messengers sent by Rivera. A party was then organized to go to San Marcos and get the bodies and finally left Jinotega about 10 a.m. It consisted of a group of interested civilians, including the relatives of some of those in Dr. Mendieta's party, the Liberal Political Member of the Department Election Board and a guard of marines and guardia nacional, commanded by Lieut. Wells of the guardia nacional, accompanied the party, which reached San Marcos on the afternoon of Oct. 2nd and found the bodies horribly mutilated. Certain members of the party had reason to believe that they had passed within the immediate vicinity of the bandits while on the road, and that they were in serious danger of further attack, either in San Marcos or on the return trip. As the return trip to Jinotega / p. 9 / could not be made before dark, it was thought best to remain in San Marcos until the morning of Oct. 3rd, when the bodies and one of the wounded survivors, Gutierrez, were taken to Jinotega. Juan Lopez had meanwhile reached that city.
 
In addition to being hacked and shot up in an apparently wanton manner, the bodies of the San Marcos victims had been subjected to mutilation and presented unmistakable evidence of a crime of exceptional cruelty and brutality.
 
No definite information has yet been secured as to the sources from which Altamirano received his advance information of Dr. Mendieta's plans. The Liberals were in fact somewhat uncertain as to the details of departure and route, and as to the individuals who would compose the party, until nearly noon of Oct. 1st; but a conference had been held in Jinotega on Friday, Sept. 28th, at which Dr. Mendieta's trip to San Marcos had been tentatively arranged for Oct. 1st, and the contemplated general composition of the party had been known, in the meantime, by various persons, including the families and friends of those who expected to go. The subsequent changes, back and forth, as to the details of the trip, and the substitution of Cayetano Castellon for his brother, need not therefore have prevented Altamirano from having advance information of the kind that he indicated in his conversation of Oct. 2nd with Juan Lopez.
 
The presence of Altamirano and a subordinate leader, Sebastian Centeno, and of various other individuals of the band, was definitely established by recognition on the part of persons who had known these individuals for years.
 
Among others, the aged father of Carlos Gutierrez, the desperately wounded man, was captured by Altamirano on the morning of Oct. 2nd, while Mr. Gutierrez Sr. was enroute to San Marcos to endeavor to ascertain what had been the fate of his son. Altamirano and Gutierrez had a conversation of some length in the course of which Altamirano referred to the fact that he younger Gutierrez had been one of his victims and mentioned the political purpose of the killings. Gutierrez Sr., who had known Altamirano for many years, was not injured by the bandits.
 
The inhabitants of San Marcos appear to have been either unaware of what was taking place on the night of Oct. 1-2 or else were too frightened to interfere in any way or even to help the wounded or touch the bodies of the dead until the following day when it was ascertained that the bandits had left. Mr. Juan Lopez states that he saw no sign of any of the inhabitants during / p. 10 / the killings or four hours thereafter -- with the exception of the residents of Mr. Lanza's house whom he remembers seeing huddled back in the semi-darkness of the rear of the house as he himself was first set upon. Mr. Lanza states that as the bandits rushed in he was cautioned by them "stand back, old man" and that, after the murders were effected, he was taken out, shown the bodies and told that this was an example of what would happen to Liberal leaders. He was then ordered to turn over the pistols supposed to have been in possession of Mendieta's party. He declared he knew of no arms and, after threats, followed by a search of the house, he and his family were finally left uninjured. The house was ransacked by the bandits. Altamirano took advantage of conversations with various of those he captured to declare the political character of this brutal crime, to state that it was planned in advance, based on information he had obtained as to Dr. Mendieta's plans, was intended as an example of what the Liberals, especially the leaders and propagandists, would have meted out to them and that these killings were only "a beginning" of what was to follow. He cautioned his captives to heed the example and spread the warning and announced that he would return about Oct. 24th and take vengeance on those whom he then found to have disregarded his orders to stay clear of affiliations with the "pro-Yankee followers of Moncada" ("Yankistas Moncadistas"). Altamirano further stated that he was acting under instructions from Sandino. The raid followed a route through the northern, central, and southwestern parts of the Department of Jinotega. Altamirano's presence was definitely known to the Marine Commander in Jinotega when the bandits reached Mancotal on Sept. 30; and the bandits passed back to the northeast about a week later, disappearing in the ungarrisoned region northeast of the City of Jinotega and near the Jinotega-Matagalpa boundary. During the raid various other murders of a wanton and brutal character were committed and many people were captured, robbed, forced to act as guides or burden bearers or otherwise mistreated.
 
 
3. OTHER DETAILS.
 
There was lack of exact information in Jinotega as to where Altamirano originally started on his raid and as to his route prior to reaching central Jinotega. One account, entitled to some credence, indicates that he started from the region east of Quilali in Nueva Segovia, passed eastward to the Coco River, crossed the latter and moved southward and slightly westward to the vicinity of Tumayunca. Outrages attributed to his band were / p. 11 / reported along the route, Guapinol - Los Cedros - Embocadero - Mancotal, during the period about Sept. 29-30, 1928. About the night of Sept. 29, a band of armed men (believed to be Altamirano's command) passed near Embocadero, moving westward. That fact has been confirmed by the personal evidence of a responsible foreigner (Mr. Donkers of Gulke & Co., Jinotega), who was at Embocadero when the band passed; and Altamirano's presence near Mancotal on Sept. 20 appears definitely established through the testimony of three men (Anastasio Hernandez, Canuto Rizo, and Tiburcio Mendoza -- all known to the Jefe Politico of Jinotega) who were captured and required to act as guides or cargadores. From this point on, Altamirano's route is quite definitely established until after he crossed the Tuma River near Coyolar on his way back to the northeast. He was reported for a few days later as at successive points in or near the Pena Blanca region and then seems to have been lost track of. The following are some of the identifications of his band, or parts thereof, that are believed to be correct:
 
Oct. 1. -- About 8 a.m. a band of approximately 40 armed men passed through El Mojon, general direction of march San Gabriel. (Source -- Maclovio Siles, Apanas, near Jinotega City, who accompanied a patrol of nine marines and five civilians via Sisle and El Mojon to Santa Fe and return to Jinotega, Sept. 30-Oct. 2nd. No contact).
 
About 11 a.m. Altamirano and band were at San Gabriel. (Source -- Apolinar Zelaya of San Gabriel, who made a statement to the Jefe Politico, Jinotega. Zelaya apparently did not see the bandits but was warned by two of his men of their coming and fled to hills. A messenger is reported to have taken word immediately to the Marine C.O at San Rafael and a patrol was sent from San Rafael to San Gabriel the same day. No contact).
 
About 3 or 4 p.m. Altamirano and his band arrived near the Zuni-Saraguasca area and watched San Marcos roads leading thereto until night. (Source -- Altamirano himself told Juan Lopez on Oct. 2nd that he had seen Dr. Mendieta and party as they approached San Marcos in the afternoon. Jose Santos Rivera of San Rafael del Norte knows that the road San Rafael del Norte -- San Marcos was in the bandits' control on the evening of Oct. 1st and further information is obtainable from his half-brother, David Rizo, and from Manuel Rizo of same party). / p. 12 /
 
About 11 p.m. or midnight Altamirano and his band killed Dr. Mendieta and party in San Marcos. (Sources -- See para. 1 and 2 this Memo.).
 
Oct. 2nd. -- About, or a little before, dawn Altamirano and his band moved to a rather indefinitely defined area known as Saraguasca (toward Jinotega from S. Marcos). Bandits were in this locality long after daylight. It is not known just when they left there but it is probably that some of them remained in vicinity until at least night of Oct. 2nd. (Sources -- Felipe Benicio Gutierrez, Pedro Lopez, Carmen Siles, Lt. Wells, G.N., Major Christian and others. See, also Pars. 1 and 2, this Memo.).
 
Oct. 3rd. -- Bandits were at Yagualica and in the vicinity of the Jinotega-Matagalpa road. (Sources -- Man known to Jefe Politico who brought word from Yagualica on p.m. of Oct. 3rd and also returned to Jinotega with information next morning. Chairman of Electoral Directorio of El Horne also has some facts).
 
Oct. 4th. -- About 4 p.m. Altamirano, Sebastian Centeno and band of about 40 reached Ocotolillo, about 3 miles to eastward of Jinotega (city) and spent night there at house of Jesus Picado and Gabriel Rodriguez. Among those recognized in band were Pablo Rodriguez of Los Cedros and (Antonio?) Vilchez. (Sources -- Jesus Picado and Lazaro Zamora. Gabriel Rodrigues and Marcelino Rizo of Ocotolillo and their families also know facts. Bandits said they had passed through Umuri).
 
Oct. 5th. -- Altamirano and band left Ocotolillo about dawn, taking with them as cargadores Jesus Picado, Lazaro Zamora, and Marcelino Rizo. Picado states he counted 40 rifles -- Springfields and "Concones" (rifles from Mexico). That day members near rear of band robbed Rigoberto Navarro of La Parranda. Route was past La Fundadora (no stop), Las Lajas (robbed, and Sajonia. Stop was made for night at house of Celestino Pineda. Bandits slept in house and outbuildings and kept up a guard. All travel was on foot -- no mounts or pack animals. (Sources -- Jesus Picado and Lazaro Zamora. Marine detachment which was at La Fundadora can confirm in part).
 
Oct. 6th. -- Band continued on to Tuma River, crossing near Coyolar on a raft they constructed of logs for purpose. (Sources -- Pineda and Zamora, who escaped during river crossing and returned to Jinotega).
 
Oct. 7th and later. -- Reports indicate that bandits continued eastward and northward via Pena Blanca region, in which locality they are said to have killed several persons. A small group of bandits, probably from Altamirano's band, passed through Robles (9 miles N.E. of Jinotega City) on the morning of Oct. 7th shortly before the arrival of a Marine patrol under Lt. Kenyon.

/s/   F. LeJ. Parker.

RG127/220/7l