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Statement of captured rebel Tomás Martínez, courier for Ortéz  (Jan 1931)
 
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Statement of captured rebel Tomás Martínez, courier for Ortéz

     Once again we hear a Sandinista voice filtered through his interrogators.  Here captured rebel suspect Tomás Martínez, who claimed to be a courier for General Miguel Angel Ortéz, offered his captors some conflicting information:  that Ortéz was in Chipote with 50 men, and in Mosonte (50 miles west of Chipote) with 20 men.  He claimed ignorance about many things, including how much ammunition they had.  This was clearly a forced interrogation of a rebel very reluctant to share anything that might put his comrades in harm's way.

      The "Achuapa contact" referred to here was the single deadliest episode for the Marines in Nicaragua:  on December 31, 1930, more than 100 rebels under Ortéz ambushed a detail of 10 Marines sent out of Ocotal to repair a telegraph line.  Only two survived.  One can well imagine that after this slaughter of their comrades, the Marines were in no mood for pussyfooting around with captured rebels.  (Detail of photograph of Sandinistas in the mountains, n.d., from the collection of Walter C. Sandino)

 

 

... From CO Jicaro, Jan. 3/31: For your information bandit suspect captured and following obtained:
 
Statement given by the bandit Tomas Martinez to Cpl. H. C. Juan Umana who captured him in this city today at 7:30 pm. That Miguel Angel Ortez and his group was in Chipote. Group of 50 men. States he was with Miguel Angel Ortez 5 months ago and that the following people were in the group: Gilberto [Gilberto Gonzalez], Pascacio [Pascacio Gonzalez], and Agapito Gonzalez and Sixto Hernandez. That he don't know these people well and don't know how much ammunition they have. That he works as a mail carrier for Miguel Angel Ortez and he was to get information about the post in Jicaro. Was to find out the Guardia strength there. Plans were to attack Jicaro if few Guardias were there. That Miguel Angel Ortez is in Mosonte with 20 men. Had machine guns and rifles and they are going to lay an ambush either for the Marines or for the Guardia. Claims that he was in the Achuapa contact, in the rear guard and that they killed 4 marines. That when he left for Jicaro, the rest of the group was in Las Cruces. He went to get some tortillas for the group. That he was to leave Jicaro early in the morning and that he would find the group in Rio Grande. They were coming to attack Jicaro at 11 o'clock today. That while the group was coming to Jicaro via the Apali road, they saw a Marine patrol coming. That they laid an ambush for the Guardia at San Francisco but that the Guardia did not return. They were to enter Jicaro by the Apali road and by the river. That is all he says.

IR31.01.04: Ocotal: 3-4. RG127/209/2

 

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