Header image
Top 100  •  doc 63
Account of Moravian missionary Bregenzer's death by Sumu Indian from Musuwas 
(feb 1931)
 
T O P     1 0 0     D O C S

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

Account of Moravian missionary Brother Bregenzer's death by a Sumu Indian from Musuwas

Critical introduction forthcoming.

 

 

 

 

A report of Br. Bregenzer’s death given at Tuburus by an eye witness, a Sumu Indian from Musuwas.

On Tuesday the 31st of March 1931 at 8 AM news reached the Musuwas people through some Sumu Indian women that the Sandinistas were approaching. Br. Bregenzer’s family fled into the bush, but Br B. himself had decided to stay. At 9 AM the Sandinistas entered the village and went straight to the missionhouse. Meeting Br. B. there they tied his arms and then dragged him around kicking and buffeting him. An appeal to his German citizenship was considered a lie. At 2 PM he made one more appeal to set himself free and this was answered by a quick cut with a machete which almost severed his head, after a Sumu Indian had refused to kill Br. B. The Indian escaped as the gun which was pointed at him did not go off and a few pistol shots did not reach him anymore. The few Sumu Indians who were retained by the Sandinistas begged Blandon, the leader, who was responsible for the murder but did not commit the act himself, to allow them to bury their missionary but he refused. The death of our brother was a sudden one. The body was not mutilated, but whilst lying on the ground the pigs damaged the face somewhat. At 6 PM Blandon sent a few soldiers and they buried the body in a grave which was hastily dug waist deep. The body rests about 100 feet away from the place where the missionhouse stood.

A day after Br B.’s murder Abraham Rivera who is personally known to a few missionaries, appeared with 8 men and he expressed his disapproval of the action, as some of Blandon’s men had done likewise the day before. The Sandinistas stayed in the village until Saturday amusing themselves with playing the victrola. They had intended to catch the rest of the family, but as it was expressly stated not to kill but to abuse. The house was set on fire on the day when they left for the lower river. Only a few houses of the Indians caught fire. An attempt to burn down the church failed. Apparently the church books perished with the house.

The main reason for having killed Br. B. was apparently not so much the fact that he had been doing missionary work amongst the people but his having sent notices to people in the mine district of the movements of the Sandinistas which any of us would have done. How far some statements, said to have been made by a few Indians who were in disagreement with their missionary, have contributed towards the death of Br. B. could not have been ascertained as the Indian whom I interviewed would not respond to such questions.

The Sumu Indians have not as yet returned to their village. About 35 church members have come over to Tuburus with the intention to settle there, for the present time at least. The rest are living along some creeks about a day’s journey traveling down the river from Musuwas.

/ s / A. O. Danneberger

Moravian Archives, Bethlehem PA, Nicaragua materials.

Transcribed by Pleet Initiative-funded Lebanon Valley College student-researcher Nicholas J. Quadrini.

Ancillary Documents

1.  Elizabeth Bregenzer, Wawa River, Nicaragua, to Dr. S. H. Gapp, Bethlehem PA., 22 April 1931.

Tuburus, on the Wawa River,
Apr. 22 - 1931

Dr. S. H. Gapp
Bethlehem, Pa.

Dear Br. Gapp:

How shall I begin to tell you what has befallen us! Whether any word has reached you I do not know. On Mar. 31st about 10 a.m. the alarm came “The Spaniards are coming” and in haste each took up a few necessary things and started for the bush. Br. Bregenzer, however, would not go with us. He had the assurance of Heb. 13:6 and his last word to me was: “The Lord God is still alive.” We then made our way to a hidden camp in the bush previously prepared for just such an emergency and later some of Sumu men found us and took us still further away for they had been watching from the bush and thought it wiser. They said our house was full of Spaniards and the whole village overrun with bandits, many Miskitos and Sumus among them.

In the late afternoon one of our helpers came to us. He had been caught on the river by the bandits and brought to Musuwas a prisoner. About 2 P.M. he had been taken to our house where he saw and spoke with Br. Bregenzer, who was tied on one arm and being led around by a guard while the [p. 2] bandits were spoiling our goods. In his free left hand he had a Spanish New Testament from which he read and proclaimed the Gospel though they told him to keep still for they didn’t want to hear. Then this helper Everesto who was prisoner was given a machete (a huge knife) in his hand and told to kill Br. B. with it but he refused and then they said – “Alright then you must die too for you are his friend” and taking him outside they would have done so but were taken by surprise when he made a dash for freedom and though they threw knives and shot pistols and guns after him he got away safely.

We slept in the open that night and next day went still deeper into the bush and there in the evening another helper found us bringing news of what was taking place. When I asked him what news of Br. B. he answered: “Yesterday afternoon they buried him.” Not till several days later did we find out facts and they are not in detail for those our Sumus who remained in the village were not allowed to come near. It seems that after the man Everesto escaped, the bandits tied another rope around Br. B.’s other arm and dragged him to a place just outside our yard fence – (the site of the old toilet!). Here they knelt to pray and they asked “Who do you pray to – to Holy Mary or one of the saints?” It is reported Br. B. answered: “No, I am not made of wood – I pray to the Lord Jesus Christ.” At this they [p. 3] became very angry and slashed at him with their machetes and finally beheaded him and buried him in a shallow 4 inch grave.

This band of men consisted of 250 men and at sundown another band of 300 arrived. Two weeks before, the captain of this last band had sent 3 spies to Musuwas and they had learned from our Sumus of our hiding supplies in a secret place in the bush and had also heard a lot of vile, malicious lies spoken against Br. B. by those who opposed the preaching of the Gospel in Musuwas and this band came with the intentions of freeing our Sumus from the tyranny of such an evil man as they had feared the parson to be, but they came too late. But the things hidden in the bush would have escaped but knowing about them they set out to search, looking 2 days without success and then a Musuwas Sumu led the way. A box of medicine was literally emptied all over the ground, bottles broken and pills, etc. covered the ground. Other things they seem to have taken with them. Then they were also looking for us to kill us also. The Sumus left in the village actually knew but on threat of death one man was ready to tell but another told him sternly to keep still, it was enough. They told the people not [p. 4] to tell what became of the parson – he just simply disappeared and afterward they should kill us with poison. On Good Friday they were playing victrola and dancing in our house and Saturday A.M. they left Musawas, leaving 5 men behind as a sort of rear guard and these set fire to the house and all other buildings on the premises. The church didn’t catch fire but they broke the pulpit and vilely polluted the building.

In the meantime we were camping in the bush and when we heard on Easter Sunday of the complete destruction of everything we realized there was nothing left for us to do but to try to get to the coast as soon as possible. It is a long story to tell everything but by the wonderful and abundant mercies of our Lord and Savior we have come so far. Food, clothing and shelter He has provided each day and we trust that He will also lead us out safely. Arrived here we heard that ahead of us there had been trouble also and we are waiting here for news from below that the way will be open before we proceed. I cannot speak enough of the devotion, self-sacrifice and consideration which our Sumu carriers and shown us.

Please, excuse the pencil writing. It is a 2 inch stub which I have quite by chance, or rather by the Lord’s will and having time here I write so that when by His help we reach Bilwi you may receive this speedily. Expect to go to Blfds, D.V. – Beyond that I do not know. The Lord will direct. With kind regards, I am, Sincerely,

Elizabeth Bregenzer

[written upside down:]

[p. 1:]

Arrived Bilwi today – May 1st. Leaving for Blfds this evening. The Lord has been so good to us! His name be praised! E.B.

[p. 3:]

The text that morning was John 15:13. Br. B. was much burdened with the souls that were yet lost, and it was this that kept him there to give the Gospel to the bandits for how shall they hear without a preacher! Rom. 1:16 was the text of his first sermon in Blfds [Bluefields] and his motto throughout his ministry.

[p. 4:]

Please do not give honor to my husband, he would not be pleased for all honor belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Moravian Archives, Bethlehem PA

Transcribed by Pleet Initiative-funded Lebanon Valley College student-researcher Nicholas J. Quadrini.

2.   7 April 1931.  Fragment of letter from Pedro Blandón to Sandino re Padre Kabringenser of Moravian Church, ASG 220-21.

     "El 30 de marzo salimos de San Pedro de Pis Pis, y llegamos el 31 del mismo a Musaguaz donde encontramos un hombre que los zumos le decín Padre, el cual era un reportero del Jefe de la Guardia de las minas y de Puerto Cabezas quien les daba informe de todas las operaciones desarrolladas por nuestras fuerzas en estas regiones.

     "Pregunto por mi, revestido con toda la autoridad que me caracteriza, que cual era su misión en nuestro territorio, contestó que los indios zumos habían enviado una acta firmada por todos ellos pidiendo al gobierno de Estados Unidos de Norte America, que les diera quien los intruyese porque aquí no había quien los civilizara, y entonces el macabro gobierno de E. E. U. U. de N. A. lo había mandado a él.

     "Este era un miserable engañador a los indios y por lo tanto los tenía oprimidos y los explotaba de una manera tan brutal, que al instante que recibimos los informes de la conducta de él no pude menos que mandar separar la cabeza del cuerpo.

     "Se llamba Kabrigenser, de nacionalidad norteamericana, pues le encontramos sus credenciales, pasaportes y ás documentos pertenecientes a él, donde no nos quedó duda que era americano.

     "Todo lo útil para nuestro Ejército ordenamos que se trajera, y quemamos la casa que era propiedad de ese cabrón."

Anastacio Somoza Garcia, El verdadero Sandino (Managua, 1936), pp. 220-21.

 

T O P     1 0 0     D O C S

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

top of page