Header image
Top 100  •  doc 67
Statement of captured Sandinista Alberto Rivera under PEdro Antonio Irías & Pedrón
(june 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

Statement of captured Sandinista Alberto Rivera under Pedro Antonio Irías & Pedrón

Critical introduction forthcoming . . .

 

 

 

 

 The following item was submitted from the Central Area, Guardia Nacional, Jinotega.

“Alberto Rivera, who was an escaped prisoner from the guardia jail in SAN RAFAEL (226-317) states that while he was a fugitive from the guardia he was captured on 9 May, 1931 by Rosa Irias and a group of 40 bandits. Rosa Irias and his group went to the mountains near RICO (?) thence to PAVONA (225-336) on the other side of YALI (218-327) where he joined Pedro Irias, who has succeeded Pedro Blandon. Pedro Irias has one hundred men, one Lewis machine gun; they have bombs and the most have rifles but very little ammunition. From PAVONA (225-336) near YALI (218-327) they went to PAVONA (2[?]1-337) OF PENA BLANCA (278-330) where they joined Pedron Altamirano who had one hundred and fifty men.

Rivera states that Altamirano had two machine guns but he does not know what kind; that Altamirano wears a big Stetson hat, khaki shirt similar to the marine flannel shirt and khaki trousers with brown leggings and shoes. He has two pistols, one an American thirty-five automatic and the other a thirty-eight revolver. He wears a watch and some rings. Rivera states that he did not see him very well, as he, Rivera, is afraid of Altamirano, Rivera says that Altamirano likes all his men but that when he is mad all the men are very much afraid of him. The bandits are all in rags and have no kind of uniform. He saw two with guardia cartridge belts and one with a bayonet. Many had guardia hats but these are very old and worn. He did not get to see if they had much ammunition, but believes them to have been better armed than the men of Irias.

He heard the bandits say that they had been to Puerto Cabezas and had killed seventeen Americans and were now going to attack LA LIMERTAD (338-208) in Chontales. They also said that they were going to attack SAN RAFAEL (226-317), that Pedron was going to lay an ambush on the JINOTEGA-SAN RAFAEL road, Salgado was to take the SAN RAFAEL-YALI and LA CONCORDIA (220-311) roads and prevent re-enforcements from arriving. Irias was to attack SAN RAFAEL. They also planned on cutting the telegraph wires to keep the guardia from sending word to MANAGUA for planes. They said they were afraid of the guardia of SAN RAFAEL because they did not run away. They also stated that they were afraid of Lieut. Lee, but that now he had been killed in combat at VENCEDORA (Kenyon Map 134-254). The bandits had a piece in their newspaper stating that Lieut. Lee had died in Nicaragua. They were also afraid of a one-armed officer because he fought like Lieut. Lee. They know his name as Gutierrez.

They have very good spies at LAS CUCHILLAS (254-330) and at the encampment of Sandino. None of the soldiers know where the camp of Sandino is. They say that Sandino […] [p. 2] to the general, as he could read and write and could understand many things that the bandits didn’t know. Irias has been sick, having one fever after another and now cannot see very well. He had been secretary to Sandino. Sandino’s secretaries at present are his brothers-in-law, Pedro Antonio Aranz and Luis Ruben Aruz. Blanca Aruz, his wife, is back with him now and does his typewriting.

In the LAS CHUCHILLAS area all the placas have been taken away from the people who did not help them. All the bandit spies have placas and when the guardia pass they show their placas and then go by shorter trails and notify the bandits that the guardia are coming. Every person in this area who has a placa is a bandit as every honest man has had his placa taken away from him. Pedrito Altamirano (a son of Pedron Altamirano) remains in the LAS CUCHILLAS area all the time with a group of about twenty men. He has a woman at the house of Lucas Gonzales, who has a child by him (Pedrito). Rivera heard that this woman is the daughter of Ramon Pineda. Another son of Pedron also travels with this group. The camp of Pedrito is called DARAYALES (he heard the bandits call it by that name) in the LAS CUCHILLAS area. Rivera escaped from the bandits on 11 June, 1931.

IR31.07.01: 8-9

 

T O P     1 0 0     D O C S      •      H O M E P A G E     L I S T 

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