|
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
|
