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STATEMENT OF GARMENDIA TO PRESIDENT
MONCADA PERSONALLY.
In the city of Leon at 2:30 p.m., 4
December 1931, Sr. Arturo R. Garmendia,
of well-known qualifications, reported
before the Director of Police and his
Secretary, with the purpose to amplify
his statement which he previous rendered
under oath, now he said:
That he ratifies his previous statement
rendered before these authorities on 3
December 1931, at 10:15 a.m. Garmendia
was questioned about the matter of the
process and stated as follows:
That he has store-rooms in Somoto,
Pueblo Nuevo and El Ocotal; that he
knows Telpaneca since 20 years ago; that
he personally does not know the
commercial concerns that Siercke had,
but Siercke had one in Somoto, now
Siercke has only store-rooms at Pueblo
Nuevo, none in Telpaneca, Siercke had
one in El Jícaro and one in San
Fernando; that Garmendia knows that
Siercke is a German citizen and that he
has commercial concerns in Choluteca,
Danlí, Paraiso, San Marcos de Colón, and
agencies amounting to 40 in all Honduras
territory, at the border of Nicaragua
and inside Nicaragua; that he does not
know if Siercke has any in El Triunfo,
but has in the valleys of the same
frontier, like the one he has in El
Barquito, place located between
Choluteca and San Marcos; that he,
Garmendia, heard that Sandino in his
first raids demanded from Siercke a
contribution of money; that he,
Garmendia, knows that Siercke has an
ample business dealing in medicines,
cloth, revolvers, pistol ammunition, and
that he has Coffee plantations and he
deals in buying and selling of cattle.
Garmendia said that he knows that
Espiridión Ocón Orozeo is a native of
León, that he lived in El Salvador, and
Garmendia supposes that Ocón Orozeo is
at present in El Triunfo devoted to the
business of buying cheese, corn and
other articles from Nicaragua which he
takes and sells at the Honduras border.
That it is evident for Garmendia that
all the plunder that the bandits take in
Nicaragua is sold in El Paraiso and
Danlí as per reports from El Ocotal
people. That senor Calazans since the
beginning of the banditry is in charge
of this business in Danlí.
Garmendia also said that he knows that
Sandino’s Agent in Danlí is Mr. José
Idiáques, native of Honduras, and
devoted to that business since the
beginning of the banditry; that is also
a well-known fact in Somoto and Ocotal
that the authorities of Danlí and El
Paraiso are favoring the banditry, that
is also true that groups of Honduranian
men come into Nicaragua by crossing the
border of both countries; and Garmendia
knows about 3 groups, the first one
under Francisco López, one of the chiefs
of Ferrera, an intelligent and
courageous chief; chief of the second
group about 40 men is not known to him;
the 3rd group of 25 men, which passed
near Yalagüina and killed an old woman,
chief name not known, this group arrived
the vicinity of Yalagüina the Saturday
of the past week; that it is said that
Sandino comes to Nicaragua and arrives
to El Malacate, jurisdiction of Jalapa.
El Malacate locate at the border just
between Danlí and Jalapa. That in the
North Departments it is said that
Sandino is hiding in the mountains of
Jinotega, but nobody has seen him.
Reports from Danlí to El Ocotal say that
Colindres replaced Miguel Angel Ortéz.
Colindres working for account of
Honduras Government in the highway of
Jacaliapa-Tegucigalpa. Colindres is a
native of Murra, a Mine worker, and he
devoted his activities to the selling
and buying of gold. Garmendia said that
he knows that Sandino devoted some time
to the gold business when he took the
San Albino Mine. Garmendia also knows
that the bandits get rifles and
ammunition among the people of Honduras,
and that the Honduras authorities are
very indolent toward the bandits as any
one of the bandits goes and comes to and
from Honduras.
Garmendia finished his statement, signed
it and ratified it.
/s/ ARTURO R. GARMENDIA
M31.12.04
Transcribed by Pleet Initiative-funded
Lebanon Valley College
student-researcher Nicholas J. Quadrini.
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