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A Documentary History |
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| The Sandino Rebellion in Nicaragua | |||
| 1927-1934 | |||
| © Michael J. Schroeder, 2007-08 | |||
| Top 100, p. 4 | |||
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September-October 1928 |
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| Pages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | |||
24 September 1928. P. Navas to Colonel Dunlap, Report of Spy Mission to Honduran Border near Jalapa.
This report of an intelligence-gathering mission of a Nicaraguan spy working the Honduran border zones around Jalapa in the northernmost portion of Las Segovias, was undertaken at the behest of Northern Area Commander Colonel Dunlap. Its portrayal of the political and military dynamics in the Jalapa border areas confirms what other reports make clear: that the border was very porous, with many people and goods moving back and forth; and that local Honduran border officials exercised wide autonomy, and were often in cahoots with the Sandinista rebels. The report also suggests the growing sophistication of the Marine-Guardia intelligence-gathering apparatus. (For a more detailed map of the Jalapa border zone, click here.)
Jalapa.
Sept. 24, 1928.
COLONEL DUNLAP. Commander-in-Chief of Marines in the Department of Nueva Segovia.
The present will serve to salute you attentively. I have not written because I have been personally looking over certain points. Saturday I left for a trip around Guineo, Carrizal, Blanco, Las Trojas, Teotecacinte and the border line of Honduras and Nicaragua. Many of the people that for fear of bandits, were hidden in the mountains, presented themselves to ask for guarantees to come to Jalapa from Honduras. Many people, Nicaraguans are returning to their homes.
Two reports I had before I gave you to the Captain at Jalapa to communicate to those headquarters to you. The one who is in with the Sandinistas is the Commandant of Cifuentes. I spoke to him Saturday at Guineo, I could not find out what he was doing there but I believe that he is waiting for Sandino around those parts because when he left Cifuentes he told his second in command, "If armed troops arrive and they are many, let them pass. If they are just a few disarm them." I asked him why he had entered Nicaraguan territory without permission from Jalapa and he said he had entered to go to Guineo but I mistrust this Commandant whose name is Captain Colindres.
In that round I made, of about 20 leagues, there is nothing new, only that spies and runners from Sandino pass to Honduras one after another, and Captain Colindres of Cifuentes lets them pass with all guarantees. The spies leave from Paredes, to Carrizal, from Carrizal to Trojas, where they take the road to Cifuentes. In Cifuentes there are some Sandinistas who make propaganda in favor of Sandino. I am informing myself of Los Encinos every day and from Teotecacinte from Magey and Trojas. Till today there have been no bandits in those places but in Cifuentes I sometimes get two informations a day from Cifuentes but in that town is Sandinista propaganda.
Today about 10 a.m. I received this information. They assure me that on Thursday night General Montoya slept near Limon and on Friday he crossed the border of Honduras by the side of Malacate. The man who gave me this information is called Ramon Lopez. He says that Saturday at 10 a.m. General Montoya entered the valley of Escuapa, Honduras. He had 15 unarmed men and he alone had a pistol in his belt. All were afoot. Ramon Lopez assures me that he is sure it was Montoya because when he was leaving Escuapa going towards Limon, Montoya was coming in and he asked him what troops were in town, to which he answered that there were none for the time being and Montoya entered the hamlet. I have constant information in Jalapa and no bandits have appeared as yet in this town. Some inform me that there might be bandits at Murra or on the heights of Murra but the spies are afraid to explore Murra. I do have information that there are bandits there but they are in small groups. I believe the Captain will send you all information that I have given him.
I will continue working / p. 2 / actively because the bandits have to look for an exit from Honduras or they will be surrendered or killed. They have to pass through Teotecacinte to get out of Honduras territory and those of Murra have to pass through there to go North of the Rio Poteca as that is the only place where they can cross to Cifuentes and I have 4 or 5 good spies to watch this route. At your orders,
P. Navas.
Colonel.
This other information I received at night from the foreman of Santa Barbara who has been working in Jicaro for 22 days and came here today to give this declaration. He is a good person and trustworthy. He has served as a guide for the Marines several times and when he passed through Apali I asked him to watch certain points of that region of Chipote, Barrillal, and Los Barrancos, and as I told him I was coming to Jalapa, he looked for me to give me this notice. He tells me that Saturday Ortez and 2 more went to the finca to eat and afterward Sr. Castro took them to the hiding place.
P. Navas.
In the house of Mateo Castro called Los Barrancos, jurisdiction of Ciudad Antigua. This man hides in his house Ignacio Ortez, Electorio Venegas, and two sons of David Cardenas and a brother. Besides these, there are three or four from Guapinol in that same finca. That man is hiding them and providing for them. I wish that you force Sr. Mateo Castro to had over the individuals as soon as possible. That S. Ortez is an assassin and they were accomplices in the battle of Quilali and Las Cruces. The men from Guapinol were the guides in those combats. It is necessary to press Sr. Castro to hand over these bandits whom he has hidden. From Apali to Los Barrancos there is two leagues and from Jicaro there is three and a half leagues to Barrancos. This place Los Barrancos is on the road from Jicaro to Telpaneca. All have pistols and rifles.
Ignacio Ortez and the men from Guapinol are the ones who assassinated Catarino Herrera in the first days of this month at Las Vueltas and they stole $500 and took eight mules loaded with coffee. You can give orders to Apali which is nearest. This notice is given by a man who lives near there. He came today to this town. He is a good person and has served as a guide for the Marines on various occasions. Los Barrancos is in the jurisdiction of Ciudad Antigua.
P. Navas.
M28.09.24
RG127/220/6
30 September 1928. Agent #88, Intelligence Report on Conditions Around San Marcos de Colón, Honduras (Across the Border from Somoto District, Northwestern Segovias).
This is a report by "Agent #88," a Nicaraguan spy whose mission was to probe the political sentiments of the political and military elite in those parts of Honduras just to the west of Nicaragua's Western Segovias. Posing as a mining investor, he departed Chinandega by boat on August 10 and made his way to San Marcos de Colon, Honduras, where he rented a house and insinuated himself into the local political life. His observations on the prevailing political winds in Honduras is exceptionally revealing -- especially his portrayal of the virulent anti-Americanism shared by most everyone, Liberal and Conservative alike, in this corner of Honduras.
Who was Agent #88? One possibility is General Felipe F. Flores, a "Jefe Voluntario" (Volunteer Chief) operating under Captain Stockes from April 1929 (e.g., see M29.04.10) -- one of half a dozen such "volunteer" generals operating with the Marines & Guardia in 1929. Whoever Agent #88 was, he evidently was fluent in both English and Spanish, and a very canny spy. His Report I, referenced several times in this report ("Report II") has not been found.
Memo to Col Dunlap
would like to have the
comments of your officers on
this [report] particularly of Holmes & Stockes
B-2
REPORT NO. II.
The third part of this report will probably be furnished by Captain Maurice G. Holmes. The first part, as usual, is in the form of a diary, and the second part is general observations and suggestions.
PART I.
I started my trip on the 10th of August, 1928, arriving at Chinandega at about 2 o'clock on that date without anything particular happening on the train. As I had my trip prepared this time, Manuel Armuero (the Liberal colonel I referred to in my last report) was waiting for me with a horse, ready to go, and at 3:30 p.m. I started on my trip to Tempisque. As it was the day the launch leaves to Ampala and La Union, there were two more travelers besides myself. One of them being a Mr. Sanchez, a liberal and some kind of merchant from Chinandega who went to La Union to sell some cheese. The second I could not see until we were almost in Tempisque as he was riding about half a mile ahead of us. My friend Armuero and Sanchez were telling me that this man had a bad conscience as he is the brother of one Vargas who was formerly Jefe Politico of Chinandega and who committed a lot of cruelties against the poor liberals, and he fears the revenge of the liberal people living in this part of the country and therefore rides alone. During the night of the 9th-10th a man was killed on the road from Tempisque to Chinandega near "El Guanacaste," a place near the cross-road of the hacienda "El Paraiso" which I referred to in my first report.
Arriving at Tempisque I found things had changed considerably to their favor since my first visit there. The place referred to in my first report as being the cususa [cane liquor] distillery I found abandoned by the owners, only a girl staying at the house, and the sale of liquor stopped. According [to] this woman and her man (his name is Sinforoso Mungia) the former owners had moved to some place in Guanacaste. As I know them both from my prior visit there I fully believe they have transferred their crooked activities from Tempisque to Guanacaste. There was a Guardia lieutenant there acting every Friday as custom authority so everything went smoothly. The launch arrived about ten o'clock p.m. so I had time to get better acquainted with Mr. Julio Vargas, brother of the Diego Vargas. He is 27 years of age, fairly well educated, and it seems to me he would take a part in the political activities of his country, due to his youth and the fact that he is a leader of the Conservative Club in Managua. According to his statement, for the past year he was the president's tailor, but resigned the service of Adolfo Diaz because of the different opinions of his being a "Chamorrista" (he is a nephew of General Chamorro) in the presidential campaign inclining to the favor of Dr. Cuadra Pasos, and started a rain-coat business on his own hook between Nicaragua and Honduras.
At 11 o'clock p.m. we left Tempisque, and as my friend Julio had a bottle of Scotch whiskey he helped himself liberally. We continued our conversation which was mainly of a political nature, and I was firmly impressed that his trip to Tegucigalpa meant something more than simply selling rain-coats, besides he did not have any with him, explaining that he had previously forwarded them to Messrs. Uhler & Co., Tegucigalpa. We reached Ampala early in the morning and were received by the port authorities at 8 o'clock a.m. I was informed that no launch was going that day / p. 2 / to San Lorenzo and therefore Mr. Vargas and I were forced to stay one day more in Ampala.
August 11. Ampala is a port which gives a fairly clean impression and we stopped there in the hotel Venecia. It happened that Vargas and I were placed for our meals at the same table with General Abraham Williams who is the commander of Ampala and a very clever type of creole. I found him to be a hot conservative, pleading for the candidacy of General Tiburcio Carias for president. He is the son-in-law of Hipolito Agasse of San Marcos. On the north beach of the port I observed a fleet of canoes which engage in regular contraband trips to Nicaragua.
I had a room with Julio Vargas and when he went to take a bath I had the opportunity to search his handbag and his pocket book which he left on the bed. I found nothing suspicious in his handbag, and his pocket book contained $206.00 in American, Nicaraguan, and Honduranian bills and a closed envelope with no address on it.
August 12. We left Ampala at 10:00 a.m. and arrived at San Lorenzo at 11:30 a.m. Here the ways of Vargas and I parted, he going to Tegucigalpa and I went in search of a horse to continue on my way to Choluteca. At 2 p.m. everything was ready, the way is straight north. There is a high road under construction but it only goes for about 2 miles then the way gets bad. The distance from San Lorenzo to Choluteca is 24 miles. There is only one small settlement, Pavona, between San Lorenzo and Choluteca, about 12 miles from San Lorenzo. Pavona contains about 40 houses and a telegraph office. About 4 miles beyond Pavona I was caught in a thunderstorm and was forced to spend the night at a ranch.
August 13. Early in the morning I continued on my way and reached the Choluteca River which had swollen to a depth of 10 or 12 feet during the night, and I had to cross it in a canoe. I arrived at Siercke's house at 9:30 a.m., where I was made welcome. I explained to Mr. Siercke that my purpose of coming was to visit his mine Cacamuya, and he gladly offered me any help I wanted. The first thing I did was to visit my friend General Andres Leiva, the commander of the Department of Choluteca. He was very glad to see me and asked me to return in the evening to go with him to the house of a friend to play poker. I next wired Mr. Felix Erbe of Apasuru (see first report) asking if he would go with me to Apasuru, as I knew from my first strip that Erbe is well acquainted with the Commander of San Marcos, Pancho Guzman, and I wanted Erbe to go with me that I might get better acquainted with this man. In the afternoon I received Erbe's answer stating that he would come on the 16th to join me.
At 7:00 p.m. I went to visit Leiva, he lives in the same house where his office is in front of the "Cuartel." I arrived very early as the General was still at dinner, and he asked me to wait in the office until he had finished. His desk was covered with sheets waiting for his signature, each was to call a man for the 21st of August to the military service. Then there was a list of 46 names, at the end of each name being an "L" or an "N" which I presumed to mean liberal or nationalist, but there were only two "N's" on the whole list. The drawers of his desk were closed but I did not dare open them for fear of making too much noise and attracting the General's attention. A few minutes later a young man entered and the general presented him to me, Guillermo Pinell. The general did not have enough money to go out and asked me to turn my flashlight on the combination of his safe; he opened the safe and I was so near that I could see that the little drawer on top was filled with greenbacks. The three of us then went to the house of the old General Mariano Ortez. There the Governor, Ciriaco Padilla, was awaiting us and we had a little poker. Nothing interesting happened this evening. / p. 3 /
August 14. I visited the man who gave me on my last visit the number of the "Ariel", but he told me that shortly after my departure the American Minister in Tegucigalpa interfered and the paper was stopped. The whole thing made a very great impression on the natives who couldn't believe of such an influence. I went to "El Rhin", a saloon owned by a General Nunez, a director of the Conservative party. In the Rhin I met Guillermo Pinell; we sat down and he explained to me why he particularly is a Carias agitator and why the conservative party is going to win. He was going this same afternoon with General Mariano Sanaoria on propaganda work, and when I asked him if this job paid he just showed me a bundle of American bills; my impression is that I saw those same bills last night in the safe of General Leiva.
When Guillermo Pinell had gone out, General Nunez told me that about a year ago Pinell was chief of police in Tela, but he handled his job so crookedly that the United Fruit Company had him fired, and that now he is doing all kinds of dark political work and not even his own party trusts him too much, but he is a good friend of Carias. This same Pinell even now could be chief of police in Choluteca, because the present chief, Antonio Fajardo is known as a Tostista, but when the order came from Tegucigalpa he refused to hand his positio nover and was ready to defend the police quarters with his 15 men and to avoid a scandal they left him in office. In the evening we were all, except Guillermo Pinell, in the house of Mariano Ortez. Leiva tells me that the forces in the north part of the department are now divided and that General Chavez and Major Matamoros have 60 men and the territory up to Morolica, and Colonel Mondragon is handling 40 men in the area of Duyure.
August 15. Nothing happened up to the evening, when during the poker game the conversation turned to bandits. The general opinion was the incapacity of the Marines in this territory, and that natives would have long ago finished with them, stating all kinds of examples of old times and so on.
August 16. At 4:00 a.m. Erbe arrived and at 5:00 a.m. we left for San Marcos. After we passed El Banquito near San Francisco such a heavy thunderstorm came that we were obliged to stop at a ranch. At 6 p.m. another party came along: Emeterio Carcamo, Pedro Larios, Benito Ortez, and Vicente Sanchez; the first three conservative leaders and the latter a liberal of San Marcos. I knew all of them except Pedro Larios from my first trip. They came from different directions but all with the same goal to bring propaganda money to San Marcos. Emeterio Carcamo came from Tegucigalpa, Pedro Larios from Salvador, Benito Ortez from Choluteca, Vicente Sanchez has been as far as Guatemala. In the evening we [were] sitting around the fire and all of them were yelling against the United States, even Pedro Larios who has been 12 years in the States and is a graduate of Cornell University. All kinds of reasons were expressed for this hate, some of them being very foolish.
August 17. At 10:00 a.m. we reached San Marcos. The present manager of Siercke's store is a Mr. Rudolfo Portillo. I explained to him that after I had visited the mine, I would stay a few days longer in San Marcos to make an assortment of my samples. They gave me for my personal use a whole house diagonally to store and owned by Siercke. After I had been here about an hour the whole of San Marcos came to welcome me. There were a number of persons I do not remember having seen before. In the afternoon I persuaded Felix Erbe to invite his old friend Pancho Guzman the Commander to go with us the next day to visit Cacamuya, the abandoned gold mine of Siercke. I went to Emeterio Carcamos' place, called "La bola de oro" where the conservatives had a meeting. The director of the club is Natcho Pinell, an old man who owns a big ranch down the way to San Francisco. Carcamo reported about his trip to Tegucigalpa, and they decided to form a committee to go / p. 4 / around the small places and call all conservatives for a manifestation for the 26th of August; the man who yells most is Rudolfo Calderon.
August 18. Felix Erbe's invitation was accepted and Pancho Guzman is riding with us. The mine Cacamuya is about 16 miles southwest from San Marcos; the first owner was Hipolito Agasse and then it changed from hand to hand until the time Siercke got it and finally abandoned operations. During the ride to the time I was talking with Guzman and found that he did not get along very well with General Chavez because he was a real Cariista and Chavez was not, and now they have made Chavez a "Jefe Expedicionario" and he is only a Commander. He charged Chavez openly with being an ally of the reds and helping them in anyway he can. (The writer doesn't believe that so far, it's just simply that Chavez is not a friend of Carias but that doesn't prove he is not loyal to the Government.) At noon we reached the mine; it has been abandoned since 1925 and looks accordingly. I spent the afternoon in climbing hills and collecting samples.
August 19. In the early morning we left Cacamuya. I left my samples there instructing the guard at the mine to bring them to San Marcos at the earliest possible moment. We arrived at San Marcos at noon, but my horse being sick will have to remain [there] a few days until he recovers. So Erbe is planning his trip back to Choluteca for tomorrow and I am looking for a good and dependable mozo. I visited Hipolito Agasse, because he still has some papers concerning the mine. I changed the conversation to his Hacienda "El Rhin" and he said that bandits are visiting his hacienda friequently and he just thinks it's a lack of energy on the part of the marines that they haven't caught Ortez yet. He also told me that a marine patrol was near Cornicuelo and I had to hurry to communicate with them although I had no real dope, as my man Faustino Vasquez, Commander of Uyure, had not wired me anything. Agasse recommends to me as a mozo a Nicaraguan (conservative), and to hire the man who looks to me. I spent the rest of the day arranging the house as good as possible because I intend to have the whole political circle of San Marcos at my home as I believe this is the best way to get information.
August 20. At 5:00 a.m. Felix Erbe left and a few minutes later my mozo Jeronimo Rivas goes with a letter to El Cornicuelo. At 4:00 p.m. the mozo returns. He did not meet the marines but he brought me a letter from a Jorge B. Aguilar who was with them as a servant and who told me that they had left the 19th.
August 21. I have the dope on at least where these birds are. They stay in a house owned by Juan Moncada (owner of Santa Emilia), (There are about 20 - 25 men) in a place called Guayabal making short excursions to La Desa and Mailote. But now I don't know where the patrol is. My day is wholly occupied with visitors. The circle which is almost the whole day around me is composed of the following persons: Nitcho Pinell, Emeterio Carcamo, General Chavez, Major Matamoros, Patro Larios and his brother Gilberto Larios, Rudolfo Calderon and his brother Gonzalo Calderon, Lizandro Lainez, Napoleon Tercero, Luis Antonio Osorio, Benito Ortez, conservatoves, and Jacobo Pinell and Vicente Sanchez, liberals. They stay all day around my house, playing, drinking and talking politics.
August 22. Early in the morning I sent my servant with a letter and the order to find a marine if he had to go up to Somoto. This afternoon I had a very interesting conference in my house with two great heroes, Jacobo Pinell the liberal leader, and Lizandro Lainez the active Captain (conservative). They both had decided to go south but had not decided where to go and came to ask my opinion as to the best place to go when / p. 5 / the revolution starts here. I first asked them when the revolution is to start and Lainez showed me a letter from his uncle in which he asks him to run because Alfredo Schlesinger in Tegucigalpa has wired him that General Gregorio Ferrera had returned from Salvador and everything is ready to start.
August 23. This day I had a long talk with Jacobo Pinell. He has been around in the States for three years, and I should say he is the only person in and around San Marcos who does not hate the Americans. He recognizes their superiority, but as the liberal leader in San Marcos he must blow the horn as the mass likes it and that means against the Americans. Later Matamoros arrived and asked me to have a ride with him. I have the impression that Chavez wants me closely watched, and I would like to have the answer from the patrol. At 6:00 p.m. Jeronimo Rivas returned. He had been as far as Somoto and he brings me the answer of Captain Geo. F. Stockes, and two other envelopes addressed to Captain Maurice G. Holmes. Now at least I know where I will find the patrol.
August 24. Today an accident occurred in the place of Emeterio Carcamo. Jacobo Pinell mentioned that the Nationalists are taking all the laborers from the ranches owned by liberals and putting them into military service just to keep them from voting for Ochoa Velasquez. Rudolfo Calderon and Luis Antonio Osorio protested and in the same moment pulled their guns and were ready to shoot. I took Jacobo Pinell out of the saloon and after about half an hour everything was normal again. I had Pinell spend the night in my house and some very interesting things were talked over.
August 25. Early in the morning I sent for my servant with a letter of my own and the two envelopes to look for Captain Holmes who I presumed must be somewhere around Oyote. At 7:00 p.m. the mozo came back with the answer that Captain Holmes is waiting for me. The mozo also stated that he saw there General Chavez, Major Matamoros with four men and Hipolito Agasse. It seems funny, because Matamoros told me yesterday they would ride to Uyure, and the way to Oyote is quite different. Captain Holmes informes me he is staying in the house of Antonio Osorio. That is good as I am very well acquainted with Luis Antonio. I had just finished reading the letter when Osorio and Ortez came to my house and told me that in the house of Rudolfo Calderon they are waiting for a party of men coming from all sides to have a political meeting tomorrow. When I arrived at Calderon's they gave me a button of Tiburcios Carias and made me a Vocal quite against my will. At about 9:00 p.m. a party of mounted men arrived yelling "Viva Carias!" They then formed a committee which went out during the night to invite everybody they could get. The committee consisted of Pedro and Gilberto Larios, Emeterio Carcamo and Nitcho Pinell.
August 26. From the early morning one could see the troops arriving. About 2:00 p.m. about 250 drunken men were hanging around the streets. Also General Mariano Sanaoria, a very good looking man, and Guillermo Pinell had arrived from Concepcion de Maria. The General begn to speak to the people, then Natcho Pinell spoke followed by Emeterio Carcamo and Guillermo Pinell. I was forced to go right behind the leaders. The speeches concerned the highness of the national party and the lowness of the liberals, and that the Honduranian nationalist would know how to fight. Meanwhile the mass yelled "Viva Carias!", "Viva la guerra!". They [There] were only two accidents. While Natcho Pinell was speaking they caught a liberal and beat him rather badly. About half a mile out of town a conservative and a liberal killed each other with pistols. At 5:00 p.m. a crowd of about 30 persons came to my house and brought their own guaro [cane liquor] with them. They stayed until 8:00 p.m. then we moved over to Carcamos place and stayed there the whole night. / p. 6 / Tomorrow I will ride with Luis Antonio Osorio to his house if he is not too drunk.
August 27. At 4:00 a.m. I went home to saddle my horse. I will leave some of my things and tell them I will return this same evening. At 5:00 a.m., Osorio and the crowd were still drinking and continued until at least 8:00 a.m. I lifted him on his mule and we went to Oyote. As I arrived Osorio went to sleep, so I had enough time to go to the corral with Captain Holmes where we changed our plans and decided to move this same evening to Guayabal by way of Santa Emilia. In the afternoon Pedro Larios arrived and started to argue with the Captain as he was still drunk, saying that the marines are not pacifying Nueva Segovia and so on. The Captain and I declared that we are going to visit his home in Ocotal and that I will return in a few days. That was accepted by all and we started our trip almost straight east.
PART II.
Concerning the bandit activities on the border between Nueva Segovia and Honduras the writer made close observation and found:
The supply center for the group of Miguel Angel Ortez and Vaquedano is now Uyure in Honduras. The other group being Antonio Maldonado. Inez Hernandez and Doroteo Hernandez get their ammunition, rifles, etc., from Ortez, the rest of the articles they steal from the ranches or better said they get them from the people, as the natives still consider the marines their worst enemies. The fighting forces of both bands reduced considerably, as most of their Honduranian troops went back to Honduras in view of a better bandit future there. As a matter of fact both gangs together have right now not more than 20-30 men, which of course changes daily but not considerably.
It is an entirely wrong idea that the bandits when attacked flee to Honduras, as they cannot do such a thing. Their only chance to get help from Honduras depends not on crossing the border. The activity radius is this: El Espino to Santa Emilia in this valley they have Las Canas to live in and Los Robles, which are fortified for defense, from there to Mailote which they are right now fortifying the way down to the creek. El Guayabal, the house of Juan Moncada, serves them as a hospital and general refuge; from there they make daily excursions to La Presa.
The main handicap for the marine patrols is in my eyes their slow speed. The writer could observe on his own trip that during one night not more than 18 miles was covered, instead of 40-45 miles which could be made. To hit those bandits definitely I would suggest the following plan: Arrange 4 patrols which start the same night in this way: I. Patrol: From Somoto to Espino then over San Ramon and to Santa Emilia and take Las Canas. II. Patrol: From Somoto straight to Los Robles then turn to Los Naranjos and wait on the foot of the cerro Mailote. III. Patrol: From Ocotal to La Quesera, La Presa get the house of Juan Moncada in Guayabal and up to Mailote. IV. Patrol: Goes either from Somoto or from Ocotal and is composed of all the outfit the rest of the patrols need. This patrol might take as many miles as they ant and go straight on the Camino Real to the house of Santa Emilia which is almost center of the circle. There they wait until Patrols I, II, and III return. The first 3 patrols take as little baggage as possible so that they may be able to hit the bandits more or less at the same time. Be careful in Los Robles and Mailote as they may have machine guns in both places, even so they have very little ammunition for them. / p. 7 /
The principal dope I secured in Honduras is that both parties get financial help from Nicaragua. The agents and messengers for the liberals are General Neri Fernandez and Mr. Luis H. Debayle, both of them are now in Nicaragua but make separated trips to Tegucigalpa and Tela. There is constant traffic in arms. The government sends a great deal of arms south (to Choluteca) and the north coast. In San Marcos they have right now 144 Springfields, the same model as the G.N. and about 40,000 cartridges. One Lewis machine gun but no ammunition for it. They have announced that in the first days of September they will get more arms and another machine gun, Chavez asked for that, but the soldiers are not worth a penny. They are 90% liberal and the rest for Tosta. One of the most interesting figures in this play is Mr. Alfredo Schlesinger, private secretary of Tiburcio Carias. If I am not mistaken I heard about him in 1924; that he helped Carranza to flee from Mexico, but I am not so sure about that. My opinion is that he is one of these political adventurers. The resume is the revolution in Honduras is sure in the last days of October.
[ END ]
[ handwritten comments appended to this report by Capt. G. F. Stockes, USMC ]
Somoto, Nicaragua
Sept. 30, 1928.
Memo. Captain Reagan, R-2, 11th Regt.
No comment except that part of report (Part II) in which #88 states "it is an entirely wrong idea that the bandits when attacked flee to Honduras, as they cannot do such a thing. Their only chance to get help from Honduras depends on not crossing the border."
To anyone familiar with the terrain along the border from Oyote north to Santa Emilia and in possession of knowledge as to the control over this section exercised by Honduras, this statement must indeed be treated as absurd. Also, it seems worth while to pay particular attention to last part of statement quoted and to extract therefrom certain inferences.
One of the sisters of Maldonado (J. Antonio Perez M.) told me at Mylote on August 27, 1928, that her brother spent about one-half his time in Honduras across the border from Mylote. She was absolutely / p. 2 / certain that only one Nicaraguan served with her brother -- the rest being Hondurians. Information obtained from prisoners and others substantiate this statement. Maldonado enters Honduras, with groups varying in strength from 10 to 30 men whenever he is hard pressed or feels so inclined.
The rest of Part II appears to be a correct summary of the situation, as it then existed, in the section treated.
/s/ Geo. F. Stockes, Captain, U.S.M.C.
M28.09.30 (a)
RG127/220/6
8 October 1928. Ciriaco Picado, Rebel under Ortez, Captured and Interrogated.
While Sandino, Pedrón, and other major chieftains operated on the eastern frontier of Las Segovias, in the vast expanse of mostly uninhabited jungles and mountains of Jinotega Department and points further east, another cluster of rebel chieftains operated in the Western Segovias. Conditions here were very different. Populations were denser; towns, many whose histories stretched back hundreds of years, were common; the Honduran borderlands were far more salient. Here, in the Western Segovias and adjacent zones in Honduras, were the haunts of Carlos Salgado, Jose Leon Diaz, Miguel Angel Ortez, and lesser chieftains.
This statement was given by a soldier of Ortez after his capture and interrogation by the Marines & Guardia. In it one can glimpse the impoverished material circumstances of the Western Segovian rebel bands, along with the antagonism that often marked relations between them and town-dwellers. Evident, too, is the relative balance of military power, with the Marines & Guardia enjoying a far greater capacity to wage war. The statement also sheds light on the rebels' effort to disrupt the upcoming elections -- less than a month away -- by preventing eligible voters from registering.
Following are extracts from R-2 Report, 11th Regiment, Ocotal; information given by prisoner captured by patrol to Guayabal:
" (a) During the months he was with Ortez none of them received any pay or clothes. Ortez told them that he was expecting a lot of money from Sandino and that when it arrives, which would be very soon, all of them would have a lot of money.
" (b) That their food supply was very poor.
" (c) That Ortez had forty rifles (Mausers, Con-Cons, and [ine] Marine Springfield) and that the men all had ammunition varying from twenty-five to fifty rounds apiece.
" (d) That while in Los Robles, people who did not contribute food willingly were forced to do so.
" (e) That at night they sleep mostly in the mountains and occasionally in towns." ...
... Following an extract from R-2 Report, 11th Regiment, Ocotal:
" 2. Picado a prisoner claims Ferrera [Miguel Angel Ortez] told him the general plan of operations for this section, for the time being, was to prevent registration and voting by intimidating citizens. Under only two conditions were Marines to be engaged. (1) When bandit groups had been so relentlessly pursued that the limit of endurance had been reached. (2) To prevent capture of any location where rifles or ammunition was stored. All bandit Jefes under Ferrera have been directed to confine their movements to the hours between sundown and daylight."
IR28.10.08: 8, 10
RG127/43A/3
8 October 1928. Rebels Organize Civic Guard.
One of the most interesting aspects of the entire rebellion is how Sandino tried to create an autonomous nation-state in Las Segovias, with its own sense of national belonging and its own lines of civil and military authority. Sandinista authorities were authorized to gather and funnel material goods and information from their zones to the central command; to gain recruits; and to spread the word about Sandino's nationalist vision. Here a Guardia analyst finally "gets it." Carefully reading a captured Sandinista letter, he tells his superiors what they should have already known, and what they had a very hard time learning (and relearning) in the coming months and years: that the Sandinistas were building a rebel republic in the heart of Las Segovias.
Following is an extract from B-2 Report of 11th Regiment, Ocotal:
... (b) The "Civic Guard" which has been organized in at least one section (Nueva Segovia) is an important agency in the bandit supply. The members of this organization collect food and other supplies for the bandits and have them ready for use when called upon. The also act as spies, and in addition, assist in propaganda work by conveying messages throughout the countryside by word of mouth.
IR28.10.08: 8
RB127/43A/3
Ancillary Document: The foregoing report evidently based mainly on the following letter from Jose Antonio Perez to Ciriaco Picado, 15 July 1928 (S28.07.15), seized along with Ciriaco Picado on 18 September 1928:
General Barracks of the Defenders of National Rights for Nicaragua.
The undersigned, 2nd Chief of Military Operations for this zone, lets it be known that by authority of my superior, from this day on, Captain Ciriaco Picado has been named Chief of Civicos of Guallava, in the jurisdication of San Lucas, and that he is hereby authorized to develop the interests of the Party of proper government of Nicaragua. Be watchful for the well-being of those who belong to our Party and do not leave them subject to the traitors, the invaders and the pro-Yankees, keeping in mind to let this Barracks know, once in a while, of all operations that you make and keep in agreement with the other Chiefs of the Civicos of that place. When they seem to be in danger and you need help promptly, send word quickly to this command.
Patria y Libertad
/ s / J. Antonio Perez M., 2nd Chief of Military Operations
[Jose Antonio Perez Maldonado, 1st Chief under Ortez. Engl. only. IR28.10.08: 15. 43A/3]
22 October 1928. Pablo Ramirez, Ex-Rebel, Brought to C.O. Jinotega by his Father.
Another fascinating inside look at the rebel movement in the weeks and months before the November 1928 elections, from a young man who joined the movement during the Sandinista swing through the Jinotega coffee districts in early 1928, and whose father, months later, insisted to his wayward son that he give up his life of "banditry" and turn himself in. In repeatedly offering amnesties to surrendered "bandits" like Pablo Ramirez, the Marines & Guardia developed one of the shrewdest components of their overall counter-insurgency strategy.
The following extracts are taken from a memo from the C.O. Jinotega:
"Pablo Ramirez, age about 20, brown color, height about 5 ft., 6 in., weight about 135, unmarried, was brought in by his father.
"Pablo claims to have deserted, together with Tomas Reyes, a light colored boy about 30 years old, from the band of (Col) Jose Leon Diaz, then at Pavona (Yali Sector) on the 23rd instant. Says at that time Diaz had one hundred men with him, all with rifles, and that he personally carried 100 rounds of ammunition and each man had the same. Also had one Lewis and one TSMG. (Major) Reyes Lopez was the second in command. That Diaz left for the vicinity of Somoto about the 21st to see Salgado. Gives the following story of his travels:
"He joined Sandino when he passed through the hacienda area east of Jinotega in February last, and was in Garrobo with that band; was under Carlos Quesada at one time. About Sept. 1st was in Murra under (Gen.) Montoya. Early in September left Murra for Chipote, from Chipote crossed the Rio Jicaro, via Las Cruces, to Balsamo, Carbonal. The day they arrived at Carbonal learned that Marines were at Santa Clara: They went to Las Canas and started back for Murra with one mule load of ammunition. At Santa Clara had a brush with the Marines but nobody was hurt, also that the airplanes bombed and used machine guns but don't know if anyone was hit; thinks not. At this time there were 52 in the band. Left Murra area almost immediately and returned south via San Juan de Telpaneca, thence to Pavona, arriving there about Sept. 21st. Says the band had a few animals but not many, most of the men traveled on foot.
"The ranks in parentheses are those given by Ramirez. His statements regarding the equipment of the band are not fully believed, because he said he was well dressed with the bandits, and his father said he came in in very bad shape."
IR28.10.22: 6
RG127/209/1
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