File No. 817.00/2191.
The American Minister to the Secretary of State.
Managua, September 29, 1912.
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department of the incidents leading up to the relief of the Americans and others foreigners in Granada who have been cut off from outside communication since July 29 last.
The only information as to conditions in the town was received from occasional refugees who have been able to escape the strict surveillance maintained by the forces under Mena, and from messengers with secret despatches sewed into their clothing. At first there was a tendency to consider the condition of the people as merely one of the incidents of warfare which however unfortunate must be borne with the best grace possible, but soon reports of outrages against person and property began to reach the outside, and of crimes which not even warfare could justify. Whatever doubts I may have had as to the danger to the lives of foreigners, equally with natives, were dissipated by my own observations in Managua during the bombardment when I became aware that the hotel where foreigners were known to be congregated was deliberately fired on, and even the Legation itself imperiled. A week later the two Americans, Harvey Dodd and Philip Craven, with Durón in León, were killed under circumstances of great brutality. Two British subjects were assassinated at Achuapa, a German was stabbed to death at San Ramón, and both the American and British Consular officers at Matagalpa reported that every foreigner in that district would be in danger of his life if the Zelayistas came into control of affairs.
As soon as I received word from the Department of the despatch of reenforcements to Nicaragua I informed the Foreign office that additional vessels were coming, among them the U. S. S. California, flagship of Rear Admiral W. H. H. Southerland, U. S. N., with a regiment of Marines from Philadelphia, Colonel J. H. Pendleton, U. S. M. C, commanding, and I had hopes that the publicity given to this information would make it unnecessary to disembark any more troops. However, as communication with Corinto had been cut off for several weeks I was not then aware of the serious situation which had developed in that port and which was so fortunately relieved by the timely arrival of the reenforcements of the Denver and California. The Consul, James W. Johnson, displayed good judgment and commendable initiative under most trying circumstances, and Lieutenant Lewis after providing for the safety of the American women on board the Annapolis landed a squad of bluejackets to police the town at the request of the Comandante of the port. My first information [Page 1052] of these happenings was received from Major Butler who returned to Managua on September 1 after rebuilding and repairing bridges and rails destroyed by the lawless element. Colonel Pendleton arrived at the capital on September 6, and was able with the marines and bluejackets stationed along the tracks to run an occasional train between Managua and Corinto, but as the telegraph and telephone wires were not restored there was no communication between the Admiral and the Legation, and we were consequently unable to confer together as to the measures to be taken. The manager of the railroad company complained tome that he was having considerable difficulty in operating his trains, so I wrote to the Admiral at the same time transmitting a copy of the Department’s declaration of policy in Nicaragua, as set forth in its telegram to me of September 4, 7 p.m.
The members of the foreign colony in this city, including the German consular representative, C. Uebersezig, and the former Ecuadoran consul, Joaquin Arciniegas, addressed to me on September 13 a memorial appealing to the humane sentiments of the Legation for assistance in affording relief to their young daughters said to be suffering from want of provisions in the French boarding school at Granada. As the Nicaraguan Government army under General Macís had in the meanwhile on September 7 captured Santa Catarina thereby cutting off all communication between Masaya and Granada it was reasonably certain that both these towns would be eventually taken by the Government and that any pretense of resistance would mean only unnecessary suffering to the innocent, including the foreigners, women and children. Mena himself had already gone aboard the steamer Victoria ready to escape across the lake into Costa Rica. I therefore telegraphed to Admiral Southerland requesting that he order the immediate despatch of a train from Managua to Granada for the urgent relief of the Americans and other noncombatants, and to his letter of September 13 I sent a telegram cordially inviting him to come to the Legation and to be my guest during his stay in the capital. He very kindly accepted and arrived here on September 17 with his staff consisting of Lieutenant Charles G. Davy, Lieutenant Robert L. Ghormley, and Lieutenant-Commander Samuel I. M. Major.
A battalion of 350 marines under Major Butler, and 100 bluejackets of the Annapolis under Lieutenant Campbell, had already started on the 15th to open the railroad through the Barranca and Masaya to Granada so as to distribute the American Red Cross supplies and afford relief. They were accompanied by Mr. I. O’Reardon, an American, whose wife and family have been living in Granada for some time. He is a mining engineer and manager of the Libertad mine, knows the language and topography of the country, and was of great assistance to our forces. At Nindiri the train, flying the United States colors and a white flag, was fired upon from the Barranca by three-inch guns, and was forced to retire several hundred, yards. Butler then entered into communication with Zeledon, and after Colonel Pendleton and Admiral Southerland had been consulted, and they had served a peremptory demand on Zeledón, the train was allowed to proceed. That same night the Nicaraguan Government outposts captured a courier with important despatches from Zeledon to Mena indicating that the United States forces had been permitted to pass the Barranca to be later ambushed. However, the plan failed and although a seeming attempt was made to assassinate [Page 1053] Major Butler the ambushers were driven off by the heavy fire of the marines.
During this time Mena was making desperate attempts to break the cordon and change his base from Granada to Rivas so as to keep open a safe retreat into Costa Rica, and was bombarding the towns on the lake. His troops, however, were again decisively defeated by General Macís and forced back on Granada.
Major Butler continued to move carefully towards the latter after repairing the roadbed, and entered the outskirts early in the morning of the 22nd. He at once communicated with Mena and informed the rebel leader of his intention to establish his forces at the railroad station to protect the American company’s property and to be easily available in case of further outrages against the foreigners. The clerk of the Legation then commenced to distribute the American Red Cross supplies to the school children, the sick in the hospitals and other needy persons.
During the day about 400 Liberals who had been marching for two weeks from León secretly entered Granada and were immediately supplied with rifles by Mena. At night they began to shoot up the town and terrorize the people, and when information was brought to Major Butler of indignities against American families, he decided to prevent further disorders by disarming the troublemakers. Mena who was confined to his bed in the San Francisco fortress with inflammatory rheumatism, sent for the commanding officer of the marines and said he wished to turn over everything to the Americans. Butler consented to accept his surrender subject to the approval of Admiral Southerland who was then on his way to Granada where he arrived the night of the 24th instant and after considering the situation acceded to Mena’s offer. He at once notified the Legation that he had made an arrangement to parole all the troops and to take Mena under his protection out of Nicaragua to Panama never to return to this country. I addressed a note in this sense to President Díaz who promptly signified his assent to the arrangement. When Admiral Southerland had been informed by me of this fact he quietly made preparations to move General Mena and his son, Colonel Daniel Mena, by train from Granada to Corinto where the prisoners were put on board the U. S. S. Cleveland on September 26 and shipped to the Canal Zone of Panama.
I have [etc.]