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Newspaper Page Text
THE NEVADA MINER WHO FOUGHT THE WHOLE NICARAGUAN ARMY I "" HE fighting power of an .Xmv I «rican shoves . in \u25a0 the desperate' I battle of Fred Mills \!n the battle of Ainisegir' in the recent . mrtr 'between • Honduras and." Nica- ; jragna. ;•-« - y \u25a0 \ ; John P. Poe, who oncejldcked a jfidd goal for -Princeton,) winning ; the tnost sensational football-- game on record, has jnst returned to Nevada from Honduras, where ; he,* served as csptain in the Honduran army. About 'h:s ov.il ; service he has 'little to say, "bttt while in San , Francisco on his' ,"way to Nevada h e told the \ story of « \u25a0Mills,-. an American adventurer,' re-. centb r oi Goldfield, Nev.,J who with his back to an adobe wall held' the v.-hole Ktcaraguan army of invasion at baj' and killed 25 of President Ze laj-a"s men before he was finally^ borne down by overwhelming numbers. The story conies from an ' officer in the Nicaraguan forces who came in on the close of Mills* great fight. Mills belonged. to that class of men who pioneer before the pioneers. His first " great ancestor was Ulysses and his forbears harried the', Spanish main. The spirit 4hat. liyed^in him and" kept him up against that . adobe Tvall'.when filmost cutrto /pieces ; was, what •- made • a soldier of fortuhe of \ .him. :' He iirif ted-along the: frontier : of * America : fr om Kom eto \ Panama, \ and \ ndj on c , <ver cared to ask *wh ere ; , he 'came', from originally. 'As'a'man-biejnras all' and he was known^for having; a heavy - hand when trouble arose.' And that was enough. Hepassed'all through th c Alaska . .mining , excite ments and came -from there to - Xe \-adsu but^ he. did not have it in him \o keep • money, and he would not make the sacrifices necessary; to ac cumulate it At - thjrty : he had I some hea\y-. seams in his^ face from hard Imng in hard parts of thew-orld, but he had all the ease and , grace of youth in his long thin- figure. His strength lay -.chiefly in", his arms and tehoulders. -He was thin- in the hips and lank in the legs and hated to walk worse than a cowboy. -From cold and tropic sun his \u25a0 face teas bronzed ' per manently. With his --' black .- hair . arid rery dark eyes he looked the part he played in the world. Above all things he was obviously, an r American and one Avlio.cut.his way'clean when he had anything, to do. \u25a0 When there wasrumor. of war, in central America^ Mills, who was at fhat time in Goldfield, came t& San JFrancisco and shipped on - the first jboat, He readily obtained, a cap jtaincy.in the Honduran army, -and in ,the upset state of affairs, just before the war broke out *; helped - get < the army into shape. .\u25a0 -'\u25a0.; .- - ; Then came the rumor that the Kicaragruan troops^ >>rcre -preparing >to. cross the Honduran frontier, in; the interior. * Mills" was detailed * with a company .of native ' soldieVs to; go out" into the mountains . where^the | Nica ragttans were expected* to'cross, "and f avoiding; the- main body/ of troops •' to pick i up^any skirmishingv parjti c? * h e cotild-'find - and learn ;the; number, of the Nicafaguans. \u25a0 . f At Amisegir, - a -mountain town which _^ the Nicaraguans were -ad x-ancing;upon and were forced to o'c jrupy; as a key: to the 1 position, \u25a0 Mills found ' himself : the only" man" in* the \u25a0 jHondurah forces who realized \u25a0 what ,was at- stake. «;He prepared i toj hold v the place. against .all comers:'' The' town :lies high up^n the hillt; .with '.nothing but . zigzag , mountain. trails leading to it.. They arc "the* Jughways-^-cammos " feales-^of - Hon* ' iduras,; though in any civiliz?d country \u25a0 they ' 7 would -be ,calle~d • Vgoat j paths. * The Graveyard Siege; ' Mills realized .that he; could not be forced; from the . tOTrh* by /artillery, ,zs\ it could only be : moved* against t hirV on the' backs of mules.'' -He^ook .up fcis positioni in an? old; graveyard,' comtaanding the last angle r of the road with\ thick : adobe walls -jutting 'out •at ; 'a sharp; angle overHheshillside. value of. this^place for \u25a0 him lay \u25a0not yisrhefact th'at.thcse walls.formed ;a first barrier", against. the f enemy,: but al»o that once^he had gothisihandful j«f barefooted; - hungry, "soldiery? into the graveyard he- was ; able' to' take »up" his stand yat the ; gateway^ the * only; exit from' the - place,* to Ikeep 5 his'i nien from : running away .as(tHelenemy^ap-/ preached., \u25a0"\u25a0'\u25a0:." This *. was .v'only^'accom-V plishedafter he hadshot^down'one ofr his own men*whoftned(to;brush",pastv him- and, had ""locked the ! iron -grate, throwing the. key'pycrthe wall.' See-"* ing , themselves r trapped;hisTmen;?af ter . ' jon c futilejrush%hicn] stretched \ two of }' '--\u25a0 at \ his \\ feet,': v recognized >, ' their - master • and -manned their v positions. : . Mills made ! them knock Holes ' through ; the walUon'thefside^cornmanding'tße:' 'trail, 'through f which> had'they' been Americans,; th'cy .. could have * kept < off \ the : enemy; almost -forever. ' -\\; hat _'C he had not •reckoned*;- with, }thbu"gh, ; . \ya's "'• ; their V' propensity, to 'I blaze ' a\vaV> j_pir their *-. ;\u25a0 ammunitioii . • regardless- •? \u25a0 of : : wh ether • th cy \u25a0 are'\hi tt in g - anyt hirig.br' not. 1 ;r As 'soon-; as . th i eif "\ ri re : slaolceii ed '.. the.Nicaraguan-:geriefal,;with the; help of 'a gun, . p]aced bchind>-his men,^forced «' them \u25a0 vp the steep' hill.' They« outnumbered their foes- ten/ to one. , : Swarming; along : the trail,", -al though;- the.' first pranks 'went dO>vn"; from -the : fire of -the hneVi- 7 ;be;iindtl!e^ wall, they, managed to worm their ..way.j, up : to 'the graveyard; shooting 7 ' holes' having/ become usclc'?> Mills' ,men,-. trapped ; as;: they were, s^ent their *last ammunition firing > blankly ' through the '.wall, While / the _'\u25a0' Xica -5* ra^uan: soldiers:, replied "with tenfold effect, v The \vall now looks like; a' sieve.; ' ; : . ; .: \u25a0 . ..' . , When the last rush cauie and the. Nicaraguans" were ; scaling * the^ wail fromevery ; side^ Stillsiwith His Handful of-remainingcmeh^fell^back|into;one corner »•„ th e V grayeyardi^ near . • the v gateway^^JustJas j he] was> rallying! Hi si ,men of i!them^£mash"ed|'t!ie^locl? t6nhe^grayeyardi"grate7;withs;thei.butt l of -s his • ? rhusket % and ?: "swrungi" it" ' opc'n. : MiHsV.'mcrivviaw /-Vtheir^chancej'rvand-; rushcd^put^pell^melKAleaving' - -binr alohefto : face*the;cnc'ny\ r/\u25a0-\u25a0ir /\u25a0-\u25a0 i v - >\u25a0 : *:Jlills*mi^ht'hay^follmvedjtncm^but hirfightirig;b!obHTwas ¥ ur^^^vVitli one \u25a0 la6t-;shbt;at-h!sis own •..-.menihel; turned : ~> to Uacelthe "i who! eg Nicaraguan sarmy^ U whichft by*? thatjjtime 1 wa s : into £ the ;\u25a0 graveyard* fro'mV all / ' sides;: only^oneiinah;they Crushed/at ; >hJmJwiths'aJy^ell.^4Mills'^'iut£i^ Jpvqlverff6r^a|few^bnef^^huteslkep^ ithefhordeiatibay^f^He'n^i^furYoVs' jintithe^Nicarag^Miiforces^at^veryx sFo^aXmprneritf?the>Niatraguaria^fell !?ofi?thel ; marksman shipf^'grovelingsambngjtthc, v gray estones.^/^^^p^ggjggpfcS^W />^lnHhe|heat^ofnheinextrrusH*allran-1 ,dpmtsh~otxfirVd\th'rb¥gH|ttfTO rhindsMUls *back *Hii| bodyJ sandifof|thermbment|brp^ ;hjslk¥e«;^TKe^Nicarlig^ns^hplnaH* pTO^^b^nlable^t^hitlhim^ih^therfirst' |rush;|clos^a{n%wth^theirlnnachetesK ;jMills»fired"fhis|la*stfsHbt"@hilerstillfbnv .hisrknees^Hisfright/armidrbppedUsl ( llad?sh*aifered^his! -'wrifctr^.^rK^' - \u25a0;' .:\Vith:hisMcft ; hKnd'hVdrowMiis' .saber .- an^^^^l b a^®^?n|^^ '•^all.^Wc"akTfjomlJ6ss sri aged; t oTrunjHisJswor'd' /ithYdugitlthVceTof AtheFmehTcl6sing|ih : V,upbn\him^;.< \ " - A^Gallant.Stand \u25a0 , J^^Vhllejhiß^wjbrdiwasfstilltcaughtim \u25a0i t\ iel bqdy^of|bnej m an Tanother| jumped' l^'with? tlieTelbpwTof 4His¥sJhattered'|arteij 3 a .'rfbigllNicaraguan' frneglrbTwh^liadX^li^bed^tHe^wan Itook f ad^nUg^bfj^th^de^ly^emi .wereylockedfto Sis e^tlje^f negro stjJbodyFa^lal snleld| gSu"chltwasAthe^fju/yXofjhis!jfo«^^ ithcy:hacked^the^bo^yAbf|theirSown^ icb"mralde3tbTpie'ces;in|th^ir|^ ygetTatfthejHated'gririgo.-. • y \u25a0 ' / _-- <~ <^Risihglwithlthe Ibbdy ' of 7 the \ riegjo' \u25a0 'held f ih|if ont |^f Hblind7^tbT|the?irieirest .pgraveßtone? \ an"dSher'e|ma J dei hjs||aJtjstand.|^Withj |lus|bl opd3vsv?ord|d^r|\vingla|dead|lme' paboijtlHim^lie^lasted^S|ull|minutei c|fst6o<! |His|:f ujl Ih'wd^iifd^houlUe^ato^h^ienemi^ |Witlilliis^ldng;Veacli;h'e<waJ^abl?|tpj |k"«pJtHep^at?"a|'distance4b^^ crowd to thcffellblvsToni i'i,ab"out:|fii m^then^ suddettly^a^KMeti |stßpHUimfsqu^ybJt^e^ tfah'dihi-Ipitche^d'-fiW.v^jrilHiis^fulHlenVtiiS The San Francisco Sunday Call. Magazine Section Part I. * -Even -'a s S tfe J f ell |b is s ; enemies" j j uirfp etl '> fwKbmi lie' h aft fata in* iiiTth^uneven feoffs :;^^rhe ylMcaraguan; .officer • whostells" l-tlve^t^yi^aj^^tlpt^tl^^VmencaTrsj *bodyihjtdilß;^ ?afinarvellto|tlie'Cwh"ole 'army ifotyKej "hadtla^ted'M) long.' -";"". ' " ' '• ' ;• - Hi^ragiuns,wejne,soiprcuound-.H i^ragiuns,wejne,soiprcuound-. IknmvStJiefstx^ a i generalissimo' of ; their gwnHorc^^^P^^^^l M^Vh«v-; theji last J three J,yolleyst were; «fire*dv6j^shis^^av^|tJil^^laceyi6vcrS ibi^ltlijTira vestone|b^ wh ichlKe 2 Jisd £ rf6{ißlitTandUalleh7*and:njdelvWcraH'lc7l* n\u25a0 c v ican* fl i g.<