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Show INSURGENTS FORCED TO RETREAT IN A BATTLE AT SANTA CLARA General Blandon Killed While Carrying Out Orders to Stand and Fight Fire of Max im Guns of Enemy Was Deadly I Conrad's gun after their commander had staggered to the rear. Bluefields, Nicaragua, Feb, 11. General Gen-eral Blandon died as he held hi his hand General Luis Menu's order to Ktand and fight. A misinterpretation of this order by another Is held by the provisionals to be responsible for the retreat of their troops following their repulse by the government forces at Santa Clara. The Insurgents Insur-gents do not admit defeat, and declare de-clare that tho way to Managua Is open to I hem. It is explained that General Mena had not expected to defeat the enemy with his small force, but planned to keep the government forces engaged with the Idea that the enemy would draw reinforcements from Acoyapa, only ten miles distant, and so bo unable 'o send an augmented army ncaliiHt General Chamorro ln the province prov-ince nr Mafagalpa. This purpose was vft'ected, but the plan did not work out as expected. There was considerable consid-erable confusion among tho Insurgent otllcers and the advantage of the subsequent sub-sequent situation was In doubt. It was explained, however, that the pro-lslonal.s pro-lslonal.s took the heavier fire of the enemy with courage anil acquitted themselves well, so far as personal bravery was concerned A review of the details shows that the campaign was well planned. While General Chamorro was operating In the province of Matanapiu, where he has since occupied th capital of the piovince. General Men, with only one hundred and fifty men nnd no field riiiik, attacked tho enemy, 600 strong, and entrenched on a hill commanding Las Garotas. Deceived regarding tho strength of the provisionals, the enemy ene-my f-H back, taking a stand at Santa Clara. General Mena pursued. Fighting continued on Feb. ?, at long range and with no great damage done. At ! o'clock on the following mornln? the provisionals made a desperate attack at-tack mon tho fortified position of the enemy, being reinforced by the timely arrival of General Blandon with 100 men and one Maxim pjin. The enemy's position was In Ihe form of a semicircle. The government govern-ment troops iiad been reinforced over night by 200 men and two Maxim and two Hotchklss guns. These gnns were w ell placed, and, using smokeless powder, pow-der, could not be located definitely by General Mena. General Menu's right wing, including Gordon's American hharpshooters, took an exposed posi-llou posi-llou within the enemy's semicircle, while his left, wing was sent to the rear of the enemy at the high point, of the steep hill. During the forenoou the fighting was chiefly between Mena's left and the enemy's right, the l itter repulsing every attack. General Conrad of the provisionals commanded command-ed the Maxim gun. which was poBted In an exposed position, 500 yards from me of the enemy's Maxims and 200 yatds from the other. Back of the Insurgents' guns was a little group composed of General Blandon, the members of his staff and the half dozen men of Conrad's gun crew. The enemy's nearest Maxim and one of the Hotchkl63 guns had a perfect per-fect range on this little party and mowed down the heavy barriers in which the provisionals were partially concealed. It Is considered remarkable remark-able that Col. Gabriel Conrad escaped Injury so long as he did. At 2 o'clock ln the afternoon he received re-ceived a bullet through the brain. Fall of General Blandon. The fall of Blandon was a great misfortune mis-fortune to the provisionals. Ho had Just received and read orders from General Mena when the enemy's nearest near-est Maxim, having been moved, bean i. iking the hitherto sheltered spot. General Blandon's body was accom-p.inl-d to the rear by Col. Roche, who declared that Mena had ordered Blandon Blan-don to abandon tho right wing and reinforce the left wing, which had been . unable to make any progress uyalnbt the government's posltlou. Col, Conrad dismounted the gun and the column began to move for a new position lu plain sight of the enemy, which quickly took advantage of the rltuation. General Mena saw the mistake mis-take nnd, galloping to the front of the mining column, ordered It back to Its original position, which It was Intended In-tended to hold at any cost Hut the time lota was fatal. Those who reached their former position found the enemy with Iwo Maxim guns nl a dlstauco of 50 nnd 100 yards, under cover, and pouring a murderoun lite upon the posltlou which the pro-xnionals pro-xnionals wero attempting to reas-ruini'. reas-ruini'. Cel. Conrad directed his Maxim iJlxui the nearest enemy, meanwhile lecehlng the cross-fire of tbe government's govern-ment's three Maxims. Conrad's chief fMlstunt was shot through the arm and his ammunition tenders were wounded. Conrad was himself compiled com-piled to place cooling water on the n in Jacket and to adjust the ammunition ammuni-tion belts unaided. His Niraraguans behaved bravely, b t we-re unable to reach the pun petition pe-tition In the face of the hall of bullets. bul-lets. Conrad's chief assistant, thourh vunded, did not move from the side oi his chief, and only showed his Injury In-jury when Conrad angrily demanded h!j assistance. A moment later a bullet bul-let tore thiough Conrad's abdomen, b 'l p irsuc-d a downward course, cut-ling cut-ling the flesh only. I General Moui. rccoi'iilhuc the cost of hU mistaken order, ordered a re-Ircat. re-Ircat. Four Nlcnroguun insurgent nn n;rtnoi.:i brillhmi exploit in having |