A report of Br. Bregenzer’s death given
at Tuburus by an eye witness, a Sumu
Indian from Musuwas.
On Tuesday the 31st of March 1931 at 8
AM news reached the Musuwas people
through some Sumu Indian women that the
Sandinistas were approaching. Br.
Bregenzer’s family fled into the bush,
but Br B. himself had decided to stay.
At 9 AM the Sandinistas entered the
village and went straight to the
missionhouse. Meeting Br. B. there they
tied his arms and then dragged him
around kicking and buffeting him. An
appeal to his German citizenship was
considered a lie. At 2 PM he made one
more appeal to set himself free and this
was answered by a quick cut with a
machete which almost severed his head,
after a Sumu Indian had refused to kill
Br. B. The Indian escaped as the gun
which was pointed at him did not go off
and a few pistol shots did not reach him
anymore. The few Sumu Indians who were
retained by the Sandinistas begged
Blandon, the leader, who was responsible
for the murder but did not commit the
act himself, to allow them to bury their
missionary but he refused. The death of
our brother was a sudden one. The body
was not mutilated, but whilst lying on
the ground the pigs damaged the face
somewhat. At 6 PM Blandon sent a few
soldiers and they buried the body in a
grave which was hastily dug waist deep.
The body rests about 100 feet away from
the place where the missionhouse stood.
A day after Br B.’s murder Abraham
Rivera who is personally known to a few
missionaries, appeared with 8 men and he
expressed his disapproval of the action,
as some of Blandon’s men had done
likewise the day before. The Sandinistas
stayed in the village until Saturday
amusing themselves with playing the
victrola. They had intended to catch the
rest of the family, but as it was
expressly stated not to kill but to
abuse. The house was set on fire on the
day when they left for the lower river.
Only a few houses of the Indians caught
fire. An attempt to burn down the church
failed. Apparently the church books
perished with the house.
The main reason for having killed Br. B.
was apparently not so much the fact that
he had been doing missionary work
amongst the people but his having sent
notices to people in the mine district
of the movements of the Sandinistas
which any of us would have done. How far
some statements, said to have been made
by a few Indians who were in
disagreement with their missionary, have
contributed towards the death of Br. B.
could not have been ascertained as the
Indian whom I interviewed would not
respond to such questions.
The Sumu Indians have not as yet
returned to their village. About 35
church members have come over to Tuburus
with the intention to settle there, for
the present time at least. The rest are
living along some creeks about a day’s
journey traveling down the river from
Musuwas.
/ s / A. O. Danneberger
Moravian Archives, Bethlehem PA, Nicaragua
materials.
Transcribed by Pleet Initiative-funded
Lebanon Valley College
student-researcher Nicholas J. Quadrini.
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Ancillary Documents
1. Elizabeth Bregenzer,
Wawa River, Nicaragua, to Dr. S. H.
Gapp, Bethlehem PA., 22 April 1931.
Tuburus, on the Wawa River,
Apr. 22 - 1931
Dr. S. H. Gapp
Bethlehem, Pa.
Dear Br. Gapp:
How shall I begin to tell you what has
befallen us! Whether any word has
reached you I do not know. On Mar. 31st
about 10 a.m. the alarm came “The
Spaniards are coming” and in haste each
took up a few necessary things and
started for the bush. Br. Bregenzer,
however, would not go with us. He had
the assurance of Heb. 13:6 and his last
word to me was: “The Lord God is still
alive.” We then made our way to a hidden
camp in the bush previously prepared for
just such an emergency and later some of
Sumu men found us and took us still
further away for they had been watching
from the bush and thought it wiser. They
said our house was full of Spaniards and
the whole village overrun with bandits,
many Miskitos and Sumus among them.
In the late afternoon one of our helpers
came to us. He had been caught on the
river by the bandits and brought to
Musuwas a prisoner. About 2 P.M. he had
been taken to our house where he saw and
spoke with Br. Bregenzer, who was tied
on one arm and being led around by a
guard while the [p. 2] bandits were
spoiling our goods. In his free left
hand he had a Spanish New Testament from
which he read and proclaimed the Gospel
though they told him to keep still for
they didn’t want to hear. Then this
helper Everesto who was prisoner was
given a machete (a huge knife) in his
hand and told to kill Br. B. with it but
he refused and then they said – “Alright
then you must die too for you are his
friend” and taking him outside they
would have done so but were taken by
surprise when he made a dash for freedom
and though they threw knives and shot
pistols and guns after him he got away
safely.
We slept in the open that night and next
day went still deeper into the bush and
there in the evening another helper
found us bringing news of what was
taking place. When I asked him what news
of Br. B. he answered: “Yesterday
afternoon they buried him.” Not till
several days later did we find out facts
and they are not in detail for those our
Sumus who remained in the village were
not allowed to come near. It seems that
after the man Everesto escaped, the
bandits tied another rope around Br.
B.’s other arm and dragged him to a
place just outside our yard fence – (the
site of the old toilet!). Here they
knelt to pray and they asked “Who do you
pray to – to Holy Mary or one of the
saints?” It is reported Br. B. answered:
“No, I am not made of wood – I pray to
the Lord Jesus Christ.” At this they [p.
3] became very angry and slashed at him
with their machetes and finally beheaded
him and buried him in a shallow 4 inch
grave.
This band of men consisted of 250 men
and at sundown another band of 300
arrived. Two weeks before, the captain
of this last band had sent 3 spies to
Musuwas and they had learned from our
Sumus of our hiding supplies in a secret
place in the bush and had also heard a
lot of vile, malicious lies spoken
against Br. B. by those who opposed the
preaching of the Gospel in Musuwas and
this band came with the intentions of
freeing our Sumus from the tyranny of
such an evil man as they had feared the
parson to be, but they came too late.
But the things hidden in the bush would
have escaped but knowing about them they
set out to search, looking 2 days
without success and then a Musuwas Sumu
led the way. A box of medicine was
literally emptied all over the ground,
bottles broken and pills, etc. covered
the ground. Other things they seem to
have taken with them. Then they were
also looking for us to kill us also. The
Sumus left in the village actually knew
but on threat of death one man was ready
to tell but another told him sternly to
keep still, it was enough. They told the
people not [p. 4] to tell what became of
the parson – he just simply disappeared
and afterward they should kill us with
poison. On Good Friday they were playing
victrola and dancing in our house and
Saturday A.M. they left Musawas, leaving
5 men behind as a sort of rear guard and
these set fire to the house and all
other buildings on the premises. The
church didn’t catch fire but they broke
the pulpit and vilely polluted the
building.
In the meantime we were camping in the
bush and when we heard on Easter Sunday
of the complete destruction of
everything we realized there was nothing
left for us to do but to try to get to
the coast as soon as possible. It is a
long story to tell everything but by the
wonderful and abundant mercies of our
Lord and Savior we have come so far.
Food, clothing and shelter He has
provided each day and we trust that He
will also lead us out safely. Arrived
here we heard that ahead of us there had
been trouble also and we are waiting
here for news from below that the way
will be open before we proceed. I cannot
speak enough of the devotion,
self-sacrifice and consideration which
our Sumu carriers and shown us.
Please, excuse the pencil writing. It is
a 2 inch stub which I have quite by
chance, or rather by the Lord’s will and
having time here I write so that when by
His help we reach Bilwi you may receive
this speedily. Expect to go to Blfds,
D.V. – Beyond that I do not know. The
Lord will direct. With kind regards, I
am, Sincerely,
Elizabeth Bregenzer
[written upside down:]
[p. 1:]
Arrived Bilwi today – May 1st. Leaving
for Blfds this evening. The Lord has
been so good to us! His name be praised!
E.B.
[p. 3:]
The text that morning was John 15:13.
Br. B. was much burdened with the souls
that were yet lost, and it was this that
kept him there to give the Gospel to the
bandits for how shall they hear without
a preacher! Rom. 1:16 was the text of
his first sermon in Blfds [Bluefields]
and his motto throughout his ministry.
[p. 4:]
Please do not give honor to my husband,
he would not be pleased for all honor
belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Moravian Archives, Bethlehem PA
Transcribed by Pleet Initiative-funded
Lebanon Valley College
student-researcher Nicholas J. Quadrini.
|
2. 7 April 1931.
Fragment of letter from Pedro
Blandón to Sandino re Padre Kabringenser of
Moravian Church, ASG 220-21.
"El 30 de marzo salimos de San Pedro de
Pis Pis, y llegamos el 31 del mismo a
Musaguaz donde encontramos un hombre que
los zumos le decín Padre, el cual era un
reportero del Jefe de la Guardia de las
minas y de Puerto Cabezas quien les daba
informe de todas las operaciones
desarrolladas por nuestras fuerzas en
estas regiones.
"Pregunto por mi,
revestido con toda la autoridad que me
caracteriza, que cual era su misión en
nuestro territorio, contestó que los
indios zumos habían enviado una acta
firmada por todos ellos pidiendo al
gobierno de Estados Unidos de Norte
America, que les diera quien los
intruyese porque aquí no había quien los
civilizara, y entonces el macabro
gobierno de E. E. U. U. de N. A. lo
había mandado a él.
"Este era un
miserable engañador a los indios y por
lo tanto los tenía oprimidos y los
explotaba de una manera tan brutal, que
al instante que recibimos los informes
de la conducta de él no pude menos que
mandar separar la cabeza del cuerpo.
"Se llamba
Kabrigenser, de nacionalidad
norteamericana, pues le encontramos sus
credenciales, pasaportes y ás documentos
pertenecientes a él, donde no nos quedó
duda que era americano.
"Todo lo útil para
nuestro Ejército ordenamos que se
trajera, y quemamos la casa que era
propiedad de ese cabrón."
Anastacio Somoza Garcia, El
verdadero Sandino (Managua, 1936),
pp. 220-21.
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