T  R  A  N  S  C  R  I  P  T  I  O  N

HEADQUARTERS, THIRD BATTALION, FIFTH REGIMENT, SECOND BRIGADE
U. S. MARINE CORPS, MATAGALPA, NICARAGUA,
23 April, 1928.

     1.   In obedience to your orders dated April 19, 1928, I left with a patrol of 8 men at 5.30 p.m., that day, and proceeded via truck to a point on the road about 3 miles west of Sebaco, arriving about 8 p.m. I then marched via San Isidro to a point about 5 miles north of that town, rested there two hours and then went to the house of Alejandro Cruz ten miles east. This house showed every indication of having been searched and there were no people around. I then proceeded to the house of Rizo about a mile away and there found traces of very recent marine patrol activities; hard bread containers and pork and bean cans in the yard, etc. I then camped on a stream bed a mile away and the next morning went to the house of Hernandez. I had previously been informed by a native that Hernandez had been gone for three days taking his rifle with him. His mother, who was at his house, said, he had been gone a long time and had his rifle with him. I found a hand grenade, apparently very recently dropped in the yard of this house.

     2.   At 7 a.m. I left and proceeded to Chahuitilla arriving at that point after about 7 hours actual marching time in an easterly direction.

     3.   I found all quiet in the area visited but this could easily be accounted for by the fact that at least one other patrol was about a day ahead of me and natives also mentioned an [ ---li ] patrol in addition to the one from Jinotega. The country in general is very rough and rocky and water is scarce, the natives depending on water holes in a dry stream bed and wells.

     4.   Those natives whom I saw seemed friendly and glad to give information about Hernandez, but either claimed not to know Sevilla or else said that he was far away across the mountains.

/s/ ALEXANDER GALT.

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