NICARAGUA: The Champ is Dead

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A burly, outgiving 200-pounder, Tacho delighted in shooting, swimming, poker, dancing (he was fast-stepping through the Cha Cha Cha shortly before he was shot).

He could gallop along a picket fence and pick off every sun-basking lizard with a pistol. "I'm the champ," said he. and jovially charmed nearly everyone he met. Seven early years of work and study in Philadelphia—he never stopped rooting for the Phillies—gave him close U.S. ties. President Eisenhower, who sent his own surgeon. Major General Leonard D. Heaton, to try to save Tacho, noted in a message of condolence that Somoza "emphasized, both publicly and privately, his friendship for the United States."

If Tacho's sons can somehow reproduce his rare blend of ruthlessness and charm, Nicaragua may see another era of tomblike peace. If not, the country is probably in for a tumultuous power scramble.