The daily gazette., 1879-12-22
Torture In Tenexmela.


Torture In TenexueIa.
AN AMERICAN CITIZEN CRUELTY NAL
TREATED By VENEZUELAN OFF,
CIALs-THE ToRTUREs OF THE IN
QUESTION REVIVED.
BOLIVAR, State Of Guayana,
Venezuela, Nov. 13, 1879.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:
wish to give your readers brief ac-
count of an atrocious outrage committed
here in Venezuela, and of which the
writer was the victim. Whist is known
as the Caratal districts is located in the
State of .Guayana, Venezuela, about two
hundred miles southeast Of the town of
Bolivar, which is the capital OF the
State. In the month of June last 1
visited the mines there, as l had fire.
quently done before, and remained
there until the 18th of September, on
which day l was ready and expected to
start for this town en- route for New
York. On Saturday morning early, the
18th of September, 1879, was arrested
on complaint of an Italian (who is now
discovered to be fugitive from justice
from Temerara) of having robbed him
of $1,000.
| The civil officer who made the arrest
is known here as a "commssary" and
his duties, believe, combine somewhat
those of Sheriff and Justice of the
Peace. The arrest took place in the lit
tie mining town Of Chile, about one
mile from the quarters of the Italian
with whom had been stopping some
time previous to the arrest. After the
arrest at Chile my arms were tied tight
behind me, and with an escort OF three or
four persons as guard,I was sent back to
Eureka, the Italian and cOmmissary who
arrested me following short distance
behind. The commissary, by the way,
is full.blooded negro and an ex-revo-
lutionary General. My arms were tied
so tight that they became very painful. l
repeatedly requested the guard to slack
en- the cords, but without avail until one
of them asked me what would give him
to loosen them.
told him S.. He slackened them up
a little and gave him the S.. A very
short time after this he dropped little
way behind and another of the guard
came up and drew the cords tighter than
ever. A few moments after third one
came up and asked what l would give
|
this was getting rather monOtonous, and
as we were then not far from our desti-
nation concluded to bear the misery
TORTURE APPLIED.
Arriving at Eureka l was taken into
the room where safe was. The commits
sary then asked me if l had slept in the
room adjoining. l replied in the affirm
alive. He had got another negro to in
| I,a lyn
Spanish, with which language am not
tions, he told me, through the interpre-
ter, that was accused of robbing the
safe the night before of the sum of 81,
200 and ordered me to tell where the
money was Che had previously searched
my trunk). Of course as l knew no
thing about the robbery could not tel
him. He then had some conversation
with the Italian, who speaks Spanish
fluently, at the conclusion Of which thu
latter got up and left the room.
p, This civil officer of the governmen
then ordered my arms to be again tiet
tight behind me, then l was raised up
and by the cord which tied my arms
was suspended from peg In the wall
, my feet being some distance offthe floor
The pain was excruciating. l was con
tinually told through the interpreter tina
if would tell where the money was
=, about it l could not tell. 1t is impossibl
Il for me to say how long they kept m
suspended IN this manner, as 1t, of cours
seemed to ne almost an eternity br
they lowered me down anG returned IN
to the same position many times. The
then changed the manner of torture
stretched a rope across the room with
| lior nr
raised my body up and thrust methrOug
this slipnoose until 1T passed around m
a little below the breast then the rop
was hauled tight, and was left suspenl
ed in this manner. The agony was aw
full. could only draw half breath.
could not speak, but every two or thre
minutes two of the poems would rush u
and raise me up, thereby relieving th
v pressure and enable me to speak. The
this civil officer would always say to me-
Tell where the money Is and we wi
let you 90 perfectly free and unmolested
After repeating this many times l wa
: then taken down, and with my arms sti
l.. tied in very painful manner behind m
. | was led out into the forest about half
. mile from any house under the directio
of the same officer, who allowed no on
to accompany us but the poems and th
interpreter, that there might be no wi
Desses. On reaching a suitable spot l
the woods rope was stretched aero
between two small trees, and in the mi'
die Of this rope was arranged two sma
peculiar shpnooses, and In these wei
placed my bare ankles. The rope W;
then pulled taut, raising me until m
lie head was was off the ground. l ha
thought previously to this that they ha
nearly exhausted even Spanish iDgenu
ty in infiicting physical suffering, but a
r 1 had passed through was nothing con
|, pared to that which l was now compel
ed to endure.
TOUN n WHEEI, ,OCK