New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-01
DOWNFALL OF AN AUTOCRAT.
SENIOR RAMON PAEz ON RECENT EVENIS
IN VENEZUELA.
49,. rx.tor or rae rrtsuw@

~hf
ere this nv cable Of the extraordinary e'sh.s n"
have latcly occurred in this country ior " ~
the special privilege of your oorfesponoo " -,
one of the most astounding, though oiooosss
,,ors IN this land OF political STRIFE ana military
.0"' -" ,sf.r ~ tb. final downfall Of the despot
= ,,.,.., p,anco the so-calcd llustrc Amercsho'
81 ,or nineteen or twenty years has ruld anu
,xrannzed this beautiful country as IL u "o'o MS POI
sonal pat,imony. At last, however inc pcopo, ~
r,e,,bering that they the sons OF bohVar anu az"
hav. risen against him, have hurled him ron power
With IN. suddenness Of one of those seismic con-
,-,o,s nec,lisr 10 these Andesn regions. and have
swept away in one single day, every Vos"so VI NJ
numerous statues inscriptions and portraits IN puohc
nlsces Indeed, IL was little short OF mlraci' 'ha'
81 num.rous palaces here in Caracas and in other
cites-aIl OF them built and furnished ana unh no"
maintained by the National Treasury-did not snare '
fate OF his states . -
In spite of well-organizsd military and police foce
in the capital and Notwithstanding the constant
vigilance of the authorities, the students Oh
the University have succeeded in destroying
the equestrian statue Of General "uzha"
Blanco which faced the portals OF INC
Capltol Having secretly organized their pan vi
action they took advantage of the darkness 10 un'
screw the horses feet from the PEDESTAL msnles'H
with the connivance of the night Waterman on 'no
following day, when leaving the university ''
the conclusion OF the mornings lectures rev Oh INC
students climbed the top of the pedestal ana assocu
The naughty head of the llustre Americana WIFI
stout rome which they had prepared for the purpose.
As soon as the moose had been duly ias'eheu Siou"a
the neck Of the despots efiey, the studens seiIoo
the rope and tugged thereat with all their might IN
the space OF about minutes the statue ieu aowh
from IFS lofty PEDESTAL to the pavement below win
crash that smashed 1t atoms and caused the hesa
IN roll into the gutter The head was quickly raised
from the ground and carried OF In triumph III INC
direction of the Paseo Guzman Banco, on the Dill
of the Calvano where the " illustrious American d.
Blsnco loved TO style himself, had erected aho'ner
statue Of himself. II of heroic proportions ana
uercbed upon a sort of monumental foundation on the
,ummit of the hill their way thither the excited
crowd stopped at the residence of CreSpo, who was
formerly Guzrnan Banc0s righthand man, ana VINO
IS now his most bitter opponent To him the students
considering it doubtless suitable compliment, offered
the mutiated head of his former patrons statue but
Crespo who is "A soldier. and who had acted as
his lieutenant in more prosperous times recoled with
horror like Caesar at sight of Pompey's head, nom
the unwelcome Offering
The excited crowd. which 10y this time had swelled
TO large proportions then assembled the winding WALKS
Of the Paseo which are shaded by graceful bamboo
trees and other tropical vegetation until they reached
the summit of the hill. Neither the heroic size Oh
Tho monument nor the alleged heroic deeds inscribed
thereon nor the solid foundations awaited in the least
against the popular fury and indignation On 'ns
occasion. Twenty minutes we're suncicnt 10 pnhs W
the ground the huge colossus, so appropriately HIN
named the NIanganzon7 he tramp. by the popuia'oh
of Republic founded by Bolivar and Paez after san
culinary war Of independence OF fourteen years duration
If * a pty however, that the popular contempt Oh inc
crowd for this bird of illomen' should have e1'ended
also 10 the Park aviaries, the doors OF "h'oh
were cast wide open and the feathery occupants per
united to escape Only few Of the more tame piiTs
preferred their cage To liberty.
After demOshing In part ths ponderous statue anu
thu iron balustrade surrounding the pedestal the crowd
descended from the hill 10 the plaza Bolivar IN inc
centre of which stands magnificent equestrian st@u
Of the Nbertador, erected in his honor with The 1dS
Of the Nation but inscribed, in the case 'i every
other public monument the country, with the words
Per II Ilustre Americana General Antonio Gu1man
Ranoo, Hindered by the military guard from car
ryinr on. their intention OF celebrating Bancos de-
tested name from the base of Bolvars statue 'hH
crowd separated into several groups for the purpose
Of visiting all other public plazss and bridges ana IT.
moving therefrom every vestgn of the yrants reign
of terror and oppression. Even the Statue OF MS
father Antonio L. Guzman, whose memory Ike ina Vi
his SON is associated with many calamites and acts OF
oppression Venezuela, ana which had been eiecled
In front of the Central Market, was torn from lis
pedestal, dragged through the streets VITA rope
around ifs neck and finally hurled into the river at the
famous Puent, de Hero Another group went pacK
10 Capitol square. where the equestrian statue OF Ten
eral Guzman BlancO lay prOstrate. and resumed the
work of demolition in earnest with cOwbais and pcks
and I'm a few minutes they had reduced IT 10 Fragments
The smaller pieces were distributed as meiheh'oes
among The heroes of the day and the remainder were
hon dragged with ropes through the streets In the direc'
ton of Puente de Hero, and were left on an adjoining
field at the mercy Of an Infatuated crowd of women
whose husbands, on brothers had suffered more OF
less by the despots prosecutions.
On the granite pedestal on which II had stood
the crowd placed a handsome bust of General Paez,
which they had previously carried in triumph through
the streets. General Gnman Blanco, owing to
motives of petty jealousy, would while he held
The reins of power, permit the slightest public
acknowled gment of the Nation gratitude to the mSn
who was the real founder of the Venezuelan Republic
and the cOnqueror of the spanards in the war OF
Independence.
BY this time the whole city aroused and the
crowd of demOlishers- demoedOrcs-which had mean
while increased TO several thousands, turned their
steps in the direction of the Cuadra Guzma, one OF
the numerous country palaces Of Guzmsn Blanco
IT is located in fine coffee plantation
and surrounded by magnificent gardens The entire
estate in reality belongs the University of Caracas
but was appropriated by the Dictator 10 his own
use during his of power Tie crowd were on me
eve of reducing the entire palace 10 kindng wood.
But wiser colisels prevailed. and the place left
untouched. Iy the close OI the day, however, lol
single statue. inscription or memorial haa been left
either city here in any portion OF the country
10 commemorate the oppressive dictatorship of Guznan
Banco: and throughout the day the telegraph and
telephone wires were kept busy conveying patriotic
messages encouraging the conOclasts in their work
Of destruction The palatial mansion of the fallen
autOcrat in this city and his magnificent country
seat at Antmano. famous for its gardens and rare
animals. escaped The popular fury owing 10 the
presence Of the military. which. by the orders Of
President ROlas Paul. had been stationed al these
points But at Valencia. the city next i'll Importance
to Caracas General Banco's residence completely
wrecked and his coffee plantation OF Guayavita was
likewise destroyed by the people. The General can
well. however afford 10 bear the loss OF these for he
has many town houses and country
seats. In this city alone he is re
ported 10 possess less than two three hundred
houses Moreover he fine residences al
Paris. where he has lived for time past in great
spendOr with his son ln-law, the Due de Morny
The real hero of the day. however in this blOOdless
revolution is undoubtedly President Rojas Paul. whose
wise and conciiatOPy and statesmanihe pol
Icy have saved tho country from anguinary strife and
his former friend, the Ilustre Americana from
complete airhilston A. graceful compliment to