St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-04
PANAMA POLICEMEN.
A Man Named Campbell Or
dered Shot Down by a
Venezuelan Sergeant.
An Inquest Held Over His
Death Says 1t Was Will
full Murder.
Strained Relations Now Exist
Between That Country
and England.
Parnell Beaten at the Sligo
Election and Must Re-
tire.

PANAMA, March 26.-The Demerara
Argosy publishes the following: From
a correspondent, upon whose correct
ness and yeraeity we can place full re-
lance, we have received the following
serious intelligence from the Northwest
district: On the Sth of February man
named William Campbell, a British
grant holder on the Aarima, and related
TO we'll known and respectable Pom
Groom family, went to visit an English
man called NeameS, who holds a place
Oh the Venezuelan side of the Amacoo-
roo river. Shortly after Campbell's ar
rival at Neames' house. three Venezue-
Ian police armed with guns, and one,
said to be a sergeant, armed with Il
drawn sword, entered Neames' house
and surrounded Campbell, informing
him that they had come to arrest him. but
they would not tell him what for. Camp
bell offered no resistance, but merely
said he wished to go in his own corral.
The Venezuelan sergeant ordered po-
liceman, who was standing behind
Campbell, to fire at him. The police
man did SO, fearfully SCATTERING Camp
BELLS right hand. The sergeant then
demanded rope from NeameS to tie up
Campbell, but Neames refused to give
him any. The police then took Camp
away with them to the inspector, who
sent him on 10 the Venezuelan gov
ernor at Orinoco. The governor sent
Campbell back to AmacOOroO, where he
was liberated, no. charge of any kind
having been made against him. Camp
bell returned at once to his grant at
Barima and reached Morawhanna hos
pital on the 18th of this month, where
his hand was dressed and every posi-
BILE thing was done for him, but
he died on the 10th from the effects of
the gunShOt wound. This act of the
Venezuelan police has naturally caused
a very bitter feeling against them
among the settlers both on the English
and Venezuelan side of the Amaco0rOo.
Mr.. Arson, the district magistrate, held
an inquest into CampbelFS death, and
the jury returned verdict of Willful
murder against the policeman who shot
Campbell and the sergeant who ordered
him to fire. What has happened here
is just what we all thought would hap
pen sooner or later if the strained rela-
ton between Great Britain and Ven
eZuella over the boundary question,
and especially the formers delib-
crate possession of the Northwest dis
trict, were not relieved by bust
ness-like settlement of the question.
The representatives of the government
of Caracas are men with more or less of
Il statesmanlike philosophy, content to
await the full time. although it might
be very tedious, when the question
shall be disposed of on its merits; but
their officers in the outlying districts,
men rough and ready ana incapable of
exercising judicial discretion, were not
to be expected to show the same degree
of forbearance. The treatment Mr.. Nc
Turk received during his official visltto
Guacipati was evidence enough on this
point. and now the foul murder of a
British colonist in cold blood without.
so far as has been ascertained after
an official inquiry. the least prov
ness the bloodthirsty feeling which
the average Venezuelan bears to-
wards citizen of Great Britain.
We have no idea what our governor
has done in this matter, but we hope
that he has sent to demand the surren-
der for trial of the murdererS, and also
intimated to the admiral on the station
that the services of a gunboat may
possibly be required. This is not a
time to walk softly and express friendly
sentiments. A brother citizen has been
murdered simply because he belonged
to our county, and if his death is not
avenged it will be q lasting disgrace to
our name. We are not confounding
the Venezuelan government with the
rough men who represent them at ANA
cooroo, but if that government should
be unwise enough to stand between the
murderers and the fate they have
courted, our country should not hest
tate one moment i'll resCrting to action
worthy of its name.