Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-04
A HOSTILE INCIDENT.
Great Britain Will Have a New Crow
to Pick With Venezuela.
AN ENGLISH SUBJECT ARRESTED.
His Captors Shoot Him and he Dies From
the Wound Inflicted.
NO CHARGES PREFERRED AGAINST HIM

NEW YORK, April 3.-The Demerara
Argosy. received on to-day's steamer,
publishes the following: From a cor
respondent, upon whose veracity we can
place full reliance, We have received the
following serious intelligence from the
Northwest district: On the 9th of February
a man named William Campbell, British
grant holder on the Barima, and related to
a well-knowE and respectable Pomeroon
family. went to visit an Englishman called
Neames. who holds a place on the Vene-
zuelan side of the Amacooroo river. Shortly
after Campbell's arrival at Neames' house,
three Venezuelan police, armed with guns,
and one said to be a sergeant, armed with
drawn sword, entered Neames' house and
surrounded Campbell, informing him that
they had come to arrest him, but they re-
fused to tell him on what charge. Camp.
bell offered no resistance, but merely said
he wished to go of his own accord. The
Venezuelan sergeant ordered policeman,
who was standing behind Campbell, to
The Englishman Fatally Shot.
fire at him. The policeman did so, fearfully
shattering Campbeil's right hand.
"The sergeant then demanded rome from
Neames to tie up Campbell, but Neames re-
fused to give him any. The police then
took Campbell away with them to the In
spector, who sent him on to the Venezuelan
Governor at Orinoco.
'The Governor sent Campbell back to
Amacooroo, where he was liberated, no
charge Of any kind having been made
against him. Campbell returned at once to
his grant at Barima, and reached Mora
whanna Hospital 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 very bitter feeling among
the settlers, both on the English and Venez-
uelan side of the Amacooroo. Mr.. Anson,
the district magistrate, held an inquest into
CampbelPs death, and the jury returned a
verdict of willful murder against the police
man who shot Campbell. and the sergeant
who ordered him to fire.
"What has happened here is just what
we all thought would happen sooner or
later if the strained relations which exist
between Great Britain and Venezuela over
the boundary question, and especially the
formers deliberate possession OF the north
west district, were not relieved by busi-
ness-like settlement of the question.
Venezuela's BIoodthirsty Representatives.
''The representatives. of the Government
of Caracas are men with more or less of a
statesmanlike philosophy, content to await
the full time, although it might be very
tedious, when the question shall be dis
posed of upon its merits; but their officers
in the outlying districts, MEN rough and
ready and incapable of exercising judicial
discretion, were not be expected to show the
same degree of forbearance. The treatment
Mr.. McTurk received during his official
this point, and now the ioul murder of
British colonlst in cold blood. without, so
far as has been ascertained after an official
inquiry the least provocation, discloses in
all its grossness the bloodthirsty feeling
which the average Venezuelan bears toward
a citizen of Great Britain.
1--WE have no idea what our Governor has
done in this matter, but we hope that he has
sent to demand the surrender for trial of the
murderers, and also intimated to the Admiral
on the station that the services of q gunboat
NAV possibly be required. This is not
time to walk softly and express friendly sem
timents. A brother citizen has been MUIR
dered simply because he belonged to our
country, and if his death is not avenged it
will be a lasting disgrace to our name. We
are not confounding the Venezuelan Gov.
ernment with the rough men who represent
it at Amacooroo, but if that government
should be unwise enough to stand between
the murderers and the fate they have
courted, our country should not hesitate one
moment in resorting to action worthy of its
name"