The times., 1899-09-10
STORY OF THE LEANDRO
An Expedition From New York to
Fight for Venezuela.
The Retreat OF Puerto CabeIIo and
the Capture and Execution of Ten
Sailed Away With Only a Vague
Notion to Their Destination.
(From the New York Tribune J


There was unveiled a few weeks ago at
monument to the memory of the Ameri-
cans who died there in 1906 in the cause of
Venezuelan independence. The erection
of such a monument was first decreed two
years ago by the State of Miranda. inspir-
ed by its President General Andrade (now
President of the Republic) The federal
government, promptly following this lead,
decreed that an imposing monument should
be put up at Puerto Cabello, he place where
the little band of Americans met their
death. This is the memorial which has
just been finished and unveiled with i'm
pressive public ceremonies. Addresses on
the subject of the aid which Americans
rendered to Venezuela at that time, and
of the cruel fate which several of them
suffered for 1t, were delivered by DR.. Al
berto Smith, Venezuelan Minister of Public
Works, and by w. w. Russell, Secretary
Of the United States legation.
The monument commentaries an affair
now nearly a century old, the story of
which. although 1t is familiar in Vene-
Zuela as an incident in the countrys his
tory, is unknown to or forgotten by most
Americans. Francisco Miranda the Vene-
zuelan patriot TO whose aid the Americans
came, had many friends in this country,
where he had served as a young man with
the Continental armysin the Revolutionary
war; In the year 1905 he thought be saw
favorable opportunity to strike blow for
his native country independence by Gre
ating revolution against the Spanish rule.
Coming to New York, where he was fairly
well known, he soon succeeded in inter-
esting in his project man of no less i'm
portance than the surveyor OF the port
Col. William Smith. who was a son-in- law
of John Adams. Colonel Smith introduced
Miranda to Samuel G. Ogden, prosperous
merchant of the city, and the three set to
work with energy to organize an expedi-
tion to go to Venezuela
MIR. Ogden's part consisted chiefly in the
placing at Miranda s disposal of a good
sized ship, the Leander, or Leandro as it
was usually called after Miranda received it.
Two hundred men we're. then secured to
sail on the vessel, under Mirandas COM
mand. These men were engaged in the most
secret manner. and the information youch-
safed TO them was of the vaguest kind.
They simply knew that they were to go
wherever Miranda led them, and 1t was
rumored that the expedition was in some
way destined to attack the Spanish rule in
South America, but nothing definite was
known. These 200 men, who thus volun-
teered in the dark, were for the most part
steady, brave. efficient fellows, who de-
served a happier fate than they received.
The Leandro was well fitted out for her
warlike purposes. Besides the eighteen
cannon which she mounted along her sides.
in the old-fashioned way, she carried fifteen
hundred muskets few rifles, three hun
dred pairs OF pistols. forty cannon OF differ
ent sizes, two hundred swords twenty tons
of ammunition, gun carriages and other ar
ticles of the same military nature.
Sailing from New York on February 2.
1906, with Thomas Lewis for her captain. the
Leandro proceeded to the little port of Jac-
mel, on the south coast OF Haiti, where she
was to make further preparations. While