Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-10
NOT TTHEvENEzUELANS
But the Colombian Rebels Who
Are Bombarding the Port
of Rio Hacha.
so SAY THE INSURGENTS AGENTS
Present Colon bian Government Given
but Two Months of Life
by the Rebels.

New York. Sept. 10.-The statement
given out by the Colombian minister
at Washington that n Venezuelan fleet
/ was bombarding the port of Rio
Hacha is denied by DIR. \. ]. Restrepo,
diplomatic representative of the CO.
lombian insurgents here. He says
that the attack was made by the revO-
| lutionary fleet. Local revolutionists
lexpected the news of the engagement
for the last week and We're jubilant
yesterday because they felt little
doubt about the port being already in
| their possession.
Rebels Need Rio Hacha Badly.
DIR. Restrepo said the capture of Rio
Hacha was of the utmost Importance
to the rebels. because this would place
the entire Atlantic coast. including
Barranquilla and Santa Marta. at their
mercy and bring about an early vic
tory for their arms. He added that he
was sangine the battle had been fought
and that il had resulted in n defeat for
the government, which is withholding
the news.
Becerra ExiIed by Castro.
Dr. Ricar6o Becerrd, who cabled the
Colombian legation at Washington
from Curacao that the Venezuelan
navy was bombarding the territory OF
her neighbor. was eXiled about n year
ago by President Castro. He was the
minister of Colombia here during the
insurrection of 1885 and secured the
armed Intervention OF the United
States.
Venezuela Not Fighting Colombia.
Raoul Perez. secretary of the Colom-
bian revolutionary diplomatic agency
in this city. when asked if n VeneZue-
Ian apa h..., .l.n.- l,I III.
The NeneZuelans are not fighting in
Colombia. The only fighting at pres
ent going on in South America is he
tween the Colombian liberals and the
Colombian clericalS. The liberals. or
revolutiOnistS. whose land and sea
forces have. we think captured the
town OF Rio Hacha. include four-fifths
OF the Colombian patton. This vast
majority of the cOuntry'S population is
fighting 5000 Filipino friars who have
come to our shores. and many Italians
Spaniards and other Europeans allied,
against us. President astrO is strug-
CLING for our liberty and not for his.
own prestige and advantage.
Is Not n War OF Conquest.
This fact should kept i'm mind
always. This iS no war Cf conquest
Venezuela has nothing to do with it,
Several hundreds of thousands of our
cOuntfNmen VINO nave been compelled
To flee to Venezuela are helping us but
they are Colombians and not Vene-
Zuelans. The cable between Curacao
and MaracaibO Is broken. and so we
have no positive information of the
last battle. but. with only 100 clerical
troops against our army. we are al
most positive that we are in posses
sion Of the entire northern coast OF
Colombia.
Predicts Victory In Two Months.
There will be no invasion from
Venezuela. Ecuador or Nicaragua
There will he no attack on the 18TH
mus. Rio Hacha is 800 miles from
Panama. which proves that the pub
hshed account of. AN attack TO he made
on the iStbmus is cut out of whole
cloth. Our two armies of 1000 men.
commanded by Generals COmancho and
Marin. now occupy the very heart OF
Colombia. There is no peace there:
we are pushing the war of freedom
into the very center of our country.
In two months l predict we shall con-
quer. and n man whom all Colombia
respects and loves will be at the head
of the government"