The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-10-05
REPuRIIoAH MILMNGToN 1901
SIX HUNDRED SLAIN.
VenezuslanS Utterly Routed
by Colombian TroopA
INDIANS FELL on RElREA1Iyc FORCES
numors Of a Second Defeat Of vsne.
zuelnns Under Presidcnt Castro
and of the Death Of General
UrIbe.Uribe UncOnflrmed.

NrbOesSFlOS UhCOMuEmeUs
wlLLEMSTAD, Curacao, Oct. o.
The press correspondent here has re-
ceived the following message from a
correspondent in the field dated on the
road between Sinamaica, Venezuela,
and La Hacha, Colombia, Sept, 20, and
sent by messenger to Maracaibo, then
by steamer to Curacao:
with General Davi@'s column Of
1900 men, with five field guns, adyanc-
ing toward La Hacha. This road is still
fairly filed with fugltives and wound
ed Venezuelans from the fighting of
Sept IA and Sept. IL, returning As best
they may to Maracaibo. Dayila's col
umn left Sinamalca yesterday morning.
Counting the Colombian Liberals at
Treinta, thirty miles from La Hacha;
the Sanchez expedition and the 800 re-
endorsements due to leave Maracaibo
Oct |, the VenezlIelans and Colombian
Liberals number 5000 men in Guajira.
"VeneZuela seems determined, II pos
sible to retrieve her fallen fortunes at
Glajira. If she fails In this present en-
deavor, it is generally believed even
among army officers that the Csf6m-
bian government forces. allied Guajira
Indians and Venezuelan veyolutionists
opposed to President Castro will unite
and march on Maracabo, with good
chances of capturing the place. Such
action would probably also mean the
capture of San Carlos fort and the lib
Grafton of the Venezuelan political pris-
oners there, Including General Herman
dez, or 'El Mocho.'
General Davla's first fight at Curu-
goa was an absolute rout. Five Nene-
zuelan battalions Of 400 men each were
engaged and the Colombians are esti-
mated at the same number. 1t is now
known that General Echeverrla was
killed on the battlefield and not shot by
til" cnlombians. The battalion called
the Sacred battalion" composed Of
gentlemen volunteers mounted. was the
first to break and retreat Lefore the
Colombians. After General Echeverria
was killed General DAvila, ClOdomiro
Castillo and Ermlo Castro, a brother
of President Castro, fed the field. An
other battalion then broke. The three
remaining battalions kept up the fight
ing after the flight of the higher otli-
GERS until routed. About 600 were killed
on the Venezuelan side. including thir-
ty minor officers. All the flags of the
Venezuelans were lost. as well as Gen
eral Davila's cannon. variously report
ed at from five to fifteen. Such as were
not captured by the ColOmblans were
thrown into the river blythe relreating
NencXuclans.
"The Indians ambushed General Da-
villas retreating vanguard. composed
of 200 men. and annihilated it.
~Vague. unveriable but persistent
reports are current here and have been
current for four days to the effect that
President Castro's Venezuelan forces
at Tachira and In the vicinity of San
Cristobal suffered defeat at the hands
of General RangeI Garbiras aud his
Colombian Conservative supporters
Sept 25 and 26.
According to yet other reports, Gem
eral Tribe Tribe was killed. At present
it is impossible to obtain satisfactory
confirmation or refutation of these ru-
mOrs"