The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-07
TORTURED THEIR PRISONER.
Cruelty to- An American Citizen in
Venezuela.


NEW YORK. Sept L-HippOlyte Lam
bert. a naturaIized American citizen, ar
rived yesterday on the clyde Line Steam
ct New York He tells a stOiy Of cruel
and inhuman treatment inflicted on him
by Venezuelan officers. He says ne Will
report To the State Department at Wash
inSton and attempt 10 have this Govern
mint take cognizance Of the torture he
suffered Tie is covered with scars and
wounds and is in feeble health from con-
hn,ment and pain. He declares he was
urodded with bayonets. trussed up and
beaten with the butts Of guns and starv-
ed in a dungeon The reason for this.
Lambert says, he does not know.
Lambert told his story while on his way
through this city 20 his brothers home IN
New Jersey. He showed his naturaIiza-
ton papers. which were issued by the
Court Of Common Pleas Of this city on
September -, ISL He also has Certin-
Gates from the United States consular
agencies at Caracas. Venezuela. dated
July - 1901 Here is LamDert-s story as
ne tells it,
Il arrived at La Guayra on May - last
On July 10 1 secured employment as q
cook and stepped with a friend into a
barroom 20 have a glass Of rum We had
only been in the place "A minute or so
when the project and four policemen en-
tered and arrested us 1 protested that I
was guilty of no wrOEg. but I was search
"a and my va!ISe WAS demanded. ] told
the police that my vaiiSe was still al the
nbtti. and they sent there and got DOS
session OF my effects and papers The
latter they viewed with the greatest Sus-
ple-on- for IN my memorandum book they
found the notes 1 had made for years con
corning socialism and the condition OF
WorklnSmen IN the different countries l
had visited They also found a copy Of a
newspaper which is an organ OF the So
ciallsts and two phOtograp hs. one Of
these was portrait of the man VINO kill
cd President Barri0S- Other papers told
them that had been mixed up in revo-
luuonS IN san Salvador and Guatemala.
but that was before / became an Ameri-
can citizen.
The discovery Of these papers. how
ever. made the NeneZCelans very bitter
against me, and they placed me inc0m-
unlcadO' and threw me into a dungeon
] protested against such cruel treatment.
and repeatedly demanded 10 be put in
communication with the American Con-
sui This was refused, and 70 subdue me
my Jallers gave me twenty laShes with
heavy whip On July Is I was placed in
military prison IN La Guayra. after pro-
testing that / was citizen Of the United
states, and declaring that ! wanted 10
speak with the American Consul
i resisted with all my might and broke
away from the soldiers. who had before
that 'butted me with their guns They
chased me about the prison yard with
fixed bayOneJS and prOdded me with their
weapons Some Of the sores are still I'M
healed ] asked for surgeon 10 dress my
wounds. but they laughed at me on July
IS / told them they were starving me 20
death. They answered me with the butts
OF their mUSkets. which were poked
through the bars of the dungeon. They
struck me several times. and my sides
Were black and blue on the same day
they took me out Of the cell for q little
while, and tying my thumbs together
hoisted me up until my toes barely hOUch-
I'd the ground. When lowered 1 was in an
exhausted condition. but was flung back
into my cell The next day the guards
'truSsed me. This mode Of torture was
10 double me up like a Jackknife place a
wooden staye under my knees, and bring
my arms underneath the parts Of the
wood that projected. and at the same time
tie my hands together SO that / was help
less In this position I remained for what
seemed 10 me at least half an hour with
ten rifles lying across my back. Becoming
unconscious under this cruel treatment, ]
was put back in the dungeon. and IN ore
] remained, sick with fever. until July D
when l was informed that / had been ex-
lied from the country. That afternoon
four policemen escorted me on board a
Hamburg-Americau steamship which
took me to Santo Domingo"