Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-04-15
|@r}S;3|;|i|; |a|; 81

heard Of this and gave orders that
the money must not be taken out OF
the country, and that the collector
must leave the cash with the govern
ment. The man was seized and placed
on stool in a prison yard where the
hot rays Of the sun beat upon his bare
head and a soldier stood on each side
Of him with a fixed bayonet, with or
ders to run him through II he ct
tempted to escape. After seven hours
of suffering he announced that he
would give $4,000 IL they would re-
lease him. This was not enough.
The whole $4,000 or nothing. In
the ninth hour of his torture he yield
ed, took the soldiers to the place
where he had concealed the money
and surrendered II. He sailed on the
next steamer leaving Caracas.
A month later German cruiser
entered Iaguaya. The captain and
twelve sailors pulled ashore and then
rode to Caracas. They at once en-
tered Castro's presence and perempt-
orily demanded not only every pen.
ny Of the $4,000, but the punishment
of the official who had superintended
the torture. without a word Cas-
tro paid the money and ordered the
official. who had carried out the pres.
ident's orders, cast into the rotunda.
Curse all foreigners" Castro is re-
ported to have said, when once Cen
eral Ayala, the Minister of Industry,
suggested that foreign money and i'm.
migration should be encouraged to de-
velop Venezuela's resources. "Tll an
null every concession held by q for
eigner in this country" the dictator is
alleged to have said, "and sell the con-
cessions over again"
In December he annulled all the con.
cessions Of the various Orinoco con-
cerns-the Trading Company, the
Colonization Company and the Ship
ping and Transportation Company, all
American concerns with headquarters
| in New York. The reason he gave for
this procedure was that the companies
had not carried out their contract con
ditions.
Previous to this he had annulled the
concession OF the Asphalt Company In
the State OF Bermudez, a concession
which for ten years or more had been
yielding the country a large revenue
annually. He then sold the asphalt
property. which had been purchased
years before In fee simple from the
government of Venezuela. The As
phalt Company protested and carried
its case into the Venezuelan courts
where II was rewarded with an ad
verse decision. Then the company
brought its case to Washington ant
placed II before the United States gov
eminent. The State Department i'm
mediately sent instructions regarding
II to Minister Loomis in Caracas, ant
these instructions LOOMS carried on
to the letter This precipitated thu
present trouble in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, It Is said by excellen
!, authorities that each Of the entire dip
, lomatic corps in Caracas is posting hi
: government daily regarding the stat
Z of affairs.
i Senior Augusta Pulido. Charge d
n Affairs of the Venezuelan legatio
r at Washington. examined the articl
with considerable attention last nigh
@ at the Waldorf.Astoria. He said:
g 81 believe this article to be great
e exaggerated. Cipriano Castro is nc
S dictator In any sense of the wore
( ne won his oi..ce by force of arm!
: but he has obeyed the constitution
/, since his rise to power. | never hear
/. of the reported amendment to the cor
@ sttution whereby the term of Office G
4 President was extended from fou
years to six. Andrade Is not the res
4 President of Venezuela. Neither
n Castro. The latter is only a provii
s ional President. do not know eve
J. II he will be elected to that Office.
During the troubled months whe
q the whole country was in a state
d siege extraordinary measures wei
It necessary to preserve any semblanC
d of order. II these things did occur
o was long ago, and much less harro,
IS ing than portrayed by your correspol
n dent"
Gonzales Esteves. the consul gel
n eral of Venezuela at this port, refuse
a to discuss the contents of the articl
n saying that there was no truth In II.