Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-02-20
BREAKERS AHEAD
FOR VENEZUELA
Feeling of Apprehension Per-
vades Capital City Air.
PRESIDENT AS DICTATOR
Castro Government Growing In I'm
popularity-New York Asphalt Com
pany Prepared to Defend Its Prop
erty bY Force of Arms.

| popuIarIty-NeW OFk Asphalt Conn
pany Prepared to Defend Its Prop
erty by Force of Arms.
PORT OF SPAIN, Island of Trinidad,
Feb. IA correspondent of the Asso-
clated Press has just returned from a
| ten days stay i'll Caracas, Venezuela
where he Went to investigate the Nene-
| zuelan situation. The outlook at the
Venezuelan capital is not good. There
Is feeling Of apprehension i'll the air
The Castro government becomes more
unpopular, and hostility to it is talked
rather freely, and the substantial and
| solvent people of the community con-
| demn the government s attitude toward
| the New York and Bermudez Asphalt
| company.
The New York and Bermudez COM
pany, the correspondent is informed, is
| quetly gathering a strong force of we'll
armed and well drilled men at the pitch
lake These men are under the COM
mand of Major Rafferty,, formerly of
1.-the Seventy first New York, brave
and efficient officer. They will resist
all encrOachment, whether made by
| government or revolutionary troops.
| The United States gunboat Scorpion has
been ordered to the pitch lake, with or
| ders not to allow the company to be dis.
| possessed prior to the conclusion of the
| judicial investigation of the case now
being made in Washington.
The Judiciary BulIdozed.
The Venezuelan government is endea-
voring i'll every possible way to persuade
the rich BermudeZ company TO resort
to the tribunals. The refusal of the
company to adopt that course is based
upon the knowledge that i'll Venezuela
the president or dictator changes the
judges in a night and imprisons them
if they do not give the judgments they
are hidden to give The correspondent
talked with five diplomats in Caracas.
They all asserted that the United
States government had acted with great
prudence and with degree of forbear-
ance which almost ceased to be a vir-
tue. They spoke highly of the skill and
tact with which Minister LOomis has
met the situation.
The diplomatic side of this business
is most important and interesting. The
United States, after receiving all the
legal records and facts in the contro-
yersy with the Venezuelan government,
decided to make thorough inveStiga-
tion and sent for complete set of laws
of Venezuela, some Is volumes. Pend
ing the outcome of this investigation,
they asked the Venezuelan government,
as a matter of courtesy between friendly
nations, to kindly suspend the operation
of the decree dispossessing the New
York -Bermudez company till an investi-
CATION can be made. The Venezuelan
government declined to do this The
request was repeated and again refused.
1t was then made a third time, IN an
emphatic manner, by Mr. Francis B.
Loomis; in fact, it was put as sort of
vigorous demand the third time; but the
result was the same. Then a protest
was made, and that was ignored by the
Castro government, though it had ample
power and authority to meet any or all
of these demands if it saw fit.
Other Outrages.
The trouble over the asphalt is only
one of a large number of incidents in
which the Venezuelan government has
recently been guilty of grave offense to
the government of the United States.
Three months ago the consular agent of
the United States at Barcelona was
thrust into prison without cause. The
United States government demanded an
apology, but has not yet received it. A
year earlier the same consul was ar
rested and threatened with torture if
he did not pay large sum of money to
local military officials.
A few months ago a German mer.
chant at Barcelona was tortured by off.
cials there for the purpose of extorting
money from him. The German govern.
ment sent a cruiser there at once and got
satisfaction and kept the vessel four
months in Venezuelan waters.
The Italians have had men-of- war in
Venezuelan waters most Of the time for
year.
Last year the American consul at
Laguara was attacked and his life
| threatened. The United States govern
ment has never received satisfactory
| reparation for that.
awaiting the VerdIcr.
MINNEAPoLIs, Feb. l9.-The jury in
the hands of whom rests the fate OF
Frank Hamilton, charged with stabbing
Leonard Day to death, retired last
night about IL O'Clock and at O'Clock
| this morning went to breakfast, but
nothing leaked out from the jury
room to indicate whether any ballots
| had been taken or how the Jurors stood.
| Under the charge, four verdicts are
| possible, viz: Murder Ill the first or sec.
| ond degree, manslaughter and acquit.
| tai
| Tn6OnS WIFI he chad