Evening star., 1901-09-13
w. r. Speare,
Undertaken & Embalmer.
$40 STREET NoRTHwBr.
Everything strictly nrst-class and on the most
reasonable terms- Tslephons call $40. Ja1-l0tf
COLOMBIAN TROOPS MASSING
News Received From the Consul nj


The consul at Maracaibo, Venezuela, has
informed the Department of State. under
date OF August 81. that no disquieting news
has been received from the state Of Fachira.
but that the situation on the frontier OF
the Indian territory Of La Goagira is very
grave, and 1t is known that large bodies OF
Colombian troops are massing. Several
smaller fights between them and the Vene-
zuelan troops have taken place, and many
wounded have been brought to Sinamaica
and Maracafbo. Recruiting Is going on
daily. Every horse and mule in the city and
country has been taken for government
service to mount soldiers which are sent
daily In steamers and other crafts to Sim
amaica. The commerce Of the region is
crippled the large mail steamers have been
retarded for days by not being able to dis
charge or load cargoes owing to the fact
that the laborers of the wharves, known as
"Gremio de Caleta," have been made SOL
diers and sent to the frontier. The Amer
lean steamer Julia instead Of taking a full
load Of coffee left in ballast. as it was not
known when she could be loaded.
The street car lines have hardly animals
enough left to run car once in two hours,
every animal able to carry q man having
been taken by the military authorities.
Tranquility ON the Isthmus.
The Navy Department has made public
an extract from a mail report. dated Sep
tember 2. from Commander Sargent of the
gunboat Machias. in which he reports that
after a careful personal Investigation OF
affairs on the Isthmus OF Panama he has
been unable to discover any foundation for
the alarming stories published by the news
papers.
He reports the isthmus to be in a more
tranquil condition than during 1899 and
1900: that the forces of the insurgents as
far as he can ascertain, were largely broken
In a N n nQQO ant hpf poy, in T,,lxr
1900, and since that time they have been
without leaders or organization. and gen.
orally without arms. Small bodies of in
surgents drift about in the bush and oc-
casionally appropriate q few articles from
the shops belonging to the railroads or
from the employees along the line.
The one visitation to train made on
August 6 last at Matachin has since been
disavowed by prominent liberals, who as
sure the railroad officials that free passage
Of trains will In no wise be interfered with.
Petty pillage are the only acts of violence
committed by the insurgents. The best
authorities report that the Colombian in
surgents number about three hundred on
the isthmus. the greater part armed only
with machetes and the rest, he says, with
smooth-bore muskets or shotguns. The
Colombian government has sufficient troops
In Panama and Colon to insure tranquility.
Quiet at Bogota.
The Colombian legation has received q
long cablegram from the state department
at Bogota. the Colombian capital. reporting
that everything was quiet there, and an
nouncing a lack Of authentic news regard
ing the bombardment Of Rio Hacha by the
Venezuelan feet. The legation has receiv-
ed letter from the Colombian minister at
Quito, Ecuador. dated August %, saying
that the Ecuador government has given
him the most friendly assurances Of an in
tention to maintain strict neutrality toward
Colombia. The legation here gives cre-
dence to this report of Ecuador's neutral
policy.