The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-22
CASTRO OF The STEEL HOUSE.
THE PRESIDENT or vENEz-
UELA AND HIS METHODS.


WIN mofF tul1 tTtAA nun A1f % fIhncs
said H. Il am the STATE Castro h vene-
zuela.
The Venezuelan President. moro properly
Dictator. works as silently n a servant
IN rubber shoes. Just now he l. popularity
supposed To he preparing TO sec the world
beyond VenezueA. For sooner or later
he must follow one or another OF his PIE
decs~sop -Guzman Blanco. who died
wealthy In Pars. Crespo. who wa shot
In hath; Andrade. who h now working
for his living IN Trinidad. II u not likely
tina: no will depart Ike his immediate pre-
dcos-sor. Andradn. who escaped through
the ack door Of the palace as Castro and
hts soldiers crashed Ia AZ the front, fed 10
Barbados ON vcnezucla's only gunboat.
and then. with infinite courtesy sent tho
boa hack 20 Castro with a note saying
Il return you the navy; you may need II
yourself" Castro's aspirations lean rather
20 the Blanco method Of exit and 70 a golden
exile. People in his own house tell Of
frequent shipments OF gold sent abroad
by the thrifty President.
Castro rules not with tongue or pen or
sword. hut with his thumb As he moves
that thumb TO the left. to the right. no IL
the law, as Simon said Thumbs up.
thumbs down One day las; year in the
Prado. a man named Lopez fired a pistol
point blank In Castro's face. BY \ mira
Gle the bullet went astray. When the
wonld-he assassin was brought before
Castro. the Dictator jerked his thumb
toward tho door. and Lopez was thrown
into the Black Hole Of Caracas, the Ro-
tunda. Rsccntly. when the Judge Of the
Superior Court Inspected the prison. none
at the prison officials could remember
having seer Lopez after tho frs' DAYS 81
his Incarceration Escaped said the
Governor of the prison. hut offered no
proofs The verdict - Caracas. when the
iudrr told IN" tale. was Murdered and
buried IN the Jail Perhaps Castro had
jerked his thumb downward
The Dictator ha- the facr ~ a tired man, |
the eyes Of the ferret, the mouth Of cruelty
BY Temperament he l. nervous. irritable. |
impatient. biz exc.taLiliiv finding expression
principal y H. his 'hgills OF government
he has shown 'ta' h. knows az much a. a
chief Of bandit BY some he II called
the Clown 81 Mira Tlores," a name which
re,ds explanation.
In the heart - the capital city there IL a
Ialac' which has al extension bull; entirely
of steel. The hous" II called Mira Flores.
and was the residence Of Crespo when that
fighting General was President The steel
extension hls two rooms, like comrart-
Ilsut. in u safe deposit vault. and I'M this
strong box uf a piac' the Dictator spends
most Of l4- time Also the S.nora Castro.
The steel houss - earthquake proof The
tastrrs cone naturally by their fear Of
earthquake When the town Of Clcu.a.
years ago. wCs shaken from the map as a
crinb from "a tah!ycluth. Sehora Castro
was tho Cnlv %U'"rllsr ~ her family 70 escste
the devastation. castro himself stood on
a Will outside ~" town and saw his abode
Cruiuhi" Tx" q NHiiss - cards upon the
head 81 thcsr v hin Again Inst pctoter
tho great trracas earthquake ~ Nh" dead 81
iignt, throw tUstrn from his l--d Then
~ i1s irgti Do. Jumped througl a win
dow 20 a paved court and hrpk" his leg
7 ke i.rxt dav ~" movel from tho Yellow
llouse. the White House of Venezuela, to
Mira florc~ Ana there. in th" wing where
wails, floor and cr,linC ar" al q s'"ci. the
tBstrUs c.f igt .lrcU
Incidentally, the man who published the
vorsss ~ Which the Dictator was named
ol Mira Flores. one Dr Pedro
i at this moment languishinR
IN the Rn,unda. having heen confined
There since last April. when his pocn
irSt ar' reared M tho without trial and
~ the slmpic mandate OF tRSiro's thumb.
That the steel house u bullet proof il an
added point ~ n"rit. In the Dictator's
eycs That which q ls'ro most fcars II not
earthquake, not atture, but human kind
Were he 10 camp ~ the summit Of Ncsuyius
the uncertainty ~ tho p~roiongatiou 81 his
career could not I've greater than ~ u as the
~ Ncu"zuela. The country over
he rules j. a volcano and Caracas -
IL crater And when comes tho eruption
The hrst Nictim viii IT, Castro.
Revolutionary army ~ moLilizing in the
t1lo.nhiau revolutionists are pour
Ing over tn border To lend a hand TO thor
hrDtlcfs, with the understrrd.
ing that the attention will be rs-cipro~a'rd
castro j. o,eithruwn and Colouthta
the seat OF war. Z
That Ven, zuTia hes = r"voln ionarv
party Is, of course. not remarkable Tho ,
5000 49,. aHLA .---A =
tion invariably becomes the revolutionary
~ the next Ad ninistration. But
the particular die" lhtentsd party which is
now In the field hasa special srudge against
The Dictator shot tho revolu-
ZIONIST leader. Gen. Acosta Now. IN that
where such leaders are az thick
~ trampe along a railroad. never before
has one been punished nv death. Put
said III ever INV soldiers capture
he shall b. hot. SO Inst Fehrtarv,
when the revolutiorist was tabcn. the Die
sent IN order for his raptors to get
into CRra~as befn. tie 2Th, Tint
be-. Castro. might have the pleasure ofsuI~r-
rising the execution. Failing this, the
order was 10 shoot Acosta on tho. 18Th.
herever he might be.
When came Tho i9'h the prisoner was stil
No miles by 10 ~ from The capital. and
" Acosta, one Of the brightest intelleCts
To kneel In the midtee 81 the road,
With his hack 10 the Arms squad. n thus
vas carried out another sentence pro-
by Csstro's thumb
To appreciate the Importance Of tho ,
fate ~ this OCCURRENCE Y II necessary t. d
state that Feb " was the dav on which :
castro called his Congress together. changed ,
he Constitution to ~ui' his own PURPOSES, ,
md drclRr-d limsrlt no longer Di~t1tor, :
hu, Constitutional President The Con- 4
forhids capital punishment. A.
Dictator. Castle might shoot Acoetas hy q
he scvr and Lbs legal right 20 do So would =
MY he a matter OF dispute Bur once he
the chief Executive under 'h~ ,
Constitution such All act would ~ illegal r
question, and CHs'ro. imrnna q
,s Dictator. would ~ subject To consr- :
1ueuces - President =
Castro's own soldiers luvc linn not. He F.
iook away oar thin uniforms thev say. !
and dressed us up In cloth uniforms and {
,au~, Ike French soldiers. Besides. ~ .
rays " ~ he l. glad when We r
lc~cr- -iirpiv putting new men in our s
Tho ofNcer ~ Csstrois army, :
r,-r. make no compliant for .very !
lime the Dictator u-rs the military ~ the '
Instrument f"I making a golden haul the q
ge; the drpptngs TO illustrate: %
Las fall the o.dirr reported that thye .
Caracas merchants wrrr hosrding /.
,Cld within their home. III. Dictator or :
slai each uf th"Se men h. taxed
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