The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-12-29

ting with gangrene and dying of hum
ger and exposure for want of attend
anCe.
Meanwhile Castro continued a course
of victory until he arrived within strll-
ing distance of Caracas. Then he sent
word to the existing President Andrade
to clear out and Andrade cleared out
accordingly. incidentally, he left only
a few cents in the treasury, but that is
only a detail.
Castro then took possession and is
sued a glorious manifesto announcing
new men, new ideas, new everything;
yet within twenty-four hours he start
ed the old infamy of gaoling without
trial or sentence every man whose con-
duct dispeased him. From that time
began the miseries which now curse
Venezuela.
Castro brought into Caracas a ruffian
crowd of Andinos las the inhabitants
of the Andes are called and installed
himself in the government offices. His
officers and soldiers staggered about
the public parks and streets with
knives and revolvers struck in their
belts; shot civilians on the slightest
preteXt; ordered drinks and never paid
for them in hotels; called for meals in
the restaurants and pulled out their
daggers or revolvers when the owners
asked for payment; insulted ladies in
the street, and all, be it remembered
without the slightest fear of arrest, be-
cause they belonged to Castro's party.
At the Yellow House, the recognized
center of government. a number Of
camp-followers were installed by his
oiiicers and were to be seen daily
lounging on the steps in the sun. With
sucha beginning Castro commenced his
Infamous career of murder and rob-
berry, and with the official sanction of
the foreign ministers carried fire and
sword through the length and breadth
OF venezuela. Few indeed, of his in
famies reach the outside world. be-
cause the local press dare not saw a
word except by express sanction of the
government. The New York press will
Iully suppresses information so that
foreign populations may not know
what is going on, and the London press
has not yet discovered South America.
From the time of his invasion up till
now castro with a gang of cutthroats
at his side has spread ruin in every
direction through Nenzuela 1t is a
common occurrence for his bandits. with
the full cognizance of their President
TO enter into town, rob the stores and
private houses, assault the women,
murder every man who dares even to
protest against these infamies set fire
with the Venezuelan flag at their head.
No one dares breathe a word in Cara
cas- against Castro. The hotels res
taurants, every street corner, every
place of public resort, are full of spies.
and for the slightest word men are hurS
ried off to gaol without trial or SEN
fences, and kept in prison just as long
as Castro or his friends think fit.
Actually there are hundreds and hun
nf In,
zuela today who have been prisoners
for one and two years without ever
having been brought before any court
OF justice or accused of any offence
Some of the prisons are damp and hor-
rlbly. unWholesOme, and the wretches
immured in them die little by little
every day with their iron manacles eat
ing into their flesh. And the English
Government knows this and the Ameri-
can Government upholds it,
Of Castro personally one can only
speak as of a common ruffian. The
enormous revenues eXacted from Vene-
zuelan merchants through the custom
houses are turned into gold, and a larg
portion goes directly into Castro pos
session and is by him sent away to his
private account on the Continent So
it has happened that Castro who ar
rived in Caracas few years back
NitibuL IlloiltS " pay LOT MS Deu ana
board is now worth at least 100000.
Those few words explain most Of The
revolutions which now oc tur in South
and Central America. The VagabOnd
of today may become the millionaire of
tomorrow, no matter who suffers. To
account for the deficit in the revenue
of the nation fictitious balance sheet
is issued debiting public works, roads,
bridges etc, with hundreds of thou
sands of dollars, but these public works
are myth and the supposed lXpendi-
trre upon them is merely d riak to
cover the robbery of public moneys.
The state of affairs in Venezuela to.
day is a blasphemy on civilization, ana
not only has Castro spread like a gan
creme over Venezuela but he has been
to very large extent the cause of thu
present civil war in the adjoining re-
public of Colombia. Castro's men,
CastrO's money, and Castro's gunbOats
helped largely to carry on the revolu-
ton against the Colombian government
and a Venezuelan gunboat, the Bolivar
actually bombarded Savanilla, a Co
lOmbian port, without any declaration
of war. | was in Caracas when Castro
President of the Republic of Venezuela
gave audience at Yellow House to the
Colombian general Tribe, the acknowl-
edged leader of the revolution against
the Colombian government, despite the
fact that the two nations were friendly.
The Venezuelan press naturally kept
silent over the incident.
a nd TO tiy1c al II ,ic