The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-01

snip, ana tne Dflt1Sn CONSUL caDtcu 10 fand-
ma and brought down a British cruiser.
which trained it's guns on the town.
Governor BonilIa received a telegram tell
ing him about this new development while
he was at a public banquet. RE scrubbed a
reply and then rose and made a famboyant
speech.
IT have ordered the officials at Buenaven-
tura," he said, Ito seize the cruiser as
well. We shall find it useful in fighting the
revolutionists. Colombia will brook no inter-
ference in her affairs. If the strangers
trouble US any more, we will close the port
OF Buenaventure, aud the United States and
Europe will not get any coffee. That will
punish them e~ffectually.'
THE SATANIC INCUBATOR.
An American living in Europe. once i'm
ported an incubator and astonished the ma
tives by telling them that he was going to
hatch chickens without the assistance of the
mother hen. They shifted incredulously. and
said that he was a loco Qunatic), but
when the apparatus was installed they
crowded around eagerly TO see what would
happen.
1T is ridiculous declared the women.
The man ought to be put in the casa de
locos.'"
When the eggshells began to break the
women fell on their knees and crossed them
selves.
at is the work Of the devil" they said.
THE stranger is in league with the evil one,
like all his kind"
Later on, when the chickens toddled out OF
the incubator. the women refused to feed
such children of Satan, or even to stay in the
- IA
came mature enough to make a dinner. the
cook went on strike and refused to kill or
roast them.
What savages you strangers are!" ex-
claimed a prominent Venezuelan statesman
TO an English trader when the latter told
him that the foreigners club in Caracas
had purchased some sets of boxing gloves
and the members were practicing the noble
art of self-defense. why don't you settle
your q~uarrels with the revolver or the sword
or the knife. like gentlemen? Your fighting
is most brutal and barbarous."
All South Americans hold that view, n
they fear the naked fist as they fear moth
ing else.
"If you draw a revolver or a knife on a
South American" said a man who has trav-
eled right through that continen, "he won't
turn a hair, for he is brave enough in NOR
tai combat. But If you double up your fist
and threaten to punch his head, he willis
right away. The Colombians are p~articu-
larly afraid of the fist, for an Englishman
once struck a Colombian between the eyes
and killed him on the spot. The case created
a great sensation throughout Colombia and
convinced the people that all foreigners
were barb3rians"
LONGS TO FIGHT EUROPE.
Even the President Of Venezuela, Cipriano
Castro, has no idea of the power of foreign
countries. When the navies of Great Britain,
Germany and Italy were blockading his
coasts, he regretted that he was unable to
fight.
1T is like a duel with swords at thirty
paces," he lamented to an American visitor.
Their ships cannot sail over the mountains
to my capital, and my brave soldiers can
not swim out to their ships. If only vene-
zuela had a navy, the case would be differ
ent. We would go out and sweep away our
enem,c IS, or perish gloriously. If only they
would land troops, my brave soldiers would
vanquish them-ayei they would vanquish
the whole Of Europe if I called upon them to
| do So"
Castro honestly believed what he said.
His views are shared by the newspapers
and most of the people in his country. They
would never admit that America, England
or Germany were greater world powers
than Venezuela. If anybody limited such a
thing to them they would look upon him as
a fool.
America pretends to be our friend" a
Venezuelan general declared during that in
ternational dispute, but she is a traitor.
She is a serpent. not an eagle. She has
ffty-six warships within easy reach of our
shores. II she were really our friend she
would send those ships down here and blow
these European invaders out of the water
Ii was gently suggested to him that the
European powers had other ships which
they could send cut.
"what matter?, he exclaimed. sThe
United States would then ain the alliance
Of Venezuela and could defy the world"
The same general was fond OF comparing
Bolivar with Washington, greatly to the
detriment of the latter.
my BROTHER he once remarked, ''be-
Iieves that England is in the United States,
but I know better than that, for I have
carefully studied foreign affairs" Yet he
refused to admit that any cities in the
United States were larger than Caracas. and
he said one day:
Il meant to send my son TO New York to
be educated, but 1 decided not to do so. The
place is such a sinkhole of filth and disease
that he would be sure to die"
AT that time Caracas was suffering from
a twin epidemic of yellow fever and enteric.
The people were dying like flies, and the
death rate was at least six times as high
as it ever is in an American city.
BASSETT STAINES.
copyright, 1909. by T. c. McClure.l