The sun., 1903-11-12
ARMY'S GUNS WOULDN'T SHOOT
NEW Yorker WHO BOIGHT THEM
FOR TENEZLELANS Sues.
weird. Uncanny Romance" Says COun.
sci for the Defendant. the VI. Hartley
Co., Of Allegation That Antlrade Was
Beaten by His own Remington Rifles.

CO., Of Allegation That Antlrade Was
Beaten by His own Remington Rifles.
That the new American guns wouldn't
shoot is alleged to be the real reason why
former President Andrade OF Venezuela
failed to unscat Castro, the dictator, after
Castro and his troop Of South American
revolutionists had driven Andrade and his
followers from the capital two years ago.
This renson was given yesterday by former
United States senator John NJ. 1hurston
and Robert Leslie Moffctt. a. attorneys
Tor Thomas f. Evans & Co., before Supreme
Court Justice Clarke on an argument in tho
suit of Mr.. Evans against the NJ Hartley
Company, dealers in firearms and ammu-
milton in his city, to recover ssl 900,
According to Messrs. Thurston and
iiotfo,t, the vanguard Of Andrades troops
we're armed with Remington rides and cart
ridges furnished by the NJ Hartley Company
and at the most critical battle Of the war
discovered that the cartridges didn't fit
the guns, and therefore could not be OK
ploded, and those that could be fitted were
NJ. uniform a. to rims, with the result that
tie shell electors would not work.
As result OF all tins, the Ijia,ntfrs a,iege.
the decisive battle of the war was won
by Castro, between 900 and 70v of the flo Scr
OF Andrade's army were left dead on the
field and number of others had legs or
arms shot of and will never he aole to fight
again; whereas ii had been reasonably ex-
pected that this would happen to the flower
OF Castro's army.
Senator Thurston and Mr.. Moff.tt pro-
pose, men the case comes to trial, 70 ex
hDlt TO New York jury some of the vet
Grams of this unfortunate battle and TO
have then tell on the witness stand what
happened whom they tried TO ambush Cas-
tros army and depended on American guns
and annuhllion Ior d NIctory.
Evans y Co. are suing for S3l 900. the
money Toy say they paid for the guns and
ammunition. and for $4,000 damages Tor
their lo ~ of prestige among south .Ameri
cas- who are III the habit of purchasing
firearms in this country.
Bainb. ldge Colby, for the NJ. Hartley
Company, fled demurrer to the joining
of the two suits and " lile yesterdays argu-
went Was merely On u e demu rer it serve
20 bring out the Venezuelan end Of the case.
Mr.. Co.. referred to the contention OF the
plaintiffs attorneys as "a wei.d d, uncanny
roAAnce and iramatic story and Mr..
Moti.,t returned the compliment by calling
the demurrer "frivolous.'
Only scraps of the story OF the Andrade
affair came out in the argument, but after
Justice Clarke had announced that he would
reserve his decision O. W. Ma 81 all, the
New York representative of Evans Il Co,
who has an office at Al Wall st rect. told this
story Of the defeat OF Andrade, which he
sad ne mad got from Andrades fiscal agent
in this city, who got 1t from Andrade him
self:
"In the first place." said Mr. Marshall,
"rarlv in 1901, as you know, the Matos-
Andrade adherents were fighting to main
tain the Presidency At that lime, and sub
seqlent to their overthrow by Castro, they
-et s,&tz -1, r. = tLos.
large amounts of arms and ann. milton.
Almost al. u tlesa came from either Eng
land, Germany or the United States. Wher
the Andrade regime began to totter a great
many Americans who had important inter
ests in Venezuela and wished to mainta ain
auence and money. They provided his
army with provisions and weapona, and in
February, 1901, s31 900 contributed by
Americans wes given to Evans 4 90. to
tracted with the NJ. Hartley Company for
lOCO Remington rifles and 500 900 cartridges.
paying ssl 900 cash for tte same The order
was to hold these until word came from
Venezuela where they we're to be landed.
Ia September, 1901, We got word from
Andrade that the guns and anmunitico
were needed at orce, as q plan for the COM
plete defeat Of Castro, who was then dio'a-
tor, had been formed, ard every weapon was
ne aea, tc carry it out, Accolu,n sly, we
notified the NJ. Hartley Company where to
deli yer tie first installment # the goods.
and that same month they did deliver t.
Andrade 3 Generals in Venezuela 400 of the
rifles and 100000 If the cartridges.
These guns were Immediately given
to the vanguard of the army which was
firmly intrenched at Barancas. where
Andrade made junction shortly afterward
with Gems Ducharmn, Ronr de, and
N1tos: The plan was, to ambush aud cap
re Castro's army, which was enroutc, for
Ciudad Bolivar, Castro himself was bot
tied up 1t GARAGES, but The army had to
pass through Barancas, and it carried
with II tram of money wagons and PRO-
visions Apdrade's plan was to chop up
the army, capture the money and provis-
ions and then march to Carcass ana attend
to Castro.
The vanguard Of Andrade's army oc-
cupied an irlpregnable position and, armed
and plenty Of ammunition, they expected
an easy time of IT, But when the battle
opened and at the first discharge the cart
ridges stuck IN the rifles, the vanguard
fell back disorganized and rout Of the
entire army occurred. Between GOO and
100 were killed.
"This was the decisive battle of the war.
1t firmly established Castro and struck the
death blow 10 Andrade. 4 directly op-
pos.te result wo,,!i have followed had the
arms AID ammunition been what they
ought to ha We been
AT first Andrade and his Generals be-
lievc mat they were the victim Of treach-.
cry, but what was left CT ,he vanguard
explained what had happened and an ex-
amination or the guns and cartridges proved
what hey said 10 be true, The Hartley
company was ordered not to send the
h. ace Of he order. We are suing FOR
,ra money we paid for these defective
weapons and ammunition and will prove
our case by the mairned veterans of the
fight at BaTancas, some Of whom are in the
cry at the present time.
The attorney for ihe NJ. Har 'ey Com
,,1rv said Yesterday that they We're not
trying their case in the newspapers, and
would maze no statement. Mr.. Marshall
couldi.' rxLlain why Aldrade' Is men didn't
try tho American rifles and cartridges
before gong irto battle with them.
ITEtT. CROFT INJURED.