The Cook County herald., 1904-01-09
] ian CIUD a o & Il AIR.
NOT. AN IDEAL spot FOR THE
81 81. NERvOUS S I'm DlvlDU Al. tl5 l5$
Inhabitants Of Venezuelan Town New.
er4 at a Loss for Excitement-Every
I House Easily Turned into Fortress.

Ciudad Bolivar, the scene of the
! Venezuelan revolutionists' last stand
against Castro's army, is an exciting
place to live in, even at the best of
times.
1T is a semi-civilized spot on the
verge of the unknown Jungle" said a
New Yorker, who has been there. 81
was condemned for my sins, to spend
a week there shortly before the town
fell into the hands of the revolution
lists last year.
II noticed that if anybody went out
after dark he always stuck his revolv-
er in his belt, and was warned by
several friendly citizens not to stay
out late in the streets unless l wished
to be held up and perhaps murdered.
1T was a paradise for the adventur-
Gus. One day saw rum-shop keeper
chase the local barber down the street
with loaded pistol in one hand and
a machete in the other. l offered up
prayer for the tonsorial artist, be-
cause I had no razor and he was the
"The trouble was about an overdue
account. The purveyor of liquid Joy
was simply trying to collect his money
according to the approved local Gus
tom.
"Another day an imprisoned revolu-
zionist escaped from the cuartel, or
barracks, and a couple of soldiers ran
out to stop him with bullets. He got
one in the leg and pulled up bowling.
The people thought the revolutionists
had come, so in trice shops were
shut, doors bolted, and everybody dis
appeared off the streets like magic.
'The doors and shutters of the mer-
chants stores are made of sheet iron.
When they are closed the stores >be-
come yerftable fortresses.
Most Of the private houses are sim
ilarly protected, and have little grilles
through which the inmates can spy
out to see whether visitors are ene-
mics or friends. Truly, soothing
place for nervous man to live in.
when the shots were fired at the
runaway happened to be in the Brit
ish consulate, spinning yarns with the
Vice-Consul. Immediately he heard the
shots he locked his safe, the clerk shut
and barred the steel doors, and then
we got our revolvers and went out on
the balcony to see the fun. But it:
was all over in a moment, and the
poor, wounded wretch was dragged
roughly along the street back to the;
cuartel.
"Ciudad Bolivar is probably the hot
test place on earth. 1t is built on sol
i'd black rock which retains the days
heat far into the night, so there is
practically no respite. New York's re
cent heat wave would have been well
coined as a cool spell by the inhabi-
tants of the Orinoco hades.
"All day long one is plagued by myr-
lads of mosquitoes more aggressive,
even, than those which have made
New Jersey famous; and at night bat
talions of frogs croak horribly and
murder sleep.
The walls of the houses are badly
pitted with bullet marks-grim relics
of former revolutions-and many are
in ruins. Ciudad Bolivar has often
been a battlefield before to-day.
The streets are unpaved. and in
the center of each there is a green.
stagnant ditch. Where streets inter-
Sect plank is thrown across to
bridge these bitches.
There are no vehicles, and indeed
very little civilization of any kind. The
place is always swarming with nickel
plated generals and bandit soldiers,
who fatten on the unfortunate inhab-
itants, sip aguadiente, smoke their
the glorious victories they are going to