New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-26
CASTIGATES CASTRO.
EniIe Calls Venezuelan PresidenI
Twant at asphalt Hearing.

Three witnesses were called to the stand yester-
day In the S 900 600 damage suit Of the venezuelan
government against the New-York and Berinuoez
Companv. Of the Asphalt Trust, without adding
r,-thir- If inheritance to the case The witnesses
Vicente Perez Leon, Francis NJ. Garland anu
Frederick A Holmes, were called by the oe-
Pendants who were represented by Johh u hiLu-
say and Professor John D. Moore. FRANK d D"-
pignac and Rufus B. Cowlng JF.' aPPe@ieu do
counsel for the plaintiff
so1or Loon an expatrated Venezuelan, who,
with his pointed mustache, bore a striking re-
semblance to General Manuel A. Matos' VINO no
said was his friend the first witness. BESIDES
an irritable temperament, he displayed a remark
able lack of memory points that would nave
been important if he could have recalled mcluei's
and dates when Intercepted.
The witness declared that he had been actuated
to testify by sense of duty to the New-York and
Bermudez Company, in whose employ ne had been
in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and which. he SAID, he
was positive did not take part in the Matos re-
bellien, the cause of the present suit Senior Leon
also took occasion to criticse President Castro OF
Venezuela, who he said. responsible for MS
exile.
'srhen you sympathize with the insurrectionsts?'
was asked by Mr.. Dupignac
With Quivering lips and twisting his mustaehe
rervously, the witness replied:
'Of course I did. AS every man VINO loNes MS
country 1 am against all tyrants. l could not
support President Castro 1 loved my country 100
wen'
Continuing. sefer Leon said:
President Castro is a tyrant He ordered that nat
pathy the rebellion. consider that he treated
the New-York and Bermudez company unJustiE ann
tried to deprive ii eff its rights
The latter assertion however. he did not try to
prove in his testimony. and. in fact. admitted tha
in the litigation between the Warner-Quinlan com
pany and the New-York ana Bermudex company
the latter had been sustained
-na Tr-I-T, cd fIa- Mat
Quested him to ask Major Rafferty,, manager OF the
asphalt company at Port OF SPAIN Trinidad. to
give him $4,000 as contribution to the repellioA
Tho latter not only refused to do this, but dis
charged him for interesting himself in the revolt
against his express orders. He said. however, that
after his discharge from the active employ OF the
company he received from Major Rafferty, an al
lowance of $50 a month. When he delivered to
General Mato= tbs reply of Major Rafferty,, the
witness declared the rebel leader said
How the New-York and Bermude2 company
expect me to protect its property if it does not
help now?'
MI Dupignae objected to what he called 1.-THE the
Senior Leon also said that the testimony of Ray
in Venezuela, wherein the latter swore to de-
position stating. that he had known of meeting
o oP0g5 by the wness at the Queens HOTEL g at P0re
that Rafferty, had promised to furnish General
Castro with $4,000 rounds of ammunition for the
The witness in his redirect examination by Mr..
Lindsay admitted his receipt of letter from Luigi
wherein the latter tried to induce him patriotic
~ 41s s 70 return ~ outh 1AS ic@ a 9
and offered him political amnesty in return for
A letter said to have been sent by Senior Leon
in answer to that of Luigi inviting him TO return
10 Caracas. placed in evidence.
Counsel for plaintiff apparently not satisfied that
the letter was really sent asked witness Why
had been crossed out, to which Sefor Leon had no
the Spanish letter was really a translation of one
written in English for use in this action
$500 made payable to Pedro Esequiel Rojas secre-
try at P0Et Of spa of the IL fP and
and Bermudez company, witness explained that 1t
enues by the rebels at Guanoco, where they were
in control and paid over in gold by Jeffs to Rojas.
Garner and do $40 Th9rbe sT but could Connect them
9 y simmer TqoF W 5 fro tb to aea IN
Lake He said he had asked Mr.. Barber for en-
what he termed an attempt to get possession of
the NewYor and Bermudez company's property.
rrag3onGe6H baHan e1 Sdi Roe he rebel
chief. and General Matos and Major Rafferty,
read 20 the witness. He testified, notwithstanding
that he was a .h hundred miles away from caru-
AFFIDAVIT we're incorrect and false
At the close of his testimony Mr.. Dupignac asked
Senior Leon whether he had not testified rather
Perhaps" replied the witness, indifferently
Francis N. Garland, who is in the employ of the
was witness in the recent Bowen-Loomis con
troversy at Washington He was secretary to
Managing Director Rake, at Caracas. The
ployes of the company he said, had been in
structed to uphold the government in Venezuela
during the uprising
Mr.. Dupignac interposed that inasmuch as the
testimony OF the witness covered a period prior
to the outbreak of the Matos rebellion it had no
materially
But wasn't it at that time" said Mr. Lindsey
laughingly, that General Greene was in Europe
10 buy the steamer Ban Righ?"
You in Europe, too" replied Mr.. Du-
plgnac, and ! not there
The examination of Frederick A. Holmes re-
vealed nothing of Importance. Further efforts en-
the part Of the counsel for defendant to show a
connection between A. L Barber and O. E Thurber
and Receiver Garner. of the asphalt property or
Cast 4s1I