The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-13
VENEZUELA'S
 BIG CRAFT Asphalt Company Held 4 Up. $4oo, ,000 WAS DEMANDED Castro and Revolutionists
 Both Guilty. New York and Bermudes Co. Paid Double Duty at vene.uelaa Ports and Governnent Called for
 Take Outs.
$4oo,000 WAS DEMANDED

high officials in the Venezuelan Govern ment deliberately attempted to extort from the company the sum of $400,000 are made in a statement given out to- day by the New York and Bermudez Asphalt Company in reference to the ernment for s11,000,000 damages for aiding in the Matos rebellion.
 The means used by those officials. ac- cording to the allegation included blackmail, conflscatfon of the com pany's property, the manufacture of false testimony and the making of de- crees without regard to law. The all legations made in the statement are based upon letters which 1t is declared were received from A. F. Garner. now receiver holding the company's proper ty for the Venezuelan Government, but who In 1900 was the company's agent at Caracas and the representative of Colonel Victor M. Bakus, who was sent to Venezuela in 1900 as an Independent agent by the Asphalt Company. The statement concludes with an exhaustive review of what 1t describes as the asphalt company's actual relations to the revolution"
 In this connection, 1t is explained that $100,000 was given to General Ma tos by the officials Of the National As- phalt Company on the Generals re- quest. Further sums aggregating ss0,- 900 were paid the revolutionary leader soon afterward. This money was paid, the statement says, to guarantee pro- tection of the company's property at n time when the territory in which the company's property Is located was in the control of the revoIutionists The statement maintains that the company at all times observed absolute neutral fty, even going to tho extent of paving
  and revoluttonists. when the custom houses were controlled by the insur- gents.
 One of the letters from Mir. Garner to tho Bermudez Company dated in 1900 quotes Mir. Garner as saying:
 T have received q plump offer from an agent twelI- known to be such to the dictator) to the effect that he would guarantee to put our case exactly ms wnntcd St and in such way as to insure us against any future difficult ties In the matter of our rights and properties. all for the sum of s4oO. .oO0.. While things were going on in this way. the statement says. the company sent to Venezuela Colonel Victor M. Bakus of Indianapolis as an indenenS- ent agent to ascertain as far as pos sible the true conditions there.
 Unto this end" the statement says Colonel Bakus represented himself as the representative of American capl- talists who were seeking investments in Venezuela. Colonel Backus entered in negotiations with general Figuera one of the grantors. He later found that Senor Figuera was only a stalking horse for persons higher up.' Senor Figuera professed to act not only for himself, but also as the representative of 6enor Felipe Arocha. Senor Arocha was a foster brother of Mrs. Castro, wife of the President, and resided at Mirahoes. the Presidents palace. On January 1. 1901 Senor Arocha wrote to Figuera suggesting that Colonel Backus come to Mirafioes for a conference Colonel Baclus then held an interview at the palace with Arocha and General Barret De Mazaris. Mrs. Castro's secre- tary. During the interview the two latter persons were in constant con- sultation with President Castro, who occupied the adjoining room and who once appeared in the doorway"
 To Pay s420.0OO.
 As a result of the conference, the statement says the arrangement was made whereby Colonel Backus was to zuela' mine.
 It continues:
 "The execution of the conspiracy to extort money from the company and despite 1t had reached this point when General M. A. Matos arrived in New York in the summer of 1901. For a long time affairs in Venezuela had been in revolutionary condition. The region in which the company's asphalt lake is situated was constantly swept by revolutionary bands and the com pany was often forced. in self-defense to supply food to them in small quan- titles and some times to do other ser vices. Prior to General Mates's arrival in New York neither the officers of the National Asphalt Company nor the of- ficers of the New York and Bermudez Asphalt Company had any relations or any transactions with him.
 When in New York General Mates called in the officers of the National Asphalt Company and represented that he had. after much negotiation, united all the parties and forces opposed to Ceneral Castro. Matos asked for a sum of money.
 "The company was confronted with a formidable revolutionary movement which would be friendly or hostile to the company's interests depended on the action on General Matos request. The company was also threatened with certain destruction of its rights by General Castro and those conspiring with him for it's spoilation. The of- fcers of the National Asphalt Company therefore decided to given General Watos the amount which he asked.
 aThe money was paid for the pro- .action of the company's property dur ing the continuance of the revolution and for inc protection of It's just rights | thereafter in case the revolution suc- ceeded and without any understanding |