Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-08-30
Imposed Upon the New York
and Bermudez Company
s10,000,000 MAY BE ADDED
Americans Furnished Proof That AS
phalt Company Furnished Funds
to Start Revolution Which Proved
Rather Expensive to Venezuela

Caracas, Aug. 27.-Three years after
the beginning of the sensational trial
of the New York and Bermudez com
pany for completely in the Matos revo-
luton, judgment was rendered last
week against the defendant company it
being condemned not only to pay &c.
100000 damages, the calculated cost to
the government Of subduing the revolu-
ton, but also to pay other sums to be
fixed by a commission of experts and
which may very likely amount to $1O,-
100000 more. The present judgment is
appealable to the superior court and
from there to the court of cessation.
The sentence announced by Judge
Liscano of the civil court of first i'm
stance closes with the words:
For these reasons, and administer
ing justice in the name of the republic
and by authority Of the law, this com
plant is declared to be well founded,
and in consequence the New York and
Bermudez company is condemned to
pay the sum of bolivars "a, 17S,63S. Sal,
which is the amount Of suppressing
the revolution, as has been proven in
the records and also to reimburse the
nation, according to just assessment
by experts, for the following damages
and injuries:
1.-THE discredit which, because Of
the war. the Venezuelan nation may
have suffered in the conception of other
nations with whom relations of an in
ternational or mercantile order existed
"2-The loss of Venezuelan citizens
withdrawn from commercial pursuits
agriculture, industries, and from the
activity of republican life, because Of
the war.
"3-The necessity for the creation Of a
war tax which produced bolivars g.
SCI. 53O74 in 1903 and bolivars 12,92S,-
S7043 in 1904.
''4-The decrease in the customs
revenues which from bolivars 29.940,
SSS9G in 1901 descended to boliVars 49,,
SD. 7G1 90 in 1902, and to bolivars H..
42S 529S1 in 1903. the years during
which the revolution led by General
MatoS developed its greatest strength.
"J-rhe decrease in the revenues "
the states. which from bolivars 9.O4O,-
2O3.S4 in 1901. descended to bolivars
G0S1 .429.l2 in 1902. and to bol.varS l.
O79,lSj.I5 n 1903. all Of which is cstab-
lished by proofs appearing in the rec
ordS
"InaSmuch as. in the Judgment of this
court, there does not seem to have been
any mprudence on the part of the de
Tense it is declared that there is no
special condemnation in COSTS"
1t was from American witnesses and
from evidence taken before American
judges in the United States courts that
the Venezuelan government obtained its
most important proof of the part al
legged TO have been played by the asphalt
company in the Matos revolution. the
furnishing of the money with which to
start the tight.
Commenting on the courts decision
in the New York and Bermudez case.
and on the present attitude Of the state
department in Supportingthe claim Of
the same company, a signed article pub
lished in the government newspaper, Ell
CONSTITUTIONAL says:
ut now remains to be seen if the
state department will again convert it
self into the protector, defender and
tutor Of Adventures who have CON
fessed their guilt and who are legiti-
mately chastsed by the legislation OF
all the civilized nations including the
United States. where there abound
sentences perfectly analogous 10 that
now suffered by the guilty company in
the Venezuelan court"