Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-09

promise effected, and the banks were reopened
At that time, almost every other shop was closed.
1t was next to impossible to buy some of the neceS-
sares of life. Prices higher and higher and
poor people starved. In the meantime, the ex-
change rose to five thousand, and Colombian paper
money practically of no value at all The Gov
eminent mint was turning out eight hundred thou
sand dollars day, in bills that scarcely worth
the paper they were printed on. 1t was state of
chaos. AS to what would be the end if there was
ever going to be any end, what the condition of
military affairs really was, few had the slightest
idea. No one knew anything; but one safe
from being suspected of knowing too much Even
those highest on Government lists were not safe.
The man who was Minister of War week was an
exied prisoner the next
One day we heard that all the cabinet ministers
had resigned, because one had stolen from the
Government ten million dollars in paper money.
l asked Colombian what would happen if it
true
Nothing" he answered calmly. New ministers
will be appointed, and things will go on as before"
No one was allowed in the streets after eight
O'Clock at night without passport, and only those
could get passports who were willing to sign paper
swearing to help the Government, by money, or
service, or both, whenever called upon to do
On the first night of my arrival in Bogota party
of us, in which there were two Colombian men, spent
the evening in making social call Returning about
eleven o'clock, we were challenged by patrols One
of our men had passport, and showed it, and we
We're all allowed to go on. Everything went well
until we reached the corner of our own street. when
we met another squad The senior who had the
one from the second man of the party.
The Soldiers Were Insistent
LIE told them who he was and that he was SIM
l. i ply going to his house, which he pointed
out to them; but they not satisfied. He told
them then that he had passport at home; they
said they would go with him to the house, and he
could get his passport and bring to them. They
accordingly accompanied to the house.
The moment we were in, we shut and barred the
great entrance, leaving the patrols standing out in
the street We waited for half hour So Moth
ing happened. Some went out balcony
and looked down. The street empty The
patrols had gone.
taken when he arrested for not having
passport, dirty that who spent
night in told me that he could not bring himself
to lie down the floor, even to sit down. but sim
ply stood up all night, waiting for daylight
Conservative cousin of Colombian friends of
mine taken from his hacienda by guerrillas, and
forced to go with them. They demanded ten thou
sand dollars (paper ransom; but he did not have it.
His brother went to the Minister of War in Bogota
asking for help, and the Government gave him
Liberal prisoner to exchange for the captured rea-
tive. AS he on his way to effect the exchange,
the Liberal prisoner rescued by his friends, and
the liberator was left without ransom. At last he
effected loan of the required ten thousand dollars,
and in day two the liberated brother was back
in Bogota telling awful stories of nights without
sleep and days of marching without food.
One day everyone was talking of an incident that