Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-17
CARACAS TURNS
AGAINST CASTRO
REVOLUTION BREAKS OUT IN
VENEZUELA
Statues and Rictures of Absent Presi,
dent Smashed by Mobs-RuIe of
BeIIicose Ruler Appears
at an End
Especial to The EeraId.1

ISpec1al TO Ine Befaiu-l
CARACAS, Dec. Is (via Willemstadt,
Dec. 16).-The people have arisen
against Castro. An infuriated mob,
unhindered by the police, swept
through the city, wrecking the prop
erty of his henchmen and his closest
friends.
The people rounded up all the stat
ues and pictures of President Castro
from the clubs and other semi-public
buildings and burned them on the
Boulevard de Plaza.
President Castro's rule in Venezuela
probably is ended
Further dangerous demonstrations
are anticipated. No official act de-
posing Castro from the presidency of
Venezuela has yet been taken, but
such a step is expected any moment.
An enormous crowd of the inhabi-
tants of the capital, swelled by people
from the outlying country, gathered in
the streets soon after daybreak.
The people began marching up and
down the main thoroughfare and it
was easy to see that the i'll temper
would result in violence The police
stood by and made no attempt what
ever to. restrain the mob. The first
building to. be attacked and looted was
that of the lottery monopoly.
Offices Are PiIIaged
The offices of the state enterprise
that has enriched itself at the expense
of the people were ransacked and pill
laged.
Furniture was broken and thrown
into the streets and piles of lottery
tickets were destroyed.
The crowd then moved to the print
ing office of El CONSTITUTIONAL, the or
gan of President Castro, of which
Gumersindo Rivas is editor, and pill
laged it completely.
A steam laundry belonging to Senor
RiVas was wrecked.
The crowd then turned it's attention
to several drug stores belonging to Sc
nor Thielen, a son-in-law of Gen. Tello
Mendoza, and turned them inside out.
Gen. Mendoza was at one time minister
of finance and public credit under
Castroa
He also was the presidents private
secretary for several years and has
been regarded as one of his staunchest
supporters. He is universally hated by
the enemies of Castro and his unpopu-
larity and his close connection with the
president accounted for the anger of
the populace against the property of
his son-in-laW.
0AdtuCS NiC OCIiOiSHSd
The statues and pictures of President
Castro were made into a huge bon
fire on the Boulevard de Plaza. The
crowd cheered as the flames completed
the destruction of these effigies of the
dictator.
Numerous Inscriptions setting forth
the virtues of Castro and eXtolling his
powers next attracted the mob and ev-
cry inscription bearing Castro's name
was hacked out and erased.
Some of these legends were carved in
the public buildings of the city.
1t was after 1 o'clock by the time the
crowd had gotten thus far in it's depre-
dations 1t lacks leadership and paused
in default of other fields for its de-
structive energies.
1t was then that a detachment of
troops was called out for duty on the
city streets, and Acting President Go
mez issued a manifesto prohibiting
further manifestations.
These measures had the desired eff
feet, for the mob quieted down and
then dispersed
The attack yesterday on the offices
of lei Constitutional when the crowd
was curbed by a detachment of SOL
diers who fired into the demonstrators
resulted in several fatalities.
A criminal action has been begun
against Editor Rives and other en-
ployes of the paper, in which they are
charged with responsibility for these
deaths.
1t is declared Rivas and his men fired
first on the people, making use of re-
volvers. lei Constitutional has sus-
pended publication and Caracas is
practically without a newspaper.
The funeral of Mariana Rojas, one of
the men killed in the fighting of yes
terday, has been fixed for tomorrow.
A vast crowd will turn out and further
disorders and rioting are expected.
In spite of Hollands warlike demon
stration on the coast there have been
no demonstrations against The Neither
lands They have all been directed
against President Castro and Acting
President Gomez.