The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-16
CastrO's Rule in Venezuela Has
Probably Ended.
Mob Destroyed His Property and
That of Henchmen.
BONFIRE ON PLAZA
OF CaStrO's Statues and Pictures
While Crowds Cheer.
Buildings LOOted-NO Attempt
Made to Check Rioters.

Caracas, Monday, Dec. IA, via Willem-
stad. Dec. 16.-The people of Caracas
arose today against President Castro
An infuriated mob, unhindered by the
police, swept through the city wrecking
the property of his henchmen. his clos
est friends. The people rounded up all
statues and pictures of President Cas-
tro from the clubs and other semi-pub-
lie buildings and burned them with re-
Joicing on the Plaza Bolivar Castro S
rule in Venezuela is probably ended.
In spite of Hollands warlike demon
stratfons on the coast there have been
no demonstrations against the Neither
lands; they have all been directed
against President Castro and Acting
President Gomez.
Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday. Dec. Is,
via Willestad. Dec. 16.-The Venezuelan
capital yesterday witnessed an outbreak
of disorder, following the warlike activi-
ties of the Dutch warships along the
coast, that made it necessary by night
fall to declare martial law in order to
put an end to the rioting and pillag1ng-
There were several attacks on private
property on the part of the mob before
the authorities got the situation in
hand and several of the agitators were
arrested. There was no actual conflict
between the people and the police. The
pilIaging was confined to the properties
of Venezuelans, notably Seniors Rivas
and Thtelen.
Foreigners were unmolested. Early
today the city is quiet and business is
taking its normal course.
Further dangerous demonstrations
are anticipated. No official act deposing
Castro from the presidency of Venezue-
la has yet been taken but such a step
is expected any moment. An enormous
crowd of the inhabitants 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 thor
oughfares and it was easy to see that
their i'll temper would soon result in vio-
lence. The police stood by and made
no attempt whatever to restrain the
mob.
The first building to be attacked and
looted, was that of the lottery monopo-
ly 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 thousands
of lottery tickets were destroyed. This
crowd then moved to the printing office
of Ell Constitutional the organ of Pres
ident Castro of which G. Rivas is edi-
tor and pillaged it completely. A
steam laundry belonging to Senior RlVas
was wrecked.
The crowd then turned its attention
to several drug stores belonging to
Il.
TelIo Mendoza, and turned them inside
out General Mendoza was at one time
minister of finance and public credit un-
der Castro. He was also the presidents
private secretary of several years and
has been regarded as one of his
staunchest supporters. He is universal
" hated by the enemies of castro, and
his unpopularity and his close connec-
tion with the president accounted for
the anger of the poDulace against the
property of his son-tn-law.
The statues and pictures of President
Castro were made into a huge bonfire
on the Plaza Bolivar. The crowd cheer
ed as the flames completed the destruc-
ton of these effigies of the dictator.
Numerous inscriptions setting forth the
virtues of Castro and extolling his pow
ers next attracted the mob and every
Inscription bearing CastrOs name was
hacked out and erased. Some of these
legends were carved on the public build
ingS of the city.
# was after o'clock by the time the
crowd had gotten far in its depreda-
tlons. It lacked leadership and paused
in default of other fields for its destruc-
tive energies. 1t was then that a de-
tachment of troops was called out for
duty on the city streets, and Acting
President Gomez issued a manifesto
prohibiting further manifestations
These measures had the desired effect
for the mob quieted down and then dis
persed.
The attack yesterday on the offices of
Ell Constitutional when the crowd was
curbed by a detachment of soldiers
who fired into the demonstrantS, re-
suited in fatalities. A criminal action
has been begun against Editor Rivas
and other employees of the paper, in
which they are charged with RESPONSE
bility for these deaths. 1t is declared
that Rivas and his men fired first on the
people. making use of revolvers. Ell
Constitutional has suspended publica-
tion and Caracas is practically without
a newspaper
The funeral of Mariana Rojas. one of
the men killed in the fighting of yester-
day has been fixed for tomorrow A
vast crowd will turn out and further
rio