New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-11
TROOPS HOLD SAN CARLOS
Details of the Rising and Escape
of Venezuelan Prisoners.
CASTRO HOPES FOR POWER
Apparent Attempt to Seize the
Merida-Two Hundred
Prisoners Free.

c,In1- to-day San Carlos fortress ana prison.
on San Carlos Island, at the entrance TO
Lake Maracaibo. following Friday $ IN
subordination. when part Of the troops
conspired with the crlmlnal prisoners ana
some of the latter escaped
No rolitiral importance Is attached by
the government to the revolt.
WiIlemstad, Curacao, Oct. 10.-Captain
iobapeson of the American Red % Line
steamship Merida, which brought the first
nau-s of the revolt Of prisoners at the
San Carlos fortress, on Lake Maracaibo'
Venezuela. gave .urther details to-day of
what the crew witnessed
According 10 reports which he gathered,
six officers were killed, but General Prato
Gomez. a brother of President Gomez ana
warden Of the prison, escaped by assuming
a disguise The soldiers barracks ana the
generals quarters were burned and two
hundred prisoners some of whom had been
incarcerated because of their allegiance 10
the lost cause of former President Castro,
ESCAPED These are reported TO he wanier-
ing about the northern part of the republic,
and there are many Unconfrmed rumors
concerning their location ana mtehuoAS
toward the government.
The Merida arrived off San Carlos ISL
and. twenty miles below Maracaibo. at I
o clock on the morning of October 7. ana
found a fire raging on the island and the
flag over the fortress at halfmast- The
captain sent the purser in a small boat
with the usual passport TO be signed by
the general commanding the fortress. and
intended to drop the Gulf pilot there.
AS the small boat neared the shore, Sin
armed men waded out and. pushing the
boat back into deeper water, scrambled
aboard They asked to be taken on board
the Merida saying that they were escaped
prisoners the men confined in the prison
having risen. overpowered the officers ana
taken possession.
At the same time heavy firing was heard,
and from the steamship men could be seen
fighting outside the fortress. Captain Jo-
hanson refused to permit the escaped men
to board the Merida. but put them on
pilot boat, which subsequently sailed down
the bay The purser had promised 10 re-
turn to the fort with the pilot boat but
the men would not let him do so.
| The Merida then proceeded to Maracalbo.
carrying there apparently the flrst news
| of the revolt. Troops We're hastily em-
| harkrd ,1nOn a schooner and a new COM
n1ander for the fortress entered a sloop'
and the two vessels sailed for San carlos
late that same afternoon. Later IN the
dav CAPTAIN Johansson was Informed that
the government was in possession or the
fortress, and obtained permission to pro-
coed The Merida returned to San carlos
arriving there at o'clock last SATURDAY
morning The ruins were still smoking. but
all was quiet white flag was flying, but
there was no sign of the troops.
! 4 colonel who appeared to be in COM
mand of the island reluctantly signed the
ship's papers. but the Merida feared to
proceed lest she might encounter Nene-
zuelan gunboat that might chaIiense the
regularity of the papers.
Later the steamship went 10 Curacao
The mate reports that the soldiers bar
racks and the generals quarters were de-
stroyed and says that he was told that six
! officers were killed, but that General
| Gomez escaped across the lake by assum-
ing a fictitious name. Two hundred prls-
oners, he was told, reached the mainland
in small boats. He saw a few men ana
one woman on the island.
| 1t is believed here that II was the inten-
ton of the rebels to seize the Merida and
escape by her This plan was thWarted by
! Captain Johansson's refusal to allow the
armed party to come aboard.
Washington. Oct 1O.-Cooped in small
upper rooms in little inn at Teneriffe, in
the Canary Islands. former President
Castro and his wife, according to reports
reaching here. awaiting happenings
which may cause his restoration to power
at CARACAS. Outside of the hotel life. where
| expenses have been trimmed to extreme
the reports indicate that he is spending
money freely.
News of the revolutionary agitation in
Venezuela closely follows the recent rupture
OF relations, and subsequent healing Of the
breach. between Venezuela and Colombia
over the treaty bearing frontier. boun-
Diary and navigation rights, the final sigma
lures TO which have not yet been affixed
The State Department has no official ad-
vices indicating that revolutionary out
break Is imminent, and the Venezuelan
Minister, Don ?. Ezequiel Rojas, said to-
day that he had word Of any such
trouble.