The Washington times., 1913-12-26
MURDER, SLAVERY,
LAWLESSNESS RULE
IN RUBBER REGION
Venezueas Plantations Scene of Butchery Page and H-
man Bondage Says American Planter Who Fled to Save
Lfe-DecIares Caracas Government Has No Control

and paid their taxes. When the others
did not call the governor arULnced that
as penalty he would not accept the SC
per cent, which had been agreed upon
because il had been a poor year. but
that the entire amount would have to
be pa:d.
THE traders gathered about sixty
men into a house in San Fernando and
filled them with rum, armed them with
rifles, revolvers, and knives, and turned
tfreSa loose. The house in which Cen
eral Pulido had taken quarters was at
tackled and the governor aid twenty
six others were murdered In the butch
cry that followed.
MANY of the boys and Ien killed in
that raid had nothing to do with Cow
ernor Pulido or his intention to collect
taxes, but the traders owed money to
them and this was the easiest way OF
canceling the debut. One man was muir
dered because he had said while the
carnage was in progress that II was
shameful thing.
Forced To Repair Boat.
General Gonzales was shot in San
Fernando that night, but his chief dep
uty, a man named Furnis. was there
and was in charge. Furnis ordered sixty
picked men, after the slaughter had
ended, to take small boats and proceed
to Amanadona, on the Rio Negro. where
General yarella and his household We're
at the time Their errand was murder.
TT had been rumored that L was
friendly with Gen. VarSla- Therefore,
this band of cutthroats looted my place
of all the arms and ammunition they
could find and took ire prisoner.
Gonzales ordered me to be taken out,
tied up. and shot This order was about
to be executed when. one Of his men
entered and said that as I was the only
man in the colony who could repair his
motor boat it would be well to let me
do that work before was killed.
Gonzales looked disappointed, but
gave to me the alternative of repairing
his launch Or being shot immediately.
quickly decided to repair the craft >
engine. / had come to the colony as
an engineer for an italian company op-
Grating steamboats, en- the lower Orinoco
and was a general mechanic and black
smith. was the only man in the col
ony who knew anything about machin-
cry.
"By daylight had that engine run
ming. and then Gonzales was going to
have me shot, but one Of the traders
cautioned him that the engine Nigh,
break down again and had better be
saved Therefore, he placed an armed
operate the motor boat, accompanied by
small boats containing the sixty armeo
murderers, down the river to Amana-
dona.
General Varella Murdered.
early in the. morning Of May Is we
came to the house of General varella,
the customs agent and close friend of
the murdered governor. On the veranda
the two sons, % the general, boys Of
seventeen and nineteen years. were
asleep with a man employed by Cen
eral Varella. Without warning the BAN
dts opened fire. and the lads and man
were killed In their cots.
from windows and doors General
yarella. who was a good shot. used his
rifle effectively on the attacking force.
killing one and vounding seven. They
finally broke into the house and brutally
murdered varella later mutilattng his
body in a horrible manner.
After breakfast Gonzales. and his
crew dug a hole in the yard and threw
The bodies of Varella, his two sons and
the employee in and covered them.
Later that morning turned the mo-
tor boat over TO one OF Gonzales men,
and vas allowed to return to my planta-
tion. and was warned to be in readiness
TO repair the engine. On August q Con-
zales and his men passed up the river,
and then 1 was compelled to work two
days repairing the motor and fixing
rifles. -...
II could have escaped then. but I be-