The Washington herald., 1913-08-24
Present Outbreak of Castro, the Former Dictator
OF Venezuela, Only One of Many Such Disturbances
Reign of Diminutive Ruler
Continual Source Of En-
barrassment to Powers.

Presidency of the same. If Castro's
latest plan works out, not only the
United States and Venezuela will be
embarrassed, but the nations of Europe
will doubtless find in him continuous
source of embarrassment. Castro's favor
ite indoor and outdoor sport is insulting
the powers. The bigger and huskier and
more powerful the power is the greater
the former dictator likes TO insult it and
its citizens or subjects.
Cipriano sometimes facetiously referred
to as "Sliperiano" because of his skill
at extricating himself from diti1cult sit
uations, apparently breaks out every 50
often. In Washington and other capitals
Castro is regarded as a sort of disease
that becomes prevalent every certain
number of years. The only trouble with
Castro is that he becomes epidemic at
irregular intervals and there is no op-
portunity to prepare for his sudden ap-
pearance on the stage of nations. He
comes bounding on with loud fanfare
of trumpets and Immediately busies him
self in an effort to start something. And
his efforts along this line are usually
auccessful.
Don Cipriano," or President Castro, as
he soon hopes to be, is indeed a Man Of
Mystery" Very little is known about
his early life, except that he was born
somewhere in the Andes Mountains oi
a negro mother and half-breed Indian
father. The first Venezuela knew of him
was when he presented himself at the
gates of Caraca with an army which he
had raised by some mysterious means
known only to himself and announced
that he proposed to free his beloved
countrymen from the brutal tyrant who
had been prosecuting them.
, MaImed and Strapped to Horse.
( Venezuela took Don Cipriano at his
word. Later Venezuela came to know
him better.
| 1t was in 1899 that Castro entered Ca
racas. The nucleus of his army had been
twenty-five Andeans, like himself. Where
he got the rest of his army no 0ne
knows. He always was something of a
spellbinder, and probably he talked the
countryside into following him. When
the diminutive revolutionist led his troops
into Venezuelas capital he was on horse
back, but Iashed tightly to his animal,
for he had both legs broken and had suf-
fered many other injuries in the battles
that preceded his entry.
Castro remained President of Venezuela
for seven years. During that time he
proved himself a wilier diplomat than
the Turk, more tyranical than a monarch
of the Dark Ages. and gifted with more
cunning cruelty than a Sioux Indian. He
was hated by the wealthy and hated by
the poor. Even his own official family
and his personal friends hated and feared
him. There was not a moment of his
reign, for that was what his administra-
ton amounted to, when he was not
threatened by the United States. He in
suited every European nation. laughed at
their threats, and sneered at their dip
lOmatic representatives.
If England. France, or Germany sent
him a threatening note he replied in
kind. He threatened them as much as
they threatened him. For seven years
Castro imprisoned right and left and
robbed left and right. Then came the
end. Castro went out and was succeeded
by Gomez and Venezuela enjoyed a pc
riod of rest while Don Cipriano became
an exile. Between denying to the news
papers that he proposed leading a rCvo-
luton and lodging agents of his own
country, whom Castro believes had de-
signs upoh his life, the former dictator
busted himself preparing to recapture the
dictatorship of Venezuela.
There is no doubt that Castro's visit to
the United States, when he was i'm
prisoned on Ellis Island as an undesir-
able and later released by the courts,
was for the purpose of consulting with
his revolutionary junta.
Is SticLIer for ''LeSality."
Many interesting stories are told of
Castro's career. 1t was his rule to al
ways do everything by due process of
law" II any one thinks, that the Mexi-
cans patented the barbarous ''fugutive
law" whereby a prisoner may be shot
down and killed while trying to escape"
they are very much mistaken. Gen.
Castro used it several years ago. 1t was
part of his due process of law"
In the United States it is unconstitu-
tlonal to take any ones property away
from him without due process of Law.
Venezuela had the same provision, bUs
President Castro saw to it that his les-
islators made laws that would allow MIN
to do as he pleased. Then how could
any one say that his property had been
taken from him without due process of
law" when the law allowed the Presi-
dent to take it on practically any PR
text?
President Castro felt in need of some
small change one day. He notified the
Bank of Venezuela that he would appre-
ciate q loan. The directors of the bank
hurriedly called a conference, and,
knowing Castros poor memory with re-
gard to financial obligations, concluded
it best to plead poverty. Accordingly,
the President was informed that the
bank was out of funds. The President
only smiled.
That night all of the directors of the
banking institution were suddenly seized
by government agents and locked up,
charged with aiding revolutionaries. In
terror, the directors informed Castro
that the bank would be delighted to ex-
tend credit to the distinguished Presi-
dent. Castro accepted the kind offer of
the directors, and, after he had obtained
the money, saw to it that the directors
were released. By means similar to this
Castro managed TO accumulate a for
tune estimated at S9,0OO,OOO.
Traded on Monroe Doctrine.
From Americans, Castro. by due pro-
cess of law" took the Bermuda asphalt
lake property and the Arinoco steam
ship plant From the French he took
cable concessions, and from the Ger
mans he took railways. Never had Eu-
rope met such astounding audacity. The
great nations were dumfounded.
Then the storm broke, and threaten
ing notes galore were dispatched to Cas-
tro, who deigned to answer some OF
them, always in a very insulting vein,
and some he didn't even bother to an
swer at all. The arrival of a foreign
warship didn't disturb hirn any more
than had the diplomatic notes. So i'm
pudent was he that he bewildered the
powers. He beat them time and again
In diplomacy. 1t was his game to play
the United States against Europe. He
knew that the Americans would not |
allow European intervention in Vene-
zuela.