Evening star., 1949-11-27
Strikes and Shootings
Wind Up Colombia S
Election Campaign
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia, Nov. 26.-
Colombia's bloody presidential
campaign closed tonight with
strikes, shootings and funeral
holding explosive possibilities.
Vicente Echandia, brother of
the embittered erstwhile Liberal
candidate, Dario Echandia, died
last night of wounds received from
military police guns while walking
near the monument to Jose de
San Martin, Colombia's liberator
The funeral is tomorrow. elec-
ton day. when the Conservatives
will be electing Conservative
Laureano Gomez, the only candi-
date. The Liberals were expected
to try to make a martyrs spec
tacle Of the rites in defiance of
government orders forbidding pri-
vate or public meetings.
Siege Declared November 8.
Voters among the 100000
population will go to the polls
with the nation under state of
siege amounting to martial law.
The state of siege was. decreed by
the Conservative government No
vember 8.
The Liberals have proclaimed q
boycott of the election, withdrawn
their candidate, and started a
nationwide folded-arms strike
until Monday. More Than 500 per-
sons have been reported killed in
waves of violence in recent months.
Liberals say it will be the first
election under such circumstances
in 100 years of Colombian inde-
pendence.
Killed in the shooting that
proved fatal to Vicente Echandia
were two other Liberals. Wounded
were one of the candidates body
guards and a policeman. Liberals
said only the Intervention OF an
army lieutenant saved the life OF
Dario Echandia.
The Liberal leader said the
shooting was an ambush"
Precedent in Gaitan Staying.
For a precedent for tomorrow's
funeral the Liberals had the huge
demonstration that marked the
funeral of their former leader,
jorge Eliecer Gaitan. His assassi-
nation In April, 1948, touched OH
a destructive riot and attempted
revolution which cost hundreds OF
lives and interrupted the Bogota
Inter-American Conference.
The spot of Mr.. Gaitan's as
sassination was the rally point OF
another Liberal demonstration last
night. Police fred guns into tnef
air to break up crowd OF men1
women and children that gath
cred at Gale Real In the heart OF
Bogota, to shout Liberal slogans
against dictatorship"
The Liberals said Dario Echan-
dia was walking near the San Mar
tin monument with a party OF I'll
persons, including his two brothers,
Vicente and Domingo, three SEN
ators and five congressman, when
10 military police in uniform
rounded a corner and opened fire.
The Liberals said they were
unarmed. They dropped to the
grass and crawled behind the
monument for protection until an
army lieutenant stopped the
shooting. The party was then
taken in police trucks to police
headquarters and held for an
hour. i
200 Reported Demonstrating. /
The Conservative government
said about 200 persons, includ-
ing the Echandia brothers, were
shouting and trying to start
new demonstration as they walked
toward the center Of the city.
MIR. Echandia died at q hospital
of wounds In the liver, lungs and
stomach. His body was then re-
moved to his brothers house. The
other Liberals killed were JUS
Jorge Ceron and Enrique Riyero.
Conservative President Mariana
Ospina Perez issued statement
which said the government pro-
foundly regrets these events" and
called on all to observe measures
for public order. He said COM
petent authorities had been or
dered to make q thorough inves-
tigation of the shooting.
At the same time the govern
ment announced series OF
clashes and disorders elsewhere
over the country. Four police
men were killed in . clash with .
crowd at Cumural yesterday. Two
locomotives were derailed in the
Cundinamarca. Department tele-
graph wires were cut at two other
places.
3-Pound Milwaukee Journal
MILWAUKEE,, Nov. 26 R.-l