THE VENEZUELAN REVOLUTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2438, 1 March 1909, Page 2

THE VENEZUELAN REVOLUTION.

-HOW CASTRO WAS DEPOSED. A prominent lawyer has filed, an accusation in tho High Federal Court charging President Castro with complicity in the' attempted assassination and proposing his inipeachirient. Since the beginning of t-lio demonstrations (says a Venezuela writer) against Senor Castro secret cipher telegrams have, passed. between Benor Castro in Berlin and his agents here. At a , meeting of the plotters on Friday night at the residence of Dr Garbiras Guzman, the -SecretaryGeneral of tho last Castro Cabinet, wlio iwas placed in charge of'President; Castro’s personal business in Venezuela when the President left, the-con-spirators decided to carry out a coup d’etat, their plan being to assassinate General Gomez, Senor Paul Baptiste, and otlier prominent persons, to seize the Administration, and, with the army, terrorise and overawe the population. Senor Torres Cardenas, ex-Minister for the Interior, and late-r President Castro’s personal secretary, was the active leader of the conspiracy. He had as his lieutenants the commanders of three battalions. !

Despite -all precautions Gap intimation of what was going on reached the ears of General Gomez, who, as soon as he was satisfied of the truth of the reports took immediate steps to frustrate the conspiracy. Early on the Saturday he went on ■foot to the barracks where the mutinous regiment was quartered, under the command of President Castro’s brother. With unexampled courage the Vice-President entered -the building and placed Colonel Castro under arrest. Nothing but General Gomez's cool nerve made it possible for him to carry out the manoeuvre successfully. The Vcie-President then went- to the Yellow House, where he briefly interviewed Senor Torres Cardenas. _ The latter maintained a defiant attitude and denied the existence of any plot. General Gomez, however, seized him by the shoulders and, shaking him ,roughly, said: “I have discovered your plot to assassinate me. You are my prisoners.” Senor Torres Cardenas tried to use his revolver, bu' General Gomez was too quick, and pinioned his arms. He then called the guard and Senor Torres Cardenas was disarmed and hurried away to gaol. . Theso two arrests made by General Gomez, singlehanded, broke the hack of the plot. On hearing the news tho Vice-Pre-sident’s friends quickly came to his support, and orders, which were rapidly executed, were immediately issued for the arrest of Dr Garbiras Guzman', Dr Lopez Baralt, who was Minister of the Interior until December 17; Senor Bermudez, Director of the National Telegraph Service; Colonels Casanova- and Angulo, and other suspects.