I have sent a statement of these incidents to the minister of foreign
affairs and asked for an immediate investigation of the case, suggesting
that prompt and adequate reparation will be expected if the facts are as
stated, and there is no reason to doubt that they are otherwise.
A similar request has been presented to the Venezuelan Government by the
British minister, based upon the forcible detention and searching of the
British vice-consul at La Guaira.
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Goldschmidt
to Mr. Loomis.
Consulate of the United States,
La Guaira
,
January 19, 1900
.
Sir: As per request, I report the following
two incidents, of a very disagreeable nature, which happened to me
in La Guaira. On January 1, 1900, at about 6 o’clock p.m., while
walking up the “Calle de Leon” to my residence with my wife, one of
the soldier police met us, and when within about 4 or 5 yards from
us he fired his carbine, without cause or reason.
This was sufficient cause to frighten any woman, and my wife
immediately said to me that she felt a pain in her chest, as though
something had struck her. I replied that probably she only imagined
this, as I thought the man had fired toward the ground. However,
when we reached our home my wife opened her dress and showed me a
bleeding scar, left by something which had struck her, and also
showed me that whatever it was cut through the dress and the
underdress, cutting the skin.
Although the wound was not a serious one, it took about two weeks to
heal. I immediately sent Mr. Schunck to the jefe civil of the
district, as he is more conversant with Spanish than I am, and
requested him to explain the incident, which he did.
The next day I called upon the jefe civil personally and inquired if
anything had been done to that soldier, and he replied that the man
was in prison, and that he (the jefe civil) was investigating the
matter to find out whether the gun had been fired purposely or
accidentally, adding that he should be punished accordingly, as they
(the police) were forbidden to carry loaded weapons.
He (the jefe civil) never expressed any regrets at the occurrence,
nor made any apologies for the conduct of his inferior.
[Page 944]
I should have allowed the matter to pass without reporting the same
if another incident had not occurred to me last night which demands
attention.
Yesterday, January 18, 1900, at about 9 o’clock p.m., after a walk
downtown, in company of my wife, I returned home, and when I reached
the church “Del Carmen,” which is very near my residence and
directly in front of the house of Mr. Aristides Bello, “prefecto de
policia,” I was stopped by a soldier or policeman, who asked me
whether I carried any arms, as he had orders to search everybody for
arms.
I told him that I was the American consul, that I lived close by, and
that I should not allow him to search me, protesting at the outrage.
He, however, insisted and tore open my coat in spite of my protest,
and did not permit me to proceed for some time. I then asked the man
for his name, as I wished to report him, but he did not comply with
my wish. However, I know him very well by sight.
This outrage happened immediately in front of the residence of the
said “Prefecto” Aristides Bello, and his family were sitting in the
window at the time. Furthermore, his son came to the door, but never
said a word, which might have been the means of avoiding all this
had he done so.
This police being stationed directly in front of the residence of the
said “prefecto,” as a sort of personal bodyguard for his house and
family, and, as I observed, they were in constant communication with
them, it appears to me that the “prefecto” is entirely responsible
for the action of these men, and should certainly be made to feel
that such things can not pass with impunity.
After reaching my house I immediately called the jefe civil by
telephone and explained what had happened, telling him that if the
offenders were not punished I should forward a claim to my
Government, as these annoyances were getting rather too
frequent.
He replied by telephone that it was a “barbaridad” and that he should
immediately withdraw the men from there and punish them.
This morning, January 19, at about 6.30 a.m., the “commissario mayor”
of the police called at my house and offered the regrets of the jefe
civil at the incident, and said that the jefe civil would punish the
men, who had not carried out his orders, as the orders were to
search country people going to and from the hills.
I told the “commissario” that I doubted whether the jefe civil was to
blame, remarking that in my opinion the blame lay on Mr. Aristides
Bello. However, I can not judge of this myself.
Upon my return from Caracas this afternoon, one of the first
policemen I encountered was the one that committed the assault upon
me, carrying a gun, as usual, evidently on duty in this city.
This fact leads me to believe, and the certainty, that the jefe civil
was not sincere when he said he would punish the offender, and I
therefore request that you make a protest in my name to the
Venezuelan Government against the treatment I received at the hands
of their officials, requesting that the guilty person be punished,
whoever it may be.
I am, etc.,
Louis Goldschmidt,
United States Consul.
