THE COG DIED

Evening Star, Issue 21100, 12 May 1932, Page 14

THE COG DIED

Owing to a quarrel with the authorities over tho poisoning of his dog, Mr W. E. O’Reilly, the British Minister to Venezuela, is returning to England soon, says tho London ‘ Daily Telegraph.’ The Venezuelan Government has declared him persona non grata. In .1920 the Venezuelan health authorities, alarmed at tho largo canine population, and fearing an outbreak of rabies, ordered all dogs found without muzzles to bo poisoned. Mr O’Reilly, who owned a fine Airedale terrier, urged without avail that it would be much more humane to impound stray dogs for a certain period and then asphyxiate them if they were unclaimed.

When ho found his own dog poisoned in tho streets of Caracas on December 23 last, Air O’Reilly was highly indignant. Though tho dog had no muzzle it wore a collar plainly stating who was its owner.

It is alleged by the Venezuelan authorities that Air O’Reilly carried the body of his pet to the doorstep of the Director of Health and deposited it there with his visiting card, on which was written, “LI ore Ts your work.” When ho mot the Director of Healthy lie is stated to have added that “ this. system of poisoning dogs was unworthy of a civilised country.” Nothing further was heard of the incident in Caracas until Air O’Reilly received a cablegram from tho British Foreign Office informing him that the Venezuelan Government had requested that he be recalled. The message added that the Government accused him of saying “ Venezuela is a country of savages.” It is understood that tho Venezuelan officials cited tlie testimony of four witnesses against Air O’Reilly. But, although he pointed out unofficially . that the witnesses must have misinterpreted his words, no move was made at Caracas to clear up tho matter.

Mi" O’Reilly, who was educated at Harrow and Oxford, • entered tho Foreign Office in 1890, and has since had a distinguished and varied diplomatic career. Ho first acted as Charge d’Affairs at Caracas in 1904, and returned there as Alinistor in 1920.