Excerpt
Cuba has changed places with Greece this week, and again occupies the most important place in men's thoughts.
An American citizen who was arrested there two weeks ago has been found dead in his cell, under very mysterious circumstances.
This man was Dr. Ricardo Ruiz.
He was born in Cuba, but came to the United States many years ago. He studied dentistry in Philadelphia, lived there several years, obtained his papers, and became an American citizen.
A foreigner who wishes to become an American citizen has to go before a judge and declare his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States. The court then gives him what are called his "first papers."
He must have lived here five years before he can become a citizen. To do this he asks for what are called his first papers, and then he must wait two years before he can get what are called his "second papers," which make him a citizen of the United States, and give him all the rights and privileges of a native-born citizen. Before the second papers are given him, he has to take an oath swearing to be a true and faithful citizen of his new country, and he has to give up any title that he may have borne in his former land.
The oath he takes, which is called the oath of allegiance, binds him to give up his citizenship in his former country, and to become so completely an American that if a war were to break out between his old country and the United States, he would fight against her and for America.
He went back to Cuba, after a while, and settled in Guanabacoa.
Guanabacoa, if you will remember, is the town which is ruled by the cruel Fondeviella. In Number 13 of The Great Round World we told you about this man, and his cruelty.
It would seem that Dr. Ruiz fell a victim to Fondeviella's cruelty.
The Spaniards seem to have a very spiteful feeling against Cubans who have become American citizens.
They vow vengeance against such men, and are ever on the watch to find an excuse for arresting or punishing them.
Dr. Ruiz, though he seems to have attended to his own business, and obeyed the law in every way, interfering with no one, has been an object of suspicion to Fondeviella for some time past, and when, on January 16th, a train was thrown off the rails by insurgents, a few miles from Guanabacoa, Dr. Ruiz was accused of having taken part in the outrage.
He was arrested and thrown into jail.
When the reason for his arrest was known, some well-known citizens of Guanabacoa came forward, and said that they knew Dr. Ruiz was innocent. It seems that on that very night there was a birthday party at the house of Dr. Ruiz's father-in-law.
The doctor was present, but, feeling tired, he left the party at ten o'clock and went to his own house. Two of his friends went with him, and sat chatting with him until after twelve o'clock.
The train was thrown off the rails at ten-thirty, so that it was quite impossible that Dr. Ruiz could have had any hand in the work.
The authorities refused to listen to these statements made by Dr. Ruiz's friends, and kept him shut up in a dark and filthy cell for fourteen days. At the end of this time word came to Consul-General Lee that Dr....