The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 19, March 18, 1897: A Weekly Magazine for Boys and GirlsVarious
History
The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 19, March 18, 1897: A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls
Various
History, Modern -- 19th century -- Juvenile literature -- Periodicals
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.
[Illustration: Prison at Guanabacoa Dr. Ricardo Ruiz]
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. Ruiz had
died in prison.
As he was a very strong and healthy man, the American Consul at once
suspected that he had not died a natural death.
On investigation it was found that the poor fellow had died from the
effects of a blow on the head.
No one knows, and probably no one ever will know, how he was killed, but
there are dark rumors that he was murdered in his cell by Fondeviella's
orders.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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