The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-10-22
Julio Romano Santos.

JULIO nOIuduO > III COS.
Julio Santos, who recently passed
through New York on his way to
Washington to establish his claim to
recognition as an American citizen,
has been interviewed by a reporter of
The NeW York Ma,l and Erpress. In
regard to his trlbulations in Ecuador
he says: l was born at Charapoto,
Ecuador, 1852, of Ecuadorian parents.
When lad of 13 l left my native
country for the United States, where /
went TO school, first at Woodbury.,
Md, afterward at Sing Sing. N. Y,
and finally at Charlottesville, Albemarle
county, Va, where l entered the Uni
versity of Virginia. l pursued full
course of engineering studies at the
university, and became assistant pro-
fessor OF applied mathematics. In
1874 l presented myself before the
court of Albemarle county and appl ed
for letters of naturalization as a citi-
zen of the state, which were granted
me on July 6 of the same year and
certified copy of which l now possess.
After my naturalization went to Ala
bama, remaining at the Mobile Medi-
cal college for many months as profess
scr of chemistry. In 1879 family af-
fairs drew me back to Ecuador, and l
and my brothers entered into business
as exporters at Bahia in 1882.
All went well until the end of 1884.
On the 18th of November of that year
Gen. Eloy Alfaro raised the standard
of revolt at Porto Viejo. The govern
ment, however, acted promptly, and
on the 9th of December quietness
was restored On the 9th l was pro-
ceeding up the RIVER Dosagua to a
Hacienda Retro in a canoe with six
men when we suddenly fell into an
ambuscade of government troops. To
my intense amaZement we were at
once ordered to stop, taken from our
canoe, seized and bound. My pro-
tests were entirely disregarded. 1t
was in vain 1 represented to my cap
tors that had been long on the most
intimate terms with President Caa-
mano, that l had nothing whatever to
do with the revolution, that l was a
friend to good government and a
peaceful citizen mindlng my own busi-
ness. was told that l should have an
opportunity of exculpating myself be-
fore a military tribunal. With my
followers l was thrust into damp and
leaky shed on the river bank, where
we passed the night on top of some
salt bags and sacks of tagua. The
next day we were removed on foot,
still bound with ropes and strongly
guarded, to Dosagua, whence we pro-
ceeded on horseback to Rocafuente,
from there to Charapoto and Bahia.
At night we were confined in the jails
on the road. At Bahia we were given
in charge OF Col. Burbano, and were
afterward handed over to Gen. Flores.
The latter promised to try me by drum
head court-martial and to execute me
summarily unless l paid him $500
This refused to do. was then car
ried, together with my brother and
the owner of the Hacienda Retro. on
board of the man-of-war Nueve de
Julio, and in her coal bunkers we were
confined for eight days, without light,
harrassed by hourly threats in store
for us. On the 22d of December l was
shifted to the steamer Huacho and on
the 9th of January, 1885, ! was taken
by way Of Manta to Porto Viejo.
had been there but a short time when
there came another move to Monte
Cr.sto, and there they thrust me into
the common Jail and treated me like
any criminal.
During all this time had been beg
ging for trial, but my prayers were
unheaded until the 9th OF MAY, when
was taken before Judge Parena AT
Porto Vie o and examined for the first
time. On the 9th OF June | was put
into cell under the military hospital
at Porto Viejo, where one of my fell
low-prisoners was attacked With the
yeliow fever. No measures were
taken to separate Us. On the 11th of
July was surprised by an order from
Quito for my liberation, after having
remained above seven months in DUR
ance. Immediately upon my release
went to Bahia. found that my house
had been entered and stripped of all
movable property. My bodesas were
nearly empty, and my business was. of
course, in a state of rNn. Altogether
l estimate the damage have suffered
at S1On,O00 have be run to take ALL
davits and declarat ons, and shall have
no difficulty in proving the justice Of
my claims: