The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-18
PEDRO J|MENEz
DEFENDS HIMSELF.
He UnfoldS a Tale of the
Most Intolerable
0utrages.
GLORIES IN HIS ACT.
Don Carlos Ezeta Is Stigmatized
as a Bully and a
Coward.
PEDR0'S AIM WAS UNERRING.
The Young Man Says He Is Satisfied
and Has No Desire to Kill
the General.
PEDRo's AIM WAS UNERRING

"What things the papers have been say
ing about mel" exclaimed Don Pedro
Jimenez yesterday.
The ex-Prosecuting Attorney of Court
1 of the First Instance, in the City OF
San Salvador, was seated with friend in
his rooms at the Hotel Marechal Mel dis
cussing the all-absorbing topic of the day
among local Spanish-Americans- at
tack of last Tuesday upon the ex-Presi-
dent of Salvador, Don Carlos Ezeta. The
youthful jurist has a pleasing exterior,
and with frankness truly charming gave
his views upon the incident and the causes
which led up to it.
1.-THE story is a long one" he began,
'but will tell it as briefly as 1 can. To
commence with, the decent element in
Salvador, especially in San Salvador. the
capital city, was disguised with General
Ezeta. His ungrateful attitude toward
President Menendez was particularly
noticeable. Menendez had been father
to Ezeta. and only short time before his
my sterious death he presented the gen.
eral with a horse valued at $4,000, ring
set with brilliauts and magnificent new
uniform. And yet all the while Ezeta was
" Rct Tic tOolu0uCJs
''Then came the sudden and unexplained
demise of the PRESIDENT. / saw his body
which. after death, became coal. black, and
from that day l conceived an intense aver
sion to Ezeta and hoped l might never
know him.
AFTER my admission to practice a
friend offered to present me to EZeta, who
had by this time elected himself President
of the republic. begged my friend not
to introduce me, as l desired not to know
the man. This circumstance was, l I'M
derstand. brought to the generals notice
and saved up for future reference and
action.
about this time a thesis on the Presi-
Dental veto power, which | had pub
ished before my admission to the bar,
commenced to circulate rather extensive
ly. The editor of the Eco Nacional. the
official journal of the city of San Salvador,
warned me that the President was greatly
incensed at some of the propositions ad-
yanced by me in my thesis, and said he
feared l would get into trouble. / said if
there were any errors in my essay they
could be corrected, and l would be glad
to acknowledge the justice of the correc-
ton. Then, or shortly thereafter, l was
elected prosecuting attorney, OF fiscal del
iuzgado primero de primera instancia, a
post similar TO that of public prosecutor.
Shortly after my appointment received
a letter from the President, which have
yet in my possession, asking me TO use my
influence in favor OF certain Martin
Garcia. 1t seems that during the annual
fiesta of the Barrio del Caivario in the city
OF San Salvador Captain Garcia had taken
the notion to amuse himself by f1inging
6re-crackers at q Spaniard known by the
Misunderstanding name of PAUL.. The
Spaniard resented the familiarity, and
after brisk alteration struck the cap
TOT n hn fonn 40 a..
his pistol and shot PAUL. dead
81 returned no answer to the Presidents
letter. The Judge also had received a
similar communication. / told Garcia to
bother me with no more letters, least of
all with any from Ezeta, and that so far as
l was concerned the law would have to
take its course. Garcia came into court
accompanied by certain colonel, a per-
sonal friend of the President. In nv
argument / stated plainly that the inter-
vention of the President had rendered any
words of mine unavailing. but that I
would do my best to do my official duty,
which l did.
"As l was leaving the courtroom 1 met
the President face to face. l made way
for his Excellency, but did not salute him.
He gave me most malignant look, which
L pretended not to observe. In company
with another lawyer l went to a cafe,
where we had a glass of orangeade. We
were going out when military gendarme
arrested me and conveyed me to the bar
racks. There my clothing was stripped
from me and | was dressed in q private S
uniform. Then was put through a course
of 'calisthenics' which would have been
enough to kin horse.
"For four whole hours / was driven
round and round the great central court
yaid, urged on by officers with scourges
and bayonets. Then / was taken and
made to sit and rise an immense number
| of times, in order to linn Der up nv Joints ,
At last fell exhausted into a bed which
was alive with vermin. The next day, at
O'Clock in the morning, 1 was routed
up and made to sprinkle and then to
sweep the courtyard, afterward being
sent out IN company with two armed
| guards, carrying broom and bucket in
| my hands to sprinkle and sweep the street
in front OF the barracks. During the heat
OF the day was obliged to scour the can
mons. knew nothing of such work, nor
indeed of any manual labor, and made
many mistakes. for each of which was
numerically scourged with knotted
! thongs of rawhide.
The Prime Minister appealed 10 Ezeta,
and was told that if ne mentioned the
matter again he would be sent to keep me
company, and that could get out by pay
| ing $50. This refused to do on principle
| My uncle, the old friend of Ezeta's sisters
when they were living in one of the con-
vents OF San Salvador as charity students,
| interceded for me, but without avail, the
! President saying he did not want to talk
! to that old man again. After three DAYS
of indescribable torment l was released
| through the influence of friends.
MY thoughts and feelings during the
three days OF my sojourn in that abode OF
| satanic cruelty and nameless filth leave
them to be imagined by any one having
the heart of man. In my unavailing in
ward protestations against the foul injus-
tice which had been done me, l made up
my mind to be avenged. l, a gentleman
born and bred, a man of means, high
court official, had been forced at the point
OF lash and bayonet to ignoble manual
labor, as though l were a common peon.
My back, which had never crooked before
usurped and tyrannical authority, had
been fayed with Unframed thongs. The
noblest manifest instincts of nv nature