The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-02

AS ConsuI.General to Cuba He
Would: Not Permit Treaties
TO Be Violated. ::
In the Past citizens of This Country
Were Court artialed and: Shot
in Short Order

NEW YORK, N. l.. DeS' A'-OoHel a
Ramon o. Williams, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
the United States at. Havana, arrived at
his home in Brooklyn to-day from trip
through England, France and Spain. Re
gardIng the circumstances surrounding
his resignation as Consul-General at Ha-
yana last year and about which so much
was said at the time, Mr.. Williams in an
interview this afternoon said:
sThere was treaty between this coun-
try and Spain made in the year 1885, and
article VITof that treaty was construed
by the representatives of the two coun-
tries in protocol signed January II 1877,
by Caleb Cushing on behalf of his Gov.
eminent and the Minister of State Of
Spain.
ION the first day of the present rebel
lion in Cuba. February "a, 1895, three
naturalized American citizens were ar
rested by order of the Captain General Of
Cuba, who announced that he would court
martial them. They were Messrs.
sanguilly, Aguirre and GARLIC. taken as
insurgents.
Article VII of the treaty of 1895 pro-
vides that unless arrested with arms in
hand, threatening the sovereignty OF
Spain IN $her dominion. American ciri-
gems, no matter what the charge against
them was, must be accorded q civil trial.
These men, arrested at noon one day,
were court-martialed and sentenced TO
imprisonment Tor life. 1 protested that
this was violation of the protocol.
rBoth the Captain General and the
Insular Secretary of State were entirely
Il ~ ILL
as well as OF the protocol constituting it,
. and thereupon the Captain General be-
came offended because 1 demanded the
transfer from military to civil jurisdiction
of the prisoners and the case was reported
in such manner to the Madrid Govern
ment as to almost provoke the revocation
of my exequatur.
"They. did not succeed. however, be-
cause the Minister of State at Madrid was
acquainted with the existence of the
treaty and within eighteen days after the
captain general had taken offense at my
stand he, by instruction of the Madrid
Government, granted everything l had
asked for, thereby showing that l was
right and the Captain-General was in the
wrong. The case of Sanguilly, Aguirre and
OF the civil authorities in Cuba. Since
then SsnguiIly's case was carried on ap-
peal from the Superior Court of Havana
to the Supreme Court OF Spain and the
proceedings of the Havana court have been
entirely reversed and a new trial ordered.
Thus it was shown again by the highest
judicial authority of Spain that was
right in dem anding the transfer of these
gentlemen and that the Captain-General
was wrong.
81 was guided in this by a recollection
of similar cases which have come under
my notice in Cuba. 1 was young man
employed as clerk in Havana III 1851
when the Crittenden men were shot re-
CARELESS of article VII and the treaty OF
1875. was a merchant in Havana when
the Virginius men were shot in 1871 an
almost similar case.
again, while / was there, Reccanoa, an
American citizen who had gone, repre-
senting certain Spanish elements. to ne
gotiate termsof peace with the insurgents
in the eastern part during the last insur-
rectlon in 1873, and who was arrested by
the Spanish forces, was tried by court
martial, condemned to death and shot in
the fort of Cabanos, where SanguilIy and
the Competitor1prisoners are now held. re-
CARELESS of the safeguards of article VII of
the treaty of 1875 and the safe conduct
given to him by the Spanish Minister at
Washington. The recollection of these
cases animated me to make quick and
earnest defense of these men, and it was
this action on my part that gave offense
to the Spanish authorities in Cuba.
81 was then in Washington. Acting on
the rule that no man of self-respect.will
want to return to or enter any place
where he believes that he is persona non
grata, and therefore not welcome, 1 re-
solved not to continue longer in. theaposi-
ton of Consul General to the island and
signlfed my desire to resign. The cir
cumstances, however, were of such a
character that went back to Havana, re-
sumed charge of the Office and continued
the defense of Sanguilly until the case was
transferred to the civil courts. '
"a few months before this an Amerf-
can citizen. John Cepireo. had been ar
rested and subjected to court-maItial, and
several other American citizens had been
treated the same way, and ineconsequence
I was not able to present my resignation
in due form until February, 1896 Ny sue
cessor was appointed in April, and in
June personally transferred the Office to
General Lee, the incumbent"
General Williams also said. that his re-
turn TO Havana was only atothe instance
of the earnest solicitation of President
and that the subsequent illness
and death of Secretary of State Gresham
occurred too soon to admit of bis person
ally explaining to the Secretary his views
on the matter.
With regard to the chances of the in
10 secure their freedom, General
Williams positively declined to express
his views.