The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-06-10
LEES REPORT ON RUIZ CASE
FACTS ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE
CAUSE OF HIS DEATH NOT
TO BE HAD.
SPANISH OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE
He Was Kept IncOmmunicadO 3l0
Hours, In Violation of Treaty
Rights-The Awful Agony
He Had to Endure.

New York, June S.-Thc Journal pub
fishes the full text of Consul General
Lees report on the Ruiz case to Secre-
tary Sherman. II is dated Havana,
May 81, and says in part:
IL deduce from my knowledge Of the
facts the following conclusions:
'"First-Dr. Ruiz was arrested on a
false charge.
"Second-He was placed under an i'm
proper jurisdiction and died before the
proper tribunal considered his case,
thereby giving him no opportunity to
prove his innocence.
"Third-He was kept 'incommunicado'
in solitary cell for 315 hours, in viola
ton of his treaty rights, which limit CON
fnement to seventy-two hours.
"Fourth-He died from congestion of
the brain produced by blow on top Of
the head.
"Fifth-There are two theories con-
nected with the wound on the head. One
is that in state Of mental excitement he
ran across the CELL as described by one
of the jailers, and butted his head on the
door in frantic effort to get out. An
other is that he was struck over the head
with one of the clubs carried by the
immediate watchmen, who had probably
ordered him to cease his cries for relief
and for his children. and. upon his not
doing so. struck him with more force
than he intended, or, it is possible the
blow was delivered to make him confess
or give evidence against others.
1T Is possible that he went mad and
many causes combined to produce such
n result. His knowledge of his own in
nOcence. his confinement in II gloomy cell,
where he was not allowed to commune
cate with family or friends or to send or
write-alOne. all alone-the thought
doubtless impressed itself upon his mind
that he was liable, in the reign of terror
then existing in Guanabacoa, to be sum
marily executed Mt any moment. He
loved his wife and children, and in the
darkness and loneliness of his cell he
was constantly crying for them. The
thought that they were but few rods
away and yet he could not see them or
hear the sound of their voices or feel the
touch of their lips and hands maddened
him and proved too much for the mind Of
the distracted and unhappy man, and it
is thought not improbable that, as the
long bopFs passed by it may have given
away and left him u mad man. His
wife says his derby hat was all battered
up and his clothes greatly torn when re-
turned to her.
But, whether. when bercft Of reason,
he inflicted the blows which produced
brain congestion or whether he died at
the hands of others, the truth will prob
ably only be known when the hearts of
all are revealed. The fact remains that
his unjust confinement killed him, and
had he been released from incommuni-
cado at the end of seventy-two hours
death might not have released him, and
today the widow would have had the
support of her husband and the means
of his fathcrless children would never
have been heard in the land.
III, therefore, conclude, saying as l
have done in all previous reports about
the case. that whether DIR. Ruiz killed
himself or was killed by some one else
will, under existing circumstances, al
ways remain unknown"