The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-23
Ill NE PEOPLE
CAST LIN OF.
Man Who Turned ExecutiOner
in Porto Rico 0Stracized.
ILL NOT GIVE HIM FOOD
Or a Place TO Lay His Head
Because of His Act.
ILL NOT GIVE HIM FOOD

New York. Nov 2a.-The New York
World says:
Jean Vatican was in darkness. he suf-
fered in darkness and he hated in dark
ness. Men had only laid hand on him
10 injure him, and any contact with them
had been a blow to him.
Never since his infancy had he heard
a kind word or friendly LOOK. He spoke
little and never laughed; 1t needed some
extra emotion to draw from him. once
or twice a year that mournful convict
laughter, which is. as it were. an echo
OF fenGish laughter
In this obscure and dull glUom through
which he crawIed. wherever he turned
his head and essayed 10 raise his eye.
he saw. with terror BLENDED with rage.
built Up above him, with frightfully
scarped sides. species Of terrific pile
Of thinss-laws prejudices. men and facts.
lEwhose outline escaped him, whose mass
Terrified him. and which was nothing
else than than prodigious pyramid which
We call civilization.
For Jean Vatican there was no sun, TO
glorious summer day, no brilliant sky.
$50 --~NAA -A4eA4- Nei fES 1-4A4Atl AEoll lAE
light which illuminated his soul
veritable Jean Vatican, Without
money, Without work Without a home!
Without a friend,
Hated. despised and loathed by every
fellow-countryman, Branded as worse
than murderer. yet for no criminal
act,
Such is the increditabie predicament of
Rivera, the Porto Rican. who TO gain
his own liberty. consented to become the
public executioner and garrote his fel-
low prisoners.
Five months ago Rivera, serving a four
teen year sentence in San Juan Jail. yield
ed TO the promise Of Gov hunt, of Porto
Rico. and obtained a pardon by executing
nine murderers who had been condemned
to death
Since then Rivera has been free-but it
has been the freedom Of starvation He
has been acquitted by the Law and con-
demned by his fellow-men.
/ He has obtained iberty-the liberty 10
wander from door TO door-the liberty
to ask without receiving and to seek
without hnding-the liberty TO be an
accused vagrant. summed by all save
the Wild hogs witt which ne slept
Men in the heat of passion may XIII and
+ be forgiven in Porto Rico. They may
I become diseased, leprous. and yet be fed
I by the hands of friends
But for him who turns the merciless
screw Of the garroting machine there
+ is no forgiveness. In heaven there may
be. but not in Porto Rico.
The little children Of the street pelt
him with mud and stones when the
crowd OF spectators is large enough to
embolden them. II other times they hide
from him with a vague horror. feeling
that in some way he is a monster whom
they must hate and avoid
NO food for the garroter." is the
stern reply that meets Rivera when he
begs a native for assistance. Only the
chance charity Of Americans-and they
are few in Porto Rico-has kept the
ostracized wretch alive since he perform
ed the act which has rendered hil 50
odious
Recently Rivera - Vincento Nazario-
sent on a rudely scrawled petition to Act
ing Givernor Hartzeu begging that help
might be given 10 him. The petition states
that since his liberation he has every
where been denied work of any kind. that
no one viii answer him when he speaks.
and that unless the government aids him
he VIII starve 10 death As vet the gov
eminent oficiais have taken no action
~ inc present TINE RIVERA IS IN the
town OF romeo Fei'aiilins there Tor no
olheF reason than 'h't ne mas no money
90 take him elsewhere
\ SUNDAY "oi4d reporter round me
SNACK on 1he ou'SAii's OF 'he Town
ana after some persuasion obtained his
own story "hieh is Is io--oNs.
an an ao-s7l MN nave siFeh
people no reason 20 t'ea' me worse tnan
II were aos-
10 you INNS Il VS. peasant ior ne
% kiii ny o1o'leIs some one haa 10
took rum belo1e EAie8 thslH- ara
prayed as mueh rs me priests cid ior
tnel- sous iheE were nor ny enemies
nes~ were m1'aeFers ara vas not
STABBED man VINO was UllAs 20 XII
r'e- IS that 2 esl'ne-to protect yelr
ilie
The men sarFo'ed hae S-i-ed an old
man and done Fro's 70 senorits they
deserved to die S9i 4 an sorry Tor tneir 4
children
No they Gid no1 slier muah p7in .
when choSed mem NY arms are strong +