No. 96.
Mr. Reinberg to Mr. Hunter.
United
States Consulate-General,
Guayaquil,
Ecuador, March 2, 1885.
(Received March 26.)
No. 105.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose you herewith copy
of Consular Agent Goddard’s dispatch No. 23, dated February 20, 1885, having
reference to his interview with Mr. Santos; also, copy of declaration of Mr.
Gumercindo Villacis, former political chief (jefe
politico) of the district where Mr. Santos resided, referring
likewise to the case of Mr. Santos.
I am, &c.,
MARTIN REINBERG,
United States
Vice-Consul-General.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 105.]
Mr. Goddard to Mr.
Reinberg.
United
States Consular Agency,
Bahia, February 20,
1885.
No. 23.]
Dear Sir: I have the honor to advise you that
U. S. S. Wachusett arrived here on 14th instant, and that, in
conformance with your instructions, proceeded in her to Manta, from
which place I went, in company with Commander Mahan, of Wachusett,
[Page 238]
to Monte-Cristi for the
purpose of interviewing Mr. J. R. Santos, the prisoner in the hands of
the Ecuadorian Government charged with complicity in the late
revolutionary movement in this province.
The answers of Mr. Santos to the questions put to him by Commander Mahan
and myself were all written down and delivered by me to Commander Mahan,
to be forwarded to you. I also succeeded in obtaining an amount of
corroborative evidence bearing directly on the subject of the intention
of Mr. Santos to return to the country of his adoption, all of which I
handed to Commander Mahan, retaining at the consulate copies.
I have also the pleasure to inclose you a copy of an official dispatch
which I received this morning from the minister of foregn affairs, with
date January 4, 1885, which surprises me, as Mr. Beach’s letter of
January 21 is now before me, in which Mr. Beach advises me that on the
date mentioned he called upon the secretary of foreign relations and
that the secretary promised to have the charges investigated which had
been adduced against me.
I am, &c.,
E. T. GODDARD,
United States Consular
Agent.
Since writing above I have obtained another declaration bearing on
the Santos case from the former political chief, which I now
inclose.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 105.]
At Bahia de Caráquez, on the 21st day of the month of February, 1885, Mr.
Gumercindo Villacis, being present at this consulate, took oath as a
Catholic, and under that oath declared that he knew that Don Julio R.
Santos went to North America, while still a minor, for the purpose of
receiving his education, and that he resided there for many years; that
the said Mr. Santos had repeatedly told him, in private conversations,
that it was his intention to leave Ecuador and to settle permanently in
North America with his whole family; that his brother, Mr. Santos Elias
Santos, left here and went to that city (sic)
with the same intention, proposing to establish a mercantile house which
was to begin operations on the 1st day of January, 1885; that he knew
that Mr. Santos had accepted no public office involving the exercise of
jurisdiction; that while he (deponent) had held the office of political
chief of this canton he had frequently requested the said gentleman to
accept some office in this locality, which he had always refused to do
on the ground that he was an American citizen.
He declared the foregoing statement to be true, according to the oath
which he had taken, and signed, G. Villacis.
I, the undersigned consular officer, certify that the foregoing was
declared under oath in my presence.
E. J. GODDARD,
United States Consular
Agent
