No. 96.
Mr. Reinberg to Mr. Hunter.

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.

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