Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 6, 1886

No. 94.
Mr. Reinberg to Mr. Hunter.

United States Consulate-General,
Guayaquil, Ecuador, February 24, 1885. (Received March 18.)

No. 104.]

Sir: About 10 o’clock a.m. of the 19th instant Captain Mahan, commanding U. S. S. Wachusett, arrived at Santa Helena, on the coast of Ecuador, on his return from interviewing the prisoner Julio Romano Santos.

* * * * * * *

By today’s steamer from the south I received from Captain Mahan original declarations (copies of which I inclose), and shall forward same to Hon. Horatio N. Beach, consul-general, now at Quito, by first mail.

I am, &c.,

MARTIN REINBERG,
United States Vice-Consul-General.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 104.—Translation.]

Bahia be Caráquez, February 17, 1885.

Before Mr. E. T. Goddard, consular agent of the United States of America at this port, and Mr. Jesse M. Roper, lieutenant of the war steamer Wachusett, appeared Señor José Polit, who, being sworn before God our Lord and upon the emblem of the cross, promised to speak the truth in all whereof he has knowledge touching the intention of Mr. Julio R. Santos to return to live in North America, to which end he has been summoned as a witness by Mr. José B. Plaza.

To the undersigned he declares that Mr. Julio R. Santos has constantly held the resolve to return to dwell in North America as soon as it might be possible for him to do so, with which intention he had established, through his brother Elias Santos, a commercial house in New York, to the end that he should himself remove thither to reside, being the country in which he had lived since childhood and in which he had been educated up to the obtainment of his diploma as a civil engineer, and above all, because it is the nation of all his sympathies; that not only did Mr. Julio Santos constantly make known to him this desire, but that Elias Santos in personal communications also informed the undersigned that he undertook the voyage to the United States in order to procure the realization of the desire of his brother Julio to go to live in New York, accompanied by his mother and his sisters.

The subscriber confirms this his declaration, which he signs in the presence of the consular agent and the lieutenant aforesaid.

JOSÉ POLIT.

Certifying that the foregoing was duly declared under oath in our presence.

• E. T. GODDARD,
  United States Consular Agent.
• JESSE M. ROPER,
  Lieutenant, U. S. Navy.

[Inclosure 2 in No. 104.—Translation.]

In Bahia de Caráquez, the 17th of the month of February, 1885, being present in this consulate Don José Buenaventura Plaza, he took oath as a Catholic, and under this solemnity saith:

That it is known to him that Don Julio Santos, being then a minor, went to the United States in 1865 to be educated; that it is also known to him that, by reason of the death of Don Antonio Santos, father of Don Julio, the latter returned to Ecuador in 1871; that soon afterwards he returned to the United States, whence he returned at the expiration of two Or three years; that he does not remember the length of time during which on this occasion he remained in Ecuador, but that Mr. Santos again returned to North America, where he remained about four or five years. Finally, although he does not remember in what year Don Julio Santos returned to Ecuador, since when, up to this time, he has not again left this country; that it is known to him that the house of commerce was formed in Bahia, under the firm-name of Santos, Hevia Hermanos, as likewise was the determination to establish in New York a commercial house to be in correspondence therewith from the 1st of January of this year; that the establishment of this house was in pursuance of the deliberate intention that all the family of Don Julio should remove to New York; that in regard to this, as in all other respects, the declarant refers to the very worthy residents of this port, Messrs. José Polite and J. Samuel Zedaño, as being conversant with all these particulars; that what he has said is the truth in virtue of the oath he has taken and subscribed before the consular agent.

Being here asked by the consular agent if Don Julio R. Santos has held public offices in this Republic, he saith, “No;”that as an act of condescension he accepted the office of treasurer of the Camino Cisandino (Cis-Andean road), but without exercising any functions, and that this office was one of those which involve no jurisdiction.

Certifying that the before-mentioned José B. Plaza has declared the foregoing under oath, and that he himself has presented said declaration in his own handwriting.

E. T. GODDARD,
United States Consular Agent.

Witness:

Jesse M. Roper.
Lieutenant, U. S. Navy.

[Inclosure 3 in No. 104.]

Memorandum of the statement of Mr. Julio Romano Santos, in the presence of E. T. Goddard, consular agent of the United States of North America, at Bahia de Caráquez, made in the presence of the captain of the steamer Wachusett, at Monte-Cristi, on the 16th day of February, 1885.

(1) He left Bahia in 1865. He came to Bahia in 1871, and returned to New York the same year. He came to Bahia in 1874, and returned to New York the same year. He came to Bahia in April, 1879, and has remained there until now.

(2) At a family meeting held in 1881, it was resolved to establish a commercial house here, of which Santos Elias was to be recognized as the head. There was no public document.

(3) In March, 1884, Santos Elias went to New York for the purpose of establishing a business house; in January last he was still in that city for the purpose of establishing said house, to which deponent with his entire family was to go.

(4) That Julio Santos has always declared that he would not accept any public office, much less join the national guard, as Mr. Francisco Avellan, the political hief of Bahia, once attempted to force him to do.

(5) That Mr. Santos Elias can furnish evidence of the intention to establish the commercial house in New York.

(6) That Mr. Berntich can furnish proof that Julio Santos always intended [to return] to the United States, as can also Mr. Antonio Martinez, of Hagerstown, Md.

(7) Messrs. José B. Plaza, Ignacio Palan, and G. Villacis can likewise serve as witnesses of his intention to return to the United States.

(8) Mr. Flavio Santos, in November or December, 1880, was present at the family meeting which resolved to establish the house at Bahia, and subsequently in New York. The correspondence of the entire year 1884 with Mr. Flavio Santos, in London, has reference to the house that was to be established [in] New York.