Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1897 — COLONEL RUIZ. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COLONEL RUIZ.

The Spanish Peace Envoy Who Was Assassinated by the Cubans. Lieut. Col. Joaquin Ruiz, the Spanish peace envoy who was put to death by the Cubans last week, was well known to Cubans in New York. He was a resident of Havana and had held municipal offices in that cfcy, among them the chieftainship of the city fire department. He was promoted from that position to be aid-de-camp to Captain General Blanco when that soldier took charge of affairs in the Cuban capital. Ruiz knew Col. Aranguren. In fact, the two men were warm personal friends before the rebellion. Aranguren had been an employe of Ruiz when the latter occupied the post of manager of the V'ento water works. These things determined Gen. Blanco in his se-

lection of an emissary to hold out peace proposals to the rebels. Ruiz sent a letter to his friend telling him the nature of the mission he was about to undertake, and the young Cuban colonel in his reply warned the Spaniard that any messenger from the hated power would be killed. He further told Ruiz that if he eame to him in that role he would be •hanged. Aranguren’s father and sister, who are in the United States, say that they hxve letters from the young colonel in which he declares that Spain cannot tempt him. Whether ArangurenJje dead or not, there seems to be no doubt as to the fate that overtook his old friend. Col. Ruiz was admired for his gallantry, and ho went to his death fully aware of the awful risk he ran^

COLONEL RUIZ.