Hiram Rosado

Hiram Rosado
Hiram Rosado
	Hiram Rosado (1936)
Born	1911; Ciales, Puerto Rico
Died	February 23, 1936 (aged 24/25); San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cause of death	Execution by shooting
Political party	Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Movement	Puerto Rican Independence

Hiram Rosado(1911-February 23, 1936) was a member of theCadets of the Republic,theparamilitarywing of thePuerto Rican Nationalist Partywho, together with fellow CadetElías Beauchamp,carried out the 1936 assassination of Col.Elisha Francis Riggs,the United States appointed chief of thePuerto Rico Police.Both men were arrested and shot, officially while attempting to escape, at the police headquarters inSan Juan.News of the assassinations spread throughout the United States and lead to legislative proposal by U.S. SenatorMillard Tydings,to grant independence to Puerto Rico.

Early years

Rosado (birth name:Hiram Rosado Ayala^{[note 1]}) was born in the town ofCiales, Puerto Rico.There he received his primary and secondary education. Rosado enjoyed reading and his father, Pedro Rosado would often buy him books. Rosado also had a passion for music and played the violin.^[1]After he graduated, Rosado went to work for a company called FERA where he became a supervisor.^[1]

Puerto Rican Nationalist Party

ThePuerto Rican Nationalist Partywas founded byJosé Coll y Cuchías a direct response to the American colonial government in 1919, By the 1920s, there were two other pro-independence organizations in the Island, they were the "Nationalist Youth" and the "Independence Association of Puerto Rico".On September 17, 1922, the two political organizations merged into the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. In 1924, Dr.Pedro Albizu Camposjoined the party and on May 11, 1930, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was elected president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.^[2]

Rosado was interested in the cause for Puerto Rican independence and joined the Nationalist Party. He became a member of theCadets of the Republic(Cadetes de la Republica) where he befriended fellow cadet Elías Beauchamp. The cadets was a quasi-military youth organization of the Nationalist Party also known as the "Liberation Army of Puerto Rico".^[3]

Events leading to a massacre

In 1931, the U.S.-appointed Governor of Puerto Rico,Theodore Roosevelt Jr.named Dr.Carlos E. Chardónas Chancellor of theUniversity of Puerto Rico.In 1935, Chardón initiated a project based on the ideas ofLuis Muñoz Marín,who at the time was a Senator in the Puerto Rican legislature and member of theLiberal Party of Puerto Rico.It was known as the Reconstruction of Puerto Rico Project. The plan, which was within theNew Dealcriteria established by U.S. PresidentFranklin Delano Rooseveltduring theGreat Depression,was well received and became known asPlan Chardón.^[4]

On October 20, 1935, in a political meeting which the Nationalist Party held in the town ofMaunaboand which was transmitted by radio, Albizu Campos denounced Chardón, the university deans and the Liberal Party as traitors, saying they wanted to convert the university into an "American" propaganda institution.^[5]

On October 23, 1935, a group of students at the university who supported Chardón began to collect signatures for a petition to declare Albizu Campos "Student Enemy Number One." In turn, a protest against the group by the pro-Nationalist faction of students denounced Chardón and the Liberal Party as agents of the United States.^[6]

TheRío Piedras massacre

On October 24, 1935, a student assembly held at the university declared Albizu Campos as "persona non grata." Chardón requested that the governor provide armed police officers on the university grounds, in case the situation turned violent. Two police officers spotted a "suspicious-looking vehicle" and asked the driver, Ramón S. Pagán, and his friend Pedro Quiñones, for identification. A struggle ensued, and the police killed Pagán and Quiñones. According to the local newspaper "El Mundo" of Oct. 25th, an explosion, followed by gunfire, was heard resulting in the additional deaths of Eduardo Rodríguez Vega and José Santiago Barea. Elisha Francis Riggs, a former Colonel in the United States Army, was the United States appointed police chief of Puerto Rico.^[6]>^[1]

An eyewitness,Isolina Rondón,testified that she saw the police officers shooting at the victims and heard one police officer screaming "not to let them escape alive." Her testimony was ignored, and no charges were filed against the police officers. The Río Piedras massacre left four men dead.^[3]^[7]

Assassination of Elisha F. Riggs

Colonel Elisha Francis Riggs was born inGeorgetown,a historic neighborhood located in northwestWashington, D.C.,Riggs was a former officer in theUnited States Armywho was appointed Chief of thePuerto Rico Policein 1933, byBlanton Winship,the U.S. appointed governor of Puerto Rico. He was an unpopular police chief, stemming from his decisions to repress the growing sugar cane worker'sorganized labormovement and the Nationalist Pro-Independence Movement.^[8]

The Río Piedras Massacre enraged the nationalists including Rosado and Beauchamps. The nationalists believed that Col. Elisha F. Riggs was responsible for the massacre, as the chief of thePuerto Rico Police.Beauchamps decided to retaliate with the help of Rosado.^[9]

On Sunday, February 23, 1936, Elisha F. Riggs had attended mass in the Church of Santa Ana in San Juan. When the mass was over, Riggs stepped out of the church and got into his car, a Packard, driven by Angel Alvarez, a police officer. Rosado knew the route which Riggs would normally take and waited. When Riggs' car reached the corner of Allen and Gambaro Streets, Rosado came out of his hideout and began shooting towards Riggs. Rosado then made a run for it, but was soon captured by Alvarez. All the while, Riggs got out of his car and began asking for the declarations of those who witnessed the attempt on his life. He was suddenly approached by Beauchamps who said "I saw everything, Colonel, I saw everything".

Believing that he had a witness to the events Riggs told Beauchamps that he was headed to the police station and to accompany him. Beauchamps boarded Riggs chauffeured car and shot Riggs in the head killing him instantly.^[2]Beauchamp tried to escape and hid inside "Rodriguez y Palacios", a warehouse in Tetuan Street.^[1]Both men were arrested and taken to the San Juan police headquarters located in 305 San Francisco Street.

They were not given a fair trial, instead Beauchamps and Rosado were both gunned down in the police station.^[10]Beauchamps died immediately and Rosado was transferred to a local hospital. In the hospital his last words to a nurse were "How many bullets do I have? My chest hurts a little." He later died of the gun wounds which he received. In the aftermath of the killings, the police claimed that the nationalists were shot because they attempted to escape. None of the police officers involved were demoted or suspended.^[1]

The news of the assassination of Elisha F. Riggs spread throughout the United States. At that time Puerto Rican Senator,Luis Muñoz Marín,was in Washington, D.C., andErnest Gruening,the administrator of thePuerto Rico Reconstruction Administration(1935–1937), asked him to condemn Riggs' assassination. Muñoz Marín told Gruening that he would do so only if he was also allowed to condemn the police for murdering the Nationalists in the city police station without a trial.^[9]

Post assassination

Six police officers were indicted for first degree murder for the summary executions. However, they were all acquitted.^[11]

After Riggs' assassination, many Nationalist Party leaders were imprisoned. Members of the Puerto Rican independence movement came under greater scrutiny and persecution. Among the leaders arrested wasPedro Albizu Campos,^[3]These leaders were charged with having "conspired to overthrow" the U.S. government on the island. They were tried inBoston,Massachusetts, as that federal district court had jurisdiction for Puerto Rico. The first trial jury refused to convict, and ended in a hung jury. A second jury was picked, consisting solely of "Anglo-Americans." This jury found every Nationalist charged to be "guilty".^[12]

Notes

^

References

^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e"Latino History and Culture: An Encyclopedia"; By David J. Leonard, Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo; Publisher: Sharpe Reference; 1st edition (2010);ISBN 0765680831•ISBN 978-0765680839.
^^a ^bLuis Muñoz Marín, By A. W. Maldonado, Pg. 86, Publisher: La Editorial, Universidad de Puerto Rico, (December 1, 2006),ISBN 0-8477-0158-1,ISBN 978-0-8477-0158-2
^^a ^b ^c"pr-secretfiles.net"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 1 November 2013.Retrieved25 April2016.
^Dr.Delma S. Arrigoitia,Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868-1938;p. 292; Publisher: Ediciones Puerto (January 2008);ISBN 978-1-934461-69-3
^Arrigoitia (2008),Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo,p. 305
^^a ^bArrigoitia (2008),Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo,p. 306
^"Isolina Rondón",testimony, Peace Host
^"War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony"; Author: Nelson Antonio Denis; Publisher: Nation Books (April 7, 2015);ISBN 978-1568585017.
^^a ^bBosque Pérez, Ramón (2006).Puerto Rico Under Colonial Rule.SUNY Press. p. 71.ISBN 978-0-7914-6417-5.Retrieved2009-03-17.
^"The Puerto Ricans: A Documentary History"; by: Markus Wiener Publishers; 2008; Page 179
^M, Atiles Osoria, José (2018-09-13).El derecho en conflicto: Colonialismo, despolitización y resistencia en Puerto Rico(in Spanish). Ediciones Uniandes-Universidad de los Andes. pp. 165–166.ISBN 978-958-774-738-6.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Historical Timeline,PR Dream

v t e Independence movement in Puerto Rico
Indigenous resistance	Agüeybaná I Agüeybaná II Arasibo Hayuya Jumacao Urayoán
Political organizations	Union Party of Puerto Rico Independence Association of Puerto Rico Liberal Party of Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Independence Party Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Hostosian National Independence Movement Socialist Front Puerto Rico Pro-Independence University Federation
Militant organizations	Cadets of the Republic Boricua Popular Army(Macheteros) Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional
19th century activists	Ramón Emeterio Betances Mariana Bracetti Mathias Brugman Roberto Cofresí María de las Mercedes Barbudo José de Diego Eugenio María de Hostos Francisco Gonzalo Marín Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón Antonio Mattei Lluberas Francisco Ramírez Medina José Gualberto Padilla Lola Rodríguez de Tió Manuel Rojas Juan Ríus Rivera Segundo Ruiz Belvis Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Antonio Valero de Bernabé Manuel Zeno Gandía Fernando Fernandez Agustín Stahl José "Aguila Blanca" Maldonado Marcos Xiorro
20th and 21st century activists	Antonio Rafael Barceló Félix Benítez Rexach Rubén Berríos Americo Boschetti Juan Mari Brás Marie Haydée Beltrán Torres Roy Brown Cayetano Coll y Cuchí Gilberto Concepción de Gracia Juan Dalmau Pedro Ortiz Dávila José M. Dávila Monsanto Elizam Escobar Leopoldo Figueroa Víctor Manuel Gerena Edwin Irizarry Mora Luis Lloréns Torres Oscar López Rivera Filiberto Ojeda Ríos Antonio S. Pedreira Pedro Pietri Miguel Poventud Ángel Rivero Méndez Manuel Rodríguez Orellana María de Lourdes Santiago Piri Thomas Alejandrina Torres Carlos Alberto Torres Iris Zavala
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party	Pedro Albizu Campos José S. Alegría Margot Arce de Vázquez Elías Beauchamp Casimiro Berenguer Julia de Burgos Blanca Canales Nemesio Canales Rafael Cancel Miranda José Coll y Cuchí Oscar Collazo Rosa Collazo Juan Antonio Corretjer José Ferrer Canales Isabel Freire de Matos Carmelo Delgado Delgado Raimundo Díaz Pacheco Andres Figueroa Cordero Irvin Flores Lolita Lebrón Tomás López de Victoria Hugo Margenat René Marqués Francisco Matos Paoli Pedro "Davilita" Ortiz Dávila Ruth Mary Reynolds Germán Rieckehoff Helen Rodríguez Trías Hiram Rosado Isabel Rosado Isolina Rondón Vidal Santiago Díaz Daniel Santos Clemente Soto Vélez Griselio Torresola Antonio Vélez Alvarado Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff Teófilo Villavicencio Marxuach Olga Viscal Garriga
Events	Ducoudray Holstein Expedition Grito de Lares Intentona de Yauco Levantamiento de Ciales Río Piedras massacre Ponce massacre Gag Law(Ley de la Mordaza) Nationalist Party revolts of the 1950s Jayuya Uprising San Juan Nationalist revolt Utuado Uprising Truman assassination attempt U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954) Cerro Maravilla murders Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico's Independence
Symbols	Grito de Lares flag La Borinqueña by Lola Rodríguez de Tío
Media	Claridad