Hellraisers Journal – Monday March 22, 1909
Antonio de Pio Araujo, An Innocent Man Imprisoned in a Strange Country
From the Appeal to Reason of March 20, 1909:
Araujo’s Address from His Prison Cell.
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TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE:
Evansville Press, Indiana March 20, 1909
It is hard to be sentenced as an innocent man to a long term of imprisonment in a strange country. It is in this unfortunate position that I find myself. But I have no regret and I address you in no spirit of despair. I have felt from the first that if the American people knew the truth about my case I would not now be in a convict’s cell. But the American people do not know the truth. In fact but few of them know anything at all about my conviction. The silence of the press was a part of the conspiracy to destroy my activity by sending me to prison.
Through the medium of the Appeal I have been given the opportunity of addressing myself to the American people, and I gladly avail myself of this privilege. Readers of the Appeal know that for some time there has been trouble in Mexico growing out of the awful condition of the people. For this the administration of Diaz, backed by American capitalists, is responsible. Myself and comrades of the liberal party were opposed to the administration. We were persecuted, spied upon and hunted down until we had to leave the country. When we landed on this side of the Rio Grande we felt ourselves secure under the stars and stripes of the American republic. But alas, we soon realized that the same power which had driven us from our native land also ruled the American states. Our papers were suppressed and we were tracked from place to place by the spies of the Mexican government, reinforced by American detectives, also in its employ. In due time we were arrested upon baseless charges. Some of my comrades have been in jail almost two years. This seems very strange in a land of freedom. Why is trial denied them? I do not know and no one can tell me.
In my own case I was arrested upon the charge of having violated the neutrality laws. Being a poor man I had but small chance to make any defense. It seems that a poor man here fares about the same as he does everywhere. The trial was soon over. The judge sentenced me to a term of two years and a half in the federal prison at Leavenworth, where I now am. Very few knew anything about it at the time. But since the Appeal has taken up the case and other papers have become interested many thousands now know about it and are actively interested in seeing that justice is done.
It is well known that the judge who tried me admitted that he was prejudiced, trying to excuse himself upon the ground that he was bound to destroy the opposition to the Diaz administration. This shows how he feels, and of course, my sentence was a foregone conclusion.
The people of this country can hardly imagine the terrible condition of the millions of peons in Mexico, the men, women and children who are half naked, hungry, in filth and disease, and who are the unhappy victims of the present administration. No man can look upon these dreadful scenes and not feel his blood rising within him. But to take a stand against the bureaucracy, with Diaz at its head, which is robbing the people and causing all their misery and suffering, is to be charged with being a traitor to the country. My comrades and I are guilty of no other crime than that we have opposed this despotic administration and have sympathized with and endeavored to help our suffering countrymen.
Citizens of the United States, this is all the crime we are guilty of. If for this we are to be sentenced to penitentiary in the great American republic it may seem very strange and very sad to us, but we will make no complaint. For my part I would rather remain here the rest of my days than to abandon my principles and forsake my oppressed and despairing fellow men.
I must not close without expressing may sincere thanks to the sympathizing friends in this country who have taken my case in hand and are appealing my case to higher court. Whatever the outcome may be I shall remember them with gratitude. They have never seen me but they appreciate the cause I am striving to serve, and their sympathy and support is that of comrades who recognize no boundary line between nations when human beings are in distress.
The unfortunate experience which has come to me will be made up for many fold if the Mexican people and the American people are drawn closer to each other in the great struggle which is agitating all nations and which can never end until despotism in every form has been destroyed and human brotherhood prevails throughout the earth.
ANTONIO DE P. ARAUJO, Federal Prison, Leavenworth, Kansas.
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