Upon a promontory of humid earth, they bid farewell in mourning, with eloquent speeches pronounced by Mr. Ermelindo Santiago, who spoke in the name of the Patriotic Lodge, to which Mr. Ramón S. Pagán belonged; Carrera, as president of the National Federation of Students, and the President of the Nationalist Party, Licenciado Pedro Albizu Campos.
Mr. Albizu Campos said, among other things, that there was “represented the entirety of Puerto Rico, from Cabo Rojo to Vieques; from west to east and from north to south, all sharing the immense mourning of liberty.” He then said that adhesions to the mourning had already been received from various nations; that “the Yankee enemy wants the blood of the Puerto Ricans to flow”; that “today they will avail themselves of one faction to realize their purposes and tomorrow they will avail themselves of another.” “From the tomb of liberty,” he said, “I ask that Benigno Fernández García, the Attorney General, bring us the accusations against those policemen who assassinated Pagán and his companions, and assassinated José Santiago, when he had already surrendered, when he was unarmed.” He said that Colonel Riggs sent the uniformed forces to Río Piedras “with the deliberate purpose of assassinating the nationalist representation of Puerto Rico.” He accused Governor Winship, and Chancellor Chardón in like manner, of “making a mockery of the student body.”
In another part of his speech, Mr. Albizu Campos said that at the University ten days prior, a homage had been rendered to him on the occasion of Día de la Raza, and then they had taken four students “to declare Mr. Albizu Campos a public enemy of Puerto Rico.” Mr. Albizu Campos said that this was “a machination of the Governor, of Chardón and of the Attorney.” He also accused the entire liberal leadership “that has borne this responsibility.” He said that there existed “a plan conceived to assassinate all the nationalist leaders, beginning with its President.”
He added that all the policemen who had intervened in the bloody events of Río Piedras “should commit suicide to cleanse their name, and for their honor and for the honor of the Homeland.” “Liberty cannot be crushed,” he said, “with bribery, tyranny and assassination.”
“If four men could face seventy policemen, how much could all of you do well armed,” Mr. Albizu Campos said in another part of his speech. “Here the history of all times is repeated: the liberty of the Homeland is kneaded with our blood and is also kneaded with the blood of the Yankees.”
“We come here to take an oath so that this assassination does not remain unpunished. The Homeland’s history knows no act of assassination so grave; of supreme cowardice,” said Mr. Albizu Campos in the final paragraphs of his speech.
And then he said to the gathering that still remained in the cemetery: “Raise your hand high all those who believe themselves to be free. We all swear that the assassination will not endure in Puerto Rico.”
“We swear,” the people responded with their hand raised.
“We swear, in its day, to raise the liberty of the Homeland,” said the speaker.
“We swear,” the public said again in the same attitude. And he finished with other brief phrases of farewell to the memory of the recently buried.