Cuba, Spanish Empire. Two Receipts Signed by General of the Cuban Army, William A. O’Ryan

Attached to black construction paper, this item includes two well-preserved cheques, one printed and one handwritten, both signed by Cuban Army General William A. O’Ryan. Measuring at 6.5 cm (h) x 17 cm (w) and 10 cm (h) x 16 cm (w), these receipts were produced on period paper and are dated 1 Dec 1870 and 9 August 1870. They are in extremely fine condition. 

Footnote: William O’Ryan was born in 1843 in Toronto, Canada, known as a Cuban independence fighter. He fought during the American Civil War and served as soldier and later captain in the 192nd Infantry Regiment of the New York Volunteers in the Union Army. O’Ryan first arrived in Cuba on January 19, 1870, as a member of an expeditionary force aboard the steamer Anna, which carried reinforcement troops to join the Cuban patriots. In 1873, Ryan and 64 other foreign passengers aboard the steamer Virginius were captured and sentenced to death by court-martial. Ryan was executed by firing squad on 4 November 1873.