He is mostly known for his execution attempt against Colonel Roberto Silva Renard in the aftermath of Santa María de Iquique Massacre in which Ramón's half-brother had died.

Workers in the nitrate mines, a leading industry owned largely by foreign (British and German) capital, struck on December 4 demanding humane working conditions and higher wages.

At the time of the massacre, Ramón was living in Argentina, but when news stopped arriving from his brother, he travelled to Iquique to find out what had happened.

He found General Silva Renard walking alone to his office, in Viel street in Santiago, on December 14, 1914, and stabbed him seven times on his back and head.

Once in custody, Ramón vehemently denied other parties' involvement in the assassination, and the worker's held public campaigns to raise money for his defense.

[3] Renard survived the attack, but suffered permanent effects from the injuries: he lost all movement of half of his face, became blind, and was mostly an invalid until his death in 1920.