Aurelio and Arístides Rodríguez

During the later stages of the Putumayo genocide, the brothers Aurelio and Arístides Rodríguez respectively managed the rubber stations of Santa Catalina and La Sabana, which were located near the Cahuinari River.

Evidence collected by Walter Ernest Hardenburg, Benjamin Saldaña Rocca, Roger Casement and judge Rómulo Paredes implicated the Rodríguez brothers with the perpetration of various crimes against the local indigenous population, including flagellation, deliberate starvation, rape and murder among other atrocities.

[12][13][14] [a] Benjamin Saldaña Rocca, Walter Hardenburg, Roger Casement and Rómulo Paredes all investigated the Putumayo genocide and they collected evidence for Rodríguez brothers involvement in crime.

Tizon admitted to me in Chorrera last week that the two Rodriguez 'had killed hundreds of natives', and that Arana gave them 50% of the produce of these two sections, S. Catalina and Sabana.

"[10] Judge Rómulo Paredes emphasized that the most compelling evidence of crime in the region came from letters and statements exchanged by agents of the company to coordinate attacks against indigenous people.

At the time of the attack, the Guivira natives were hosting a "great dance" which was attended by members of Unuda's as well as Coquero's tribe, Riñonigaros, Machagaros, Muinanes, and "a large number of Andoques".

[24] The letter claimed that the indigenous people had invited nearby rubber tappers to join the dance however the Rodríguez brothers wrote that they were under the impression that they would be murdered in their sleep, like Emilio Gutiérrez and his employees were that same year.

This complaint requested for authorities to arrest the Rodríguez brothers along with sixteen other employees of J.C. Arana y Hermanos for their perpetration of crime in the Putumayo River basin.

[16][14] On January 5 1908, Saldaña Rocca published a letter from an ex-employee of Arana's company named Marcial Gorries, which denounced the Rodríguez brothers and other managers as the "principal criminals" on the Putumayo River.

[26][27] Juan Rosas, an ex-employee of J.C. Arana y Hermanos and a correspondent of Walter Ernest Hardenburg, reported the perpetration of several crimes he witnessed while employed at Santa Catalina in 1904.

[28][29] Rosas claimed Aurelio sent out Correrias to hunt down indigenous people which were fleeing from the "cruel punishment given them, as those who unfortunately fell into the hands of this chief were killed in a most barbarous manner.

[35][32] Daniel Collantes wrote a deposition that was sworn before a public notary, he claimed that on May 24 1908, Aurelio ordered Alejandro Vasquez Torres to take nine agents with him and capture an indigenous woman and "kill her in the cruellest way possible."

[36][37][e] The Barbadian Frederick Bishop told Roger Casement that Arístides was paid 7,000 Peruvian soles by Fidel Velarde for the rights to manage La Sabana.

Walcott stated that Aurelio gave directions to his subordinates to cut off the arms and legs of one indigenous man, who was around twenty four years old, because he had attempted to flee the area and he had killed a Muchacho de Confianza in the process.

Brown reported that on one occasion, Aurelio resided at an indigenous house for ten days and expeditions to hunt down natives were sent into the surrounding forest daily.

[66] Brown stated that Santa Catalina and Abisinia would aid each other and exchange agents when extra manpower was desired, that these two stations were separated by a distance that could take two days to traverse.

Vargas travelled with a group of armed agents towards the Cahuinari River's center, they surrounded a maloca in that area and an unspecified number of indigenous people were killed while several escaped.

[74] [n] Ciriaco Saldaña was part of the group led by Manuel Vargas, he stated that three days after leaving Sabana the expedition encountered an indigenous house where people were dancing at the time.

[68] Froilan Patino provided an eyewitness account for the correría led by the Rodriguez brothers, Fidel Velarde, Miguel Flores, Abelardo Aguero[79] and Augusto Jimenez.

[78] Patino stated that after two days of travel while on a correría with the Rodríguez brothers, Fidel Velarde, Miguel Flores and Aguero this group encountered several natives.

[83][q] This station [Abisinia] and the preceding one (Santa Catalina) were the chief centres of the bloody raids against the Boras tribe, from which it may be gathered how many slaughters took place.

These huntings of the Indians (correrias), which should also be called these infamous expeditions ('comisiones'), which set out to spread terror and death among the unhappy savages had no other object save destruction.Adolfo Lopez and Ocaña both testified to the killing of Carlota, Alejandro Vasquez's indigenous concubine.

[87] Alejandro Vasquez Torres estimated that during his employment at Santa Catalina he witnessed the flagellation of two hundred indigenous people, which was carried out by Aurelio, his subordinate agent and his muchachos de confianza.

[89] Adolfo Cortez claimed that Aristides ordered four of his muchachos de confianza to murder two natives named Ayeye and Ocaca because they attempted to flee La Sabana.

[92] Hipólito Medina told judge Paredes that he witnessed Aurelio murder three indigenous people with his revolver at Santa Catalina because they did not meet the weight quota of rubber he set.

[98][s] Justo Lopez told the judge that Aurelio took two young Boras girls, aged around six and seven, away from their families and forced them to work as "maidservants" at Santa Catalina.

Francis admitted to carrying out these orders however he claimed that he only administered fifty whip lashes before protesting any further punishment, several days later this woman perished from the flagellation.

[106] [w] Sofia Rezígaro told judge Paredes that Arístides, using whips, flayed her sister named Tigue and she perished from those wounds after she returned to her nation.

[80] Ochoa Muinane also testified that on one occasion Arístides had forty five indigenous people murdered with "whips, bullets, stocks and hunger" because they did not deliver enough rubber to meet a quota established by him.

Paredes's judicial commission investigated this area and after digging two meters deep only ten skeletons were found, experts determined they belonged to human males.