José Maldonado Román

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José Maldonado (March 18, 1872 – January 17, 1932), a.k.a. "Águila Blanca" (White Eagle), was a Puerto Rican outlaw and revolutionary who fought in Cuba alongside the Cuban Revolutionary Committee in the late-19th century and a controversial folk icon. He was known within the jurisdictions of Juana Díaz and Ponce. He claimed his first arrest was at the age of eleven, though without stating the charge for this arrest was that of theft. Maldonado had serious and repeated encounters with the Spanish provincial justice system throughout his life. Historical accounts describe him as being imprisoned for offenses including theft, robbery, assault, and attempts against the authority. By the mid-1890s, he had developed an extensive criminal record and had spent significant periods in prison. At the time, contemporary newspapers portrayed him as a bandit, while the more revolutionary press, which was experiencing a resurgence, interpreted his actions through a different lens. In 1898, he wrote his...

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