Belarmino Vallejo, born in 1880 in Matanzas, Cuba, died on April 13, 1934, at 54 years of age. He was a cigar maker and was survived by his wife Lydia Martinez. They lived at 2401 East Michigan Avenue. The couple had no children. He was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Tampa - Lot 471 Space 4.

 

On the Thursday evening of April 12,1934, there was a general meeting called to be held at 7pm in the theater of the Círculo Cubano. One of the members, Belarmino Vallejo, was shot and killed. In attendance were; the President Eduardo Valdez Gernerique, the Board of Directors and some 500 members. 

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Arguments heated up over the discussion about discharging one of the club’s clinical physicians. Pres. Valdez and Vallejo broke out into a fight back stage.  Other members joined in and Pres. Valdez was severely beaten in a free-for-all fight. Several shots were fired and the group scrambled out onto the stage where they continued fighting. Many members who were seated in the audience began fighting as well. They threw heavy glass soda bottles and anything else they could find. Vallejo ran down the isle and was shot in the left side near the heart. 

 

My primo Raul Lavin believes that someone was aiming at President Valdez, missed and shot Vallejo instead. 

 

Vallejo was then taken across the street, catty corner, to the Bien Publico Clinic where he died the next day… Friday the 13th at 11:45pm, 15 minutes shy of midnight. It is believed that his ghost crossed the street and entered the theatre at the exact stoke of midnight. Vallejo’s ghost has been seen from time to time wondering through the theatre, up on the stage and in the back rooms.

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(Facts were gathered from 100 year old and 100 year member Raul Lavin, several members of the Cuban Club and The Tampa Tribune article from Saturday, April 14, 1934 publication)