There is a phrase that has been repeated in Cuba for generations to describe someone who causes a problem and then denies responsibility: "It's María Ramos' kitten, who throws the stone and hides its paw."
What many Cubans do not know is that behind the saying lies a true story that, according to various versions, took place in Havana in the early 20th century.
The anecdote was recently revisited in a video by Aliannis Sarduy Hernández, where it is explained that the alleged event took place in the Havana neighborhood of Jesús María.
According to historical sources cited in the material, María Ramos was a well-known woman in the area and worked as a prostitute.
A crime, a trial, and a phrase that became part of popular culture
The story tells that a man named Virgilio, identified as María Ramos’s pimp, was found dead in the kitchen of the house with a wound on his forehead. Next to the body was the pestle used for domestic tasks.
Suspicions fell on María. During the trial, she declared her innocence, stating that the only living being in her house at the time of the incident was her cat, Mimi. The young woman suggested that it could have been the animal that accidentally dropped the stone on the victim.
The version did not convince the court or the press, which followed the case closely. María Ramos was convicted, but the episode did not end there.
Following the judicial process, a satirical quatrain began to circulate: “La gatica de María Ramos, who throws the stone and hides her hand, who killed Virgilio and who killed her brother. What a murderous cat! What a wicked fate!”.
Over time, the verse was simplified and became part of everyday speech as a way to highlight hypocrisy or a lack of responsibility.
There is no conclusive documentary evidence that confirms every detail of the case, and as often happens with many stories passed down orally, part of the narrative may have transformed over the years.
However, the expression survived and became part of the Cuban cultural repertoire, where it still retains its strength and original meaning.
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