Before me:
Juan Soriano
In the city of Manila, on the said day, November twenty-one, one
thousand six hundred and thirty-five, the said auditor-general caused
Pedro Gutierrez, a soldier of the company of the master-of-camp, to
appear before him for the said proof. I, the present notary, received
from him the oath in due form of law, before God our Lord and with the
sign of the cross; and under that obligation he promised to tell the
truth. Being questioned, in accordance with the head of the process,
he declared that what he knows and what passes is as follows: On
this the said day, after nightfall, and while the witness was on
guard with the corporal, Alferez Don Francisco de Rivera, at the
gate of Santo Domingo of this said city; at that time there were two
Dominican religious outside the gate and two others on the inside--lay
brothers of the said order; and at the same time a small champan, with
three other religious of St. Francis, arrived. Having disembarked,
they asked for a jug of water; and answer was given them to enter the
city and drink. While they were entering the city by the said gate,
the said alferez and corporal thought that one of the said Franciscans
was walking somewhat as if he wished to be unknown. Recognizing him, he
began to call out to the guard and to lay hold of the Franciscan. The
witness, having hastened, saw many religious who were fighting the
said corporal and the other soldiers with their fists. They did that
with this witness, for they gave him many blows and tore his jerkin
and shirt from him, showering many insulting words upon this witness
and the others. At this juncture he heard the said corporal say that
Don Pedro de Monrroy was one of the said friars who was clad in the
habit of St. Francis. This witness knows that the order contained
in the said head of the process was given to him and the others at
the said gate, so that they might not allow the said Don Pedro de
Monrroy to enter thereby. This witness saw that two of the three
Franciscan religious who came in the said small champan, and entered
this city, tried to go out, and that one of them was left inside. All
the above is the truth, on the oath that he has taken. He affirmed
and ratified his deposition, and declared that he is forty years
of age and competent to be a witness. He signed the above, together
with the said auditor-general. Further this witness who has made his
deposition declares that he saw that a crowd of Dominican friars came
out, by a little bridge which extends to the guardhouse, and joined
the others whom he had mentioned; and these latter are the ones who
maltreated the said corporal and the other soldiers. He affirmed
that, etc. This witness believes that even if they had had many more
soldiers, they could not have resisted the said religious, because of
the great force with which they defended the said Don Pedro de Monrroy.
Licentiate Don Manuel Suarez Olivera
Pedro Gutierrez
Before me:
Juan Soriano, notary-public.
In the city of Manila, on the said day, November twenty-one, one
thousand six hundred and thirty-five, the said auditor of war caused
Manuel de Campos, a soldier of the company of the master-of-camp, to
appear before him for the said investigation. I, the present notary,
received from him the oath in due form of law, before God our Lord,
and with the sign of the cross; and under that obligation he promised
to tell the truth. Being questioned as to the tenor of the process,
this witness declared that what he knows and what occurred is
as follows: He knows that the order contained in the head of the
process was given at the gate of Santo Domingo. On the above date,
after nightfall, as he was at his post, and with orders from Alferez
Don Francisco de Rivera, the corporal at the said gate, there were
at that time, outside the said gate three Dominican religious and
one secular, and inside one Dominican lay brother. At that juncture
came a small champan with three religious of St. Francis aboard,
who joined those others who were outside; and all together began to
enter by the said gate--the two Franciscans, and one muffled in his
mantle. The said commandant came up and looked sharply at the one
who was muffled up in the said mantle, saying to him, "I pray you,
Father, to uncover." The latter answered, "He who meddles in this
is a base villain;" and, lowering his head, the said commandant
recognized the said Pedro de Monrroy. Seizing him, he called out,
"Ho, the guard!" This witness hastened to him, and laid hold of the
friar whom the said corporal had seized. At that same instant, the
father guardian of Dilao gave him a blow; while many other friars,
who were behind the gate which leads to the convent, charged down upon
the said corporal and this witness, and dealt them many blows--dragging
them even to the doors of the church, and saying many insulting words
to them, telling them that they were excommunicated rogues, who were
committing a very great outrage against the Church. Things were in
that condition when the said corporal ordered that witness to go to
report to the sargento-mayor; and he did so. The above is the truth,
on the oath that he has taken. He affirmed all the above, and declared
that he is thirty years old, and competent to be a witness. He signed
it, together with the said auditor-general:
Licentiate Manuel Suarez de Olivera, master-of-camp.
Juan Soriano, notary-public.
In the said city of Manila, November twenty-one, one thousand six
hundred and thirty-five, the said auditor-general caused a [certain]
man arrested for this complaint to appear before him, in order that
he might take his deposition. I, the present notary, received the
oath from him in due form of law, before God our Lord and with the
sign of the cross and under that obligation he promised to tell the
truth. Being questioned, he stated and declared the following. Being
asked his name, his age, and his calling and why he is arrested,
he stated and declared that his name is Don Francisco de Rivera y
Oseguera; that he is a soldier of the company of Don Lorenzo de Olaso;
that he is twenty-nine years old; and that the reason for his arrest
was that, having entered this day to guard the Parian, this deponent
went as corporal to guard the gate of Santo Domingo, with orders not
to allow Don Pedro de Monrroy to enter by the said gate. While he was
at the said gate, and three Dominican religious were outside of it,
and inside it one, at that juncture arrived a small champan, with
three religious of St. Francis. They and the others started to enter
the said gate, all with their faces covered. In the midst of them
was a Franciscan friar muffled in his mantle. On that account this
deponent was mistrustful, and going to him said: "I pray you, Father,
to uncover." Thereupon the father shrank further within his mantle,
but the deponent, going nearer, recognized that it was Don Pedro de
Monrroy, who was disguised as a Franciscan friar; and this deponent,
grappling with him, called out for the guard. Thereupon, one of the
said religious attacked the said Don Francisco, and shoved him about,
and struck him. And after the said [Franciscans] came many other
Dominican religious, who came out of their convent (which is near
the guardhouse); and they began to drag this deponent and the other
soldiers to the door of the church. That made the soldiers let go
of the said Don Pedro de Monroy; for, even had there been many more
soldiers, the religious would have taken him away, as there were many
of them, and they came headlong to the encounter. He had a report of
all the above made to the sargento-mayor. This, and naught else, is the
cause of his arrest; and this is his answer. This deponent being asked
whether he saw the disembarkation of the said Don Pedro de Monrroy
from the champan, and whether he knew that he was coming disguised as
a Franciscan friar before he entered the gate, he declared that he did
not know it, as night had already fallen; for if he had known it before
his arrival at the said gate, he would have prevented his entrance
or have shut the gate, and have tried with all his might to obey the
order given him. And he would have done that, had not the said friars
hastened to him. He stated that he recognized the said Don Pedro de
Monrroy only as he was about to enter the said gate in the guardhouse,
after which succeeded the aforesaid incidents. This is his response.
Being asked whether he knows the gravity of the offense which he
commits who breaks any military order, this deponent declared that
he knew it; but that he kept the said order to the utmost, and no
more, because the emergency that he has related occurred. This is
his response.
Being asked whether he knows and recognizes that the said religious
were aided by any secular persons in getting the said Don Pedro de
Monroy inside the gate, he declared that he had not seen or recognized
any secular persons except the said soldiers, his companions, who
aided him, and the said religious. This is his response.
Other questions were asked and brought forward touching the matter;
but to all he answered that which he has declared as above, under
obligation of the oath that he has sworn. He affixed his signature,
together with the auditor-general.
Licentiate Manuel Suarez de Olivera
Don Francisco de Rivera y Oseguera
Before me:
Juan Soriano, notary-public.
[The following is contained in the documents enclosed, in another
letter of like date with the above letter (also by Corcuera to the
king, and which will be given, _post_), and gives details omitted by
the present document.]
_Act._ In the city of Manila, November twenty-two, one thousand
six hundred and thirty-five, Licentiate Manuel Suarez de Olivera,
auditor-general of the war department of this royal camp, declared that
it is advisable, for the greater justification of this complaint, to
make investigation among the persons who were about the guardhouse at
the gate of Santo Domingo of this city, in order to ascertain and find
out more fully what happened last night at the said gate, by examining
more of the witnesses who were present or who knew something of the
aforesaid; and that the present notary should record the results
as a testimony in this cause, so that it might be apparent for all
time. Thus did he enact and order, and he signed the same.