I return your Excellencies the order of the date of February thirteenth,
of the present year, along with the deposition of Antonia Puxant, native
of Ripoll, in the bishopric of Vique, daughter of Jaime Puxant, resident
in the Calle del Hom, of this city. With this you will also receive the
depositions of six other witnesses to the same facts, which I have taken
by the information of the abovementioned Antonia. The tardiness with
which this business has been accomplished, will be overlooked by your
Excellencies, on reflecting upon the extent of my occupations, and on
the fact that the people from whom the depositions were taken, are of
the laboring class, seldom at their houses, and of consequence difficult
to find. The last named among them was not met with till the
twentyseventh of March.
With regard to the declarations of Antonia Puxant, I have to state that
both in her deposition, and in the ratification, she appears to have
disclosed the truth with perfect ingenuousness, as far as her knowledge
extended and the interrogatives went, although a mistake was made in the
name of the street, in which Pepa de los Gosos performed her
divinations, which she affirmed was the Calle de Nazaret; but on being
reminded of the error, she informed me, after the ratification, that it
was the Calle de Farlandina which is situated at the head of the street
leading from the convent of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, to the Casa
de Charidad of this city.
Respecting the persons denounced by the said Antonia Puxant, both in the
deposition and ratification, I have summoned only those who, as I
understood from her, were present when the aforementioned Pepa de los
Gosos performed her divinations before the said Antonia. As to the other
persons and matters, referred to by her, I have instituted no
proceedings respecting them, deeming an additional order from your
Excellencies necessary to this step.
I have also to inform your Excellencies that the said Antonia Puxant is
very anxious that her father, Jaime Puxant, may know nothing of her
declarations, and in particular, that in the ratification, respecting
Margarida Puxant, inasmuch as this woman is married to the brother of
the above Jaime Puxant. She states further, that she heard sometime
since that the above Margarida, her aunt, had been summoned before our
Holy Tribunal for witchcraft and superstition; whether at the instance
of her father or relations, or other persons, does not appear, and for
this reason or some other, a discord had arisen between them.
With respect to the character and occupation of the denounced Pepa de
los Gosos and the fact whether she observes the precepts of the church,
I cannot transmit you any information, as I do not know the person, and
have not yet been able to find her; but according to all that can be
learned from the witnesses, she is undoubtedly guilty. They inform me
she is very cautious in concealing herself.
In relation to the other witnesses, I have to remark the following. As
to Gertrudis Poc y Marti, mentioned in the deposition of Antonia Puxant,
it appears to me that he has concealed the truth in his declaration,
from fear or some other motive; which opinion is confirmed by his having
delayed the ratification beyond the specified time, so that it was found
necessary to summon him anew. He appears, however, after he had been
charged to declare the truth on the eighth of March, when the
ratification took place, to have made a full and ingenuous declaration,
which corresponds with the statements of the above Antonia Puxant.
As to the deposition of Rosa Llobet, it appears to be true, although
nothing to the purpose. This person was summoned as she was supposed to
be the lady of the house where the divinations were performed, from the
description of Antonia; but I found, upon examining her, that she was
not. Still some information was obtained by her means, she having
informed me that a house near the one abovementioned, on the left hand,
is a great resort for young females for some unknown purpose. In
consequence, I have summoned the occupant, Francisca Jacoba, whom I
shall hereafter refer to.
Respecting Madalena Masllorens, I believe that she has declared
sincerely the whole truth. It is to be observed that this person is not
the proprietor of the house in the Calle de Farlandina in which Pepa de
los Gosos practised her arts, as was thought by Antonia Puxant.
With relation to Francisca Jacoba, who occupies the first floor of the
first house in la Riera Alta, on the left hand as you go from the
Convent of the Capuchins, she confesses that the said Pepa de los Gosos
has visited her house upon business, as many other persons have done,
but affirms that she never practised there, any performance or
divination with cards; yet from her manner of answering the
interrogatories, and her warmth in defending the said Pepa, talking at
great length in her favor, and declaring she had been accused falsely, I
have no doubt she is a friend of hers, and, therefore, that her
testimony is very suspicious. In this, however, I may be mistaken.
With respect to Maria Tintorer, who is the proprietor of a house in the
Calle de Farlandina where the divinations above referred to were
performed, I think she has spoken the truth, and that her whole
testimony may be credited. As to the Gipsey of the Calle de St Pablo,
Señor Augustus Fuster, and the other females, I have not summoned them,
waiting for an order from your Excellencies to this effect.
With regard to Antonia Ragas, I think her testimony may be admitted, as
it corroborates that of Antonia Puxant in some points. Respecting the
other witness, mentioned by Antonia, named Margarida, I have not been
able to take her deposition, as she has been long confined by sickness,
in the hospital in this city.
The above, Most Illustrious Señores, are the depositions which I have
taken, and the judgments I have formed respecting them. I trust you will
pardon the faults which I have committed therein, and rectify my errors.
I remain your Excellencies’ most humble servant, and kiss the hands of
your Excellencies.
FR. GERVASIO MINGUELLA, _Carmelite Calzado_.
* * * * *
In the city of Barcelona, on the twentieth day of February, one thousand
eight hundred and five, before the Reverend Father Fr. Gervasio
Minguella, Carmelite Calzado, Presbyter and Commissary appointed for
this investigation, and me, Fr. Joseph Abella, Presbyter Carmelite
Calzado, Notary, having sworn to preserve secrecy and perform faithfully
our duties, appeared, according to summons, and made oath to declare the
truth and preserve secrecy, Antonia Puxant, a native of Ripoll, in the
bishopric of Vique, daughter of Jaime Puxant, of this city, aged
seventeen years.
Questioned, if she knew or conjectured the cause of her being summoned
to appear.
Answered, that she supposed it to be on account of a letter which she
had caused to be written in her name, to the Holy Tribunal, on the third
day of the present month.
Questioned, at what time and place, and in the presence of what persons
were the operations with the cards performed; also, with what words and
gestures, and whether the performer received any rebukes for her
actions, or appeared to be of sound mind.
Answered, that about six months ago, at the request of the deponent, she
performed the operation three several times in the space of three or
four weeks at different places; that is to say, the first time in the
Calle de la Riera Alta, at the other times in the Calle de Nazaret. The
houses she did not know. In the Calle de Nazaret the entrance was by a
small door in the lower story near a garden. The places she could
recognise on seeing. The person who performed the operation was always
unwilling to do it at her own house. Those present on the first occasion
were four in number; the deponent, the operator, one of her friends
called Gertrudis, and sometimes Jesus, because she lives in the Calle de
Jesus. She was a married woman. The fourth was, as the deponent
imagined, the lady of the house. On the second occasion there were
present the two first persons before mentioned, a young woman named
Antonia Ragosa, living in the Calle del Conde del Asalto, a native of
Ripoll, and the lady of the house called Helena or Magdalena. On the
third occasion there were present the two first persons, and another
called Puntina, the widow of a weaver. The operations were performed
with singular actions and unintelligible language. All that the deponent
could understand was the word ‘Barrabast.’ Nobody rebuked the
performer, and she practised the whole seriously, and in her right mind.
Questioned, what things she divined.
Answered, that she told her what money she had in her pocket; what she
was thinking about; that her father wanted her to marry a young man whom
she disliked, and that on this account her father was displeased with
her. Sometimes she made wrong statements, but this the deponent thinks
was done designedly, and in order that she might not be discovered. She
also told the deponent that the young man of Olot, to whom she was
betrothed, and whose name was Caspar Giralt, would write to her within
three weeks, and that he would visit this city, adding other
information. The operator always chose Friday for her performances, and
the deponent paid her two reals vellon.
Questioned, if she knew that any other persons had said or done anything
which came under the cognisance of the Holy Office.
Answered, that she had heard of four other persons who performed
divinations. One was named Fargas, and lived in a lane near St Paul’s
Church. Another was named Teresica, and appeared to be a married woman.
She lived in the same street. Another was called Garvi. Her residence
unknown. The last was called Teresa, and sometimes Ballarenga, a married
woman, and formerly living in the Calle de la Parra. The deponent was
told by a young woman named Felipe, that on the second of this month
she passed the night with the said Ballarenga, where they burnt a rosary
and a two real piece along with some holy water. On the following
morning the said Felipe showed the deponent some black powder which she
stated to be the ashes of the rosary and money, and said it was a potent
love powder. The deponent was also informed by a young woman named
Ursula, who lives in la Riera Alta, that a person living in Barceloneta
carried on the same practices.
Questioned, if she knew anything more.
Answered, that a young woman named Teresa, living in the Calle del Conde
del Asalto, told her that a certain man declared to her mother, that he
knew a woman who would carry her to Olot in an hour’s time, upon the
condition that she should not invoke any Saint.
Questioned, what was the age and personal appearance of the
abovementioned Pepa de los Gosos.
Answered, that she was a little old woman with sunken eyes and a
wrinkled face.
Questioned, if she knew anything more.
Answered, that a woman named Serafina Xuera, wife of Señor Miguel in the
Calle de St Olegario, had told her there was a woman in her house who
performed divinations.
Questioned, if she knew anything more.
Answered, No.
The above having been read to the deponent, is declared by her to be
correctly recorded. She further states that she has not made these
declarations out of malice, but solely in obedience to her conscience.
Secrecy was enjoined upon her, which she promised, and not being able to
write, I, the said Commissary, sign in her name.
FR. GERVASIO MINGUELLA,
_Carmelite Commissary_.
ANTONIO PUIXANT.