Page:The "Trial" of Ferrer - A Clerical Judicial Murder (IA 2916970.0001.001.umich.edu).pdf/39

 people, who were the first oncs who should have been called upon to testify? The fuct of their being absent is no ex- cuse, since the authoritics were well aware of the place of their banishunent; besides, Art. 436 of the same code pro-. vides for the declaration of absent witnessos. Meanwhile thesc people, taking it for granted that they would be callcd to testify in due time, were waiting anxious- ly day after day, until finally they began to fcar a trick was being played upon them. Then they decided to write to the Judge who answered them he was very sorry but could not accde to their demand since the cxamination had been closed on the very day when he received their letter, and he added (hypocritically?) that he was astonished that they should not have declared before what they had to say, in the twenty-eight days clapsed since the opening of the hearings. More than cver alarmed, they wrote to Ferrer's counsel, Captain Galeeran, who answercd them to hurry and write up a declaration signed by all, and to send it by the next mail; he added, however, that there was very little ehance of its being accepled now, although he would try his best to have it presented to the President of the Tribunal. and Litran wrote their declarations and sent them to Cap- tain Galccran in a registered letter, for which they re- ceived a receipt. That was the last heard of these im- portant declarations. They never appearcd before the tri-. bunal. After the declarations of the witnesses came the enumer- Soledad Villafranca, Meseguer Batlori ation of the convicting evidence found in Ferrer's house during the searches already described. These consisted in masonic insignia, old private letters, and several other doc- uments without importance. The important pieces were two circulars, and as the prosecutor put much weight on them, when he asked for the infliction of the death penalty,