Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-08
MEXICAN CURIOsITIEs.
Ehe Execution of NATURALIZATION
rOrs of the In1uisifiOn.
From the New York Times.

rOrs of the InIuistfiOn.
From the New York Times.
There is now on exhibition at No. 765
Broadway a small collection Of Mexican
curiosities of a somewhat heterogeneous
but really interesting character. In the
first place there are two models in wax
of the unfortunate Macmillan as he ap-
peared after death. The first is the
naked figure exhibiting the exact locals
ties of the fatal bullets that terminated
his career. The second shows the ap-
pearance Of the corpse when arrayed in
plain clothes, and placed in the coffin
preparatory to removal to Europe. The
little coffin in which these ettigies are
placed are made of portions Of the same
wool Of which Maximillian's coffin was
composed, and are finished off with cary
iAgs, etc., and in precisely the same style.
There are also two full-length portraits
of Macmillan and Carlotta, painted in
Mexico by German artist named Re~
bull, and originally intended for presen-
tation to Napoleon III. They are
magnificent works Of art, finished in
the highest degree Of excellence, and NJ
doubt faithful portraits Of the unfortune
ate couple. There are also several
specimens of the court dresses worn by
the equerries and other officers, while the
fatal comedy of Imperialism was biting
played in the Mexican capital. But the
most extraordinary items OF the collec-
ton are the bodies Of a1nll grown man,
and of an infant, apparently about six
years of age, taken out Of the walls Of
the Convent of San Domingo, in Mexico,
when the church property was confis-
Gated by Juarez, in 1867. The body f
the man has been identified as that of
Portuguese merchant named Pedro Rod
riguez, who fell into the clutches Of the
familiars of the Inquisition in 1894, and
who, after being subjected to torture
great number of times, was finally walled
| up alive in the church above mentioned,
in the following year. 1t appears that
| the principles Of the Reformation began
to spread with considerable rapidity in
Spain, Portugal and Italy at the latter end
of the sixteenth century, and the Pope,
becoming alarmed at these symptoms,
caused the establishment of the "Holy
Office (as the Inquisition was termed,
one would think in dismal mockery) in
all these countries; thus driving those
who loved freedom of conscience to
countries that promised liberation. Many
Portuguese sought refuge in Mexico;
but here the "Holy Office" was soon es'
tablished, and frightful persecution ragged
wherever the dark tribunal was reared
There are records of numerous autos do
| fe in the city of Mexico; at the third fol
instance, it is recorded that seventy-siz
Professionals were burned and tortured to
death. But besides these more public
exhibitions, there were others of more
dark, and dreadful, and cruel character
as in the example of Rodriguez. TIT
whole proc,s; of his trial and repeated
tertures are extant; but even without
these, the unfortunate mans body
burned and marked with the incisions o
cords, and otherwise abused, are evidence
enough fthe barbarous penalties infiicte'
on him. In the convent of San DOmingt
the remains of as many as two hundred
and fifty persons were found walled up
but most Of these were so decayed tina
they fell to fragments on exposure