Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-06-01
SOLVING A MYSTERY.
Repeated Re-appearances of the Body
of the Martyred Father Padilla in
Isleta Church-CaSe Being
Investigated.

In 1913, Father Juan de Padilla, one OF
the first Catholic missionaries to pene-
trate the wilds of central and northern
New Mexico, was slain by the TEXAS In
dams while at prayer in Quivira and thus
became the second martyr to the faith in
this territory. The sanity man was
afterwards buried in the adobe church of
the pueblo of La Isleta in coffin made
of hollow alamo, and ever since then
strange rumors of him have been current
among the men of the pueblo and the
neighboring country. 1t is tradition
among the people that, no matter how
deep he is buried, at regular intervals he
rises to the surface and is found lying in
his rude coffin in the church. For many
years the church had only an earthen
floor and the Indians regularly predicted
that the father would rise again by pro-
Tossing to notice cracks in the ground
above the grave as if a huge mushroom
was coming up. Whatever may be thought
of the superstitious ideas prevalent
among the Indians, it seems to be certain
that the body of
THE MARrYRED PRIEST
has several times appeared in the church
and that examination has disclosed the
fact that his priestly robes and the sacred
emblems buried with him, one of his legs
and all of his fingers and toes were miss
ing, probably carried away by people
who could doubtless explain the mystery.
The several alleged temperatures of
Father Padilla, together with the story
that his coffin had recently risen so that
it was crowding up the paratively
new wooden floor in the church, caused
so much talk that Archbishop Chapelle
finally concluded to institute an investi
CATION. 1t 80 happened that a commits
sion. authorized by the archbishop, went
to Isleta on April 25, disinterred the
body, which was found fairly we'll pre-
served above the waist, and made other
investigation of the case. Regarding
this effort to solve the mystery Father
boucher, parish priest at Isleta, writes
the New MEXICAN: "The result of the
meeting and the report of the members
and physician will be given to the public
as it was decided to be done in said
meeting. In few days, believe, the
conclusions of the meeting will be pub
lished."
Touching this interesting subject the
La Voz de Nuevo Mexico, of Los Luras,
of recent date, says:
FRAY JUAN DE PAD1LLA.
On September l, 1894, under the same
heading as the presen. article, we in
serted paragraph whose text was as fol-
lows:
The press of this locality is discus
sing again the very singular phenomenon
which, for long time, has
taken place at the pueblo of
1sleta, and which is the re-apparition of
the coffin and corpse Of the franciscan
martyr, Juan de Padilla, sacrificed by the
Quivira Indians in the year 154O-1641.
We believe it the right thing for the &C.
cleslastical authorities to take hand in
this matter and that competent COM
mittee should take hold of and make a
inc phenomenon. wh,ch has canaad an
mnch thinking and commant;no o,nono
the inhabitants If this terr;terv Fas
onr mart We viii sav that wa havs hasn
insida the church u that rnehio o,a NO
can testify fiat the coffin has oct a,o;n
on the snrfaca of tho oronnd viii tha
r. Rev. Archb;shon nSanaIla foliow onr
suooastionsp We bona az
A. 8rst mo tbourht thot th;s ~
,rorh oon,a hona "a aao p 10
chat If haino ranrodncad NV ri Ro,at;n
Ponular. In yoz del Pnabio and othar
territorial naners. Init racant faots
nrovea that we ware in ar,or '''
The archbishon, with tha canton which
nil of h;s acts nndarto"n 70
nvestigsta tha nattar ond sot;st;ed thot
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matter of b;storv ba datsrm;nad that
res nectahle com m;ttsa sbor1d vi.;t 70
leta nnehlo 70 aYhnme the snan;sh r,is
sionary. Frav Jnan de- Padi,la hnriad 10
tho cbnrch - thot nn.,,lo sinoa 49, ~
memorial and an Tho okth Adv ~ Anvil
last ~ T;nton ~ Ios Vacas psn Iapas
n Dafonr; no,;sh n,;ast - Wsst 1os
Veoas and Rav i NJ GorJart no,;sh
nr;eat of Rarnalilio v;o;tsd IN. nppahIn
and in The nrssancs 81 s ths mr;os ps'I A.
ton;o nonohas an...s ~ p, n ~