The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1909-10-28
SPANS MARTYR
FRANCISCO FERRER WROTE LET
TIERS FROM PRISON TO
FRIENDS
THE CHARGES WERE FALSE
PATHETIC STORY OF THE ACCU-
{, SATIONS AND TRIAL OF
AN INNOCENT MAN

New York, Oct. 25.-Two letters
written by Francisco Ferrer while he
lay in the Barcelona prison, awaiting
execution Tor alleged reYol4 IT. ma y
acts against Spain, have been re5elvei
here.
They were written by the D isonei
to a friend and were smuggled from
his cell into the prison post. Taey te /
graphically and with rathos the s,ory
of the charges trumped up a a
him, of the brutality of the Officials, OF
the star chamber methods AMI tn un-
proved evidence used to convict him,
and finally of his last da,s in the
filthy cell before he was taken out and
| shot against a wall. Following are the
| letters:
From my letter, dated Septemhe-
10, you know that | was absolute y
ignorant of the plan of a general
strike by the twentieth as a protes
| against the war in Morocco.
II don't know how the idea wa
spread that | was responsible for this
movement.
However, | was not careful, as |
had not been interested in this move
ment and thought that / should be left
alone. But, very much frightonei,
comes a member of my fami y from
| Alella, who had heard a little girl
say that /, as leader of a crowd OF
firebugs, had started the fire in the
cloister at Premia.
REBELLED AT ACCUSATION.
This gave me reason to think Re-
member that no cloister at P. emia
had been burned and that 7 had not
been at this village. / got ready To
leave the next morning and went to
visit friends for a few days, SO as 10
let this state of excitement pass.
But in the papers of August 20 |
read that the fiscal, after his investi-
cation at Barcelona, had said on leav-
ing the palace where he had read the
result of this investigation to the King
that | was the originator of the re-
volutionary movement at Barcelona
and in the villages on the coast.
This was more than | could stand,
and in spite of the warnings of my
II III L uCNluCu " Ndll OH IIC SONt IL
ment and protest against such false
reports, even if they came from high
er up.
Il left the house of my friends in
the night of August 81, so as to arrive
at Barcelona without incident and to
present myself a free man.
But | had not counted on the SOM
aten' Country police) from my vii age,
who arrested me and, nothwithssan1-
ing my plea to bring me to the nudge,
they brought me to the governor of
Barcelona.
1.-THE farmers, who all knew me, are
very brutal. One especially, by the
name of Miralta, who, after putting
the cuffs on very tight with a rope,
often threatened me with his rifle, say
cording to what he had heard and
read in the papers.
"Tben we came to the governor of
Barcelona. who, in answer to nv pro-
test. said that the reading of the
books issued by the Modern School
might be mainly responsible for TIE
riots, and | consequently was held re-
sponsible. On September 1, in the
evening, l appeared before the judge
Of instruction.
DENIED FAIR JUDGE.
II got the impression that he was
fair minded and that my confinement
would be only temporary. But four
days elapsed before l had to appear.
I appeared, on the fifth day, 1t was
not before the same Judge.
ION September 9 came the first
hearing. when much stress was laid on
the fact that in 1907 | had sent Furne-
mont a photographic piece fer a free
thinkers calendar. AS l had stated
that / did not intend to be a part of
any political or revolutionary party
and only interested myself with edu-
cation, he saw therein antasonistic
views, as there I had stated revolu-
tionary thoughts.
"He then pointed out all kinds of
documents, but l answered him that
all this had been gone over during my
case in 1906-07.
"But look at that terrible piece: a
revolutionary call the police found on
me-a piece l had never seen, and
which appeared to be very old. The
Judge told me that this was found In
the presence of my brother, my sister
and soledad.
DENIES SEEING PAPER.
81 told him | did not know how 1t
got there and, further, / had never
seen 1t.
Therein is spoken of the burning Of
clcisters, the doing away Of congrefa-
tions and the running Of banks.
II promised myself TO protest
strongly at the next heariny. The
judge, told me that the researf h into
dcssier was at an end and l shall have
to appear before the court martial.
linton Wants CHANCE