The Washington herald., 1912-08-25
Prosecutions, It Is Claimed. Resulted from
DISCOVERIES Race Thought He Was
the Messiah Promised in
Hebrew Scripture.

4 world. But this was too palpably false
and absurd to adopt.
1 One charge alone would be certain to
\ produce a sudden revulsion OF feeling IN
! the mind of Isabella toward the admiral.
IL demonstrated or admitted by him. and
that was heresy. Nothing else could be
| so effective In dethroning Columbus in
4 her estimation, because of the policy
agreed upon between the royal and papal
thrones, that no breath of heresy should
4 be allowed to affect the new possessions!
Juan Rodriguez Fonseca. Archdeacon OF
| Seville, was made patriarch Of the In
dies in June, 1893, and that from the first
he was the Kings agent in intriguing
| against Columbus is shown in the adroit
| substitution he was successful In making
| in the following September of Fernando
Boyle, a Benedictine, very familiar with
| court life, for the franciscan, Bernard
Boyl. who had really been nominated by
the Pope as the nuncio to accompany
Columbus on his second voyage.
Columbus Is Excommunicnted.
Bishop Boyle. 1t will be remembered.
communicated Columbus nominally
for not executing q certain Indian chief
and for the admirars alleged harshness
toward the Indians and his own men:
but the underlying reason was no doubt
4 Fonsecas Instructions. Isabella seems
Tot to have been much affected by these
reports, though she appointed supposed
friend of the Admirars. Jean Aguado. to
60 over and investigate. Aguado.
through some influence exerted at the
very outset, changed from his former
attitude toward Columbus to decidedly
hostile one; and did much to involve the
admiral in that evil reputation which has
come down 10 us, aud which may be fair
" uft ri a EOnaSCA
| i onseca had observed discrepancies no
| doubt in the statements OF Columbus
] as to his origin. and in the various re-
ports Of Boyle, Aguado and other agents,
had very probably discovered the truth.
Now, when the admiral was about to
leave on his third voyage. was the time
when by a sudden coup, Columbus taken
eff his guard might be forced into adj
missions which would induce the Queen
| TO change her attitude and relieve the
King from his embarrassing contract.
| In this he found a convenient and
ready tool in his secretary, Ximeno. who
! was a Marano or converted Jew. The
town of Briviesca, where Ximeno was
| born, is located in Northern Spain, and
being Jew himself. the chances are that
| lac knew something of a family of Jew
| ish sailors and traders named Colon.
who had resided in Pontevedra for more
than fifty years. Las Casas, who relates
|
the provocation, a circumstance in itself
which points to its nature; since every
! reference TO heresy at that period af-
| fecting the New World and its discov-
cry. is discreetly omitted from written
history Ximeno's offensive remark was
timed exactly to produce the greatest
effect; it was given in the presence
| of the whole squadron, of the crowd on
the quay. and of some bandits and other
criminals who were on board" and what
more CALLING reference could the secre-
| tary have made to the admiral, what bet
ter calculated to throw him OF his guard
and induce some fatal admission, than
for the secretary to inquire that morn
ing. the 3Oth of May, 1885. when the ad-
miral was occupied with preliminaries
to his departure. giving orders to subor-
dinates and saying farewell to friends,
whether or not he was Jew! from Pom
tevedra?
Would Not Fall in Trap.
Any reference of that kind calculated
as II would be to destroy at one stroke
his fortunes and influence, must have
aroused the admirars ire to the highest
pitch, because II also meant what Fon-
SEGA was aiming at his immediate deg
radiation. But Columbus was too expert
enced in the wiles of men himself to
fall lightly into the trap; and II does
merely knocked Ximeno down and kick
ed him very vigorously; so that the only
report that could be made to the dis
advantage of Columbus was that he eX-
hibited great brutality
| The execution of Fonseca's purpose to
expose the heresy OF Columbus. being
thus deferred, he extended his scheme
to the admirars administration in His
PAMELA; and in this circumstances favored
Fonseca in the character of the crews
which Columbus had been compelled to
assemble to man his vessels. He may
have had some convicts in the crews
of his first voyage, but in the second
the rush of adventurers and specula-
tors of the get-rich-quick type. some OF
whom had proved themselves quite as
villainous and unmanageable as the worst
of felons, was so great that convicts
were not only unnecessary, but honest
laborers and others who would have
been of value to the colonists were
crowded out. Now it was different, the
crews being made up almost entirely
of confined prisoners, many Of them
guilty Of the most heinous crimes, in
GLIDING murder, but not heresy-which
the Queen would not tolerate in any per-
son going to the Indies-neither were
|, those guilty of treason, arson, or coun-
terfeiting. permitted to enlist.
Says De Lorgues: Notwithstanding
, the inducement OF royal pay and the
, hopes Of gold, nobody came to be en-
rolled for the new expedition. An ocu-
lar witness explains to us the cause Of
this universal repugnance. Because
those who went with the admiral
, returned i'll. emaciated. and Of SO sickly
a color that they appeared to be more
dead than alive. the country Of the Indies
, was so much decried that nobody could
, be found who would venture to go
| there"
, Recruits for Galleys Needed.
1t became necessary to seek recruits
, for Hispaniola in the prisons and gal
leys, and accordingly the sovereigns pro-
claimed pardon on certain conditions:
Those who were condemned to death,
, says De Lorgues, ION their passing two
: years there were to be liberated. And a
years sojourn there Cancelled all con-
formations short of capital punishment.
, Thus, save the cases Of heresy. treason.
arson, and coming, all swtndlers, per-
jurers, robbers, and even murderers, by
going at their own expense to Hispaniola
could return at the end Of that time re-
habHitated." columbus p. $3.50
; Isabella's policy Of excluding heresy
} from the newly discovered territory
seems to have been identical with the
: rigorous exclusion Of Moors and Jews
, from her native land at the sacrifice OF
its population and resources. Even
though a large portion Of that territory. "