protesting against the manner of his treatment, Martinez, while not attempting to deny his well known political sentiments, claimed that he was not such a fool as to suppose that Spain could be benefited by petty revolts in California, that he desired the welfare of the territory, and that in his opinion it could not be advantageously separated from Mexico. The two padres Cabot testified to having seen letters in which Martinez declined to take part in the political schemes of Solis, declaring that if the king wished to conquistar any part of America, he might do it himself, in his own way. Prefect Sarría also presented an argument to prove Martinez innocent.[1]
The 9th of March a junta de guerra, composed of six officers, besides the governor, met at Santa Bárbara to decide on the friar's fate. Echeandía explained, at considerable length, the difficulties in the way of administering a suitable penalty, and he seems to have counselled leniency, fearing or pretending to fear the action of the other padres; but after full discussion, it was decided by a vote of five to one to send him out of Mexican territory by the first available vessel.[2] Stephen Anderson, owner of the English brig Thomas Nowlan, was called in immediately, and gave bonds to carry the prisoner to Callao, and put him on board a vessel bound for Europe. Padre Martinez, on the same day, promised in verbo sacerdotis not to land at Manila or the Sandwich Islands, and on March 20th the Nowlan sailed.[3] The friar
- ↑ Martinez admitted to Lieut Romualdo Pacheco that he had received letters from Solis, urging him to arm his neophytes in defence of the Spanish flag soon to be raised. St. Pap., Miss, and Col., MS., ii. 30-1. Testimony of Martinez and the PP. Cabot in Solis, Proceso, MS., 100-1, 98-9. March 4th, Martinez, Defensa dirigida al Comandante General, 1830, MS., in Id., 93-8. Feb. 9th, Sarría, Defensa del Padre Luis Martinez, 1830, MS. Mrs Ord, Ocurrencias, MS., 31-6, gives some details of the padre's confinement in her father's house, and the efforts of members of the family to relieve the prisoner's wants in spite of the severity of Lieut Lobato. This writer and many other Californians think there was no foundation for the special charges against Martinez at this time.
- ↑ Record of the junta of March 9th, in Solis. Proceso, MS., 102-5. The officers were J. J. Rocha, M. G. Vallejo, Domingo Carrillo, M. G. Lobato, J. M. Ibarra. and A. V. Zamorano. A previous junta of Feb. 26th is alluded to.
- ↑ Carrillo (José), Doc., MS., 21. The Spaniards A. J. Cot and family,
