Records of The Spanish Inquisition Part 24

MOST ILl.u.s.tRIOUS SIR,

In obedience to the dictates of my conscience and the counsel of my confessor, Padre Gervasio Minguella, Carmelite Calzado, I inform your Excellency of the following act which I have committed. Upon three several times, at the solicitation of one of my companions, I went to visit a woman for the purpose of learning, by a divination with cards, whether a certain young man, to whom I am betrothed, would return hither from Olot, where he now is. The above woman, having consulted the cards, answered that he would return; but that it would be sometime first.

Other things she also informed me by divination. The woman's true name I do not know, but she is called Pepa dels Gossos, and lives in the Calle dels Tallers. I entreat that your Excellency will pardon this weakness of mine, for I was not aware that I was committing an offence. My confessor informs me of the fact that I have been guilty, and that I must, within six days, give notice of the same to your Excellency.

G.o.d preserve your Excellency many years.

I kiss the hands of your Excellency.

Your servant, ANTONIA PUXANT, daughter of JAIME PUXANT, Calle del Hom.

Barcelona, February third, 1805.

TO PADRE GERVASIO MINGUELLA, CARMELITE CALZADO.

We herewith transmit you orders to proceed in company with another person of sacerdotal character to officiate as Notary, having first sworn fidelity and secrecy, and summon before you, Antonia Puxant, daughter of Jaime Puxant, living in the Calle del Hom. You will ascertain from her, upon oath, whether the subjoined letter be hers, whether she affirms the contents to be true, and whether there be any part of the same to alter, or any addition to make. Within four days of this, you will ratify the above depositions before the Notary, and other trustworthy persons, and if any testimony which may corroborate the same should offer, you will receive it, and ratify the said testimony at the end of four days in like manner. Information respecting the character and credit of the witnesses, you will transmit, written in the margin of the depositions. Also in a separate paper you will forward an account of the character and christian conduct of the person denounced. This order is to be returned to our hands with all the other papers. Our Lord preserve you many years.

Royal Palace of the Inquisition of Barcelona, February thirteenth, 1805.

DR DON JOSEPH DE LLOZER.

Licentiate, DON MANUEL DE MERRA Y PANIAGUA.

DR DON JUAN DE RODAS.

D. D. JUAQUIN MONER, _Secretary_.

MOST ILl.u.s.tRIOUS SEnORES,

I return your Excellencies the order of the date of February thirteenth, of the present year, along with the deposition of Antonia Puxant, native of Ripoll, in the bishopric of Vique, daughter of Jaime Puxant, resident in the Calle del Hom, of this city. With this you will also receive the depositions of six other witnesses to the same facts, which I have taken by the information of the abovementioned Antonia. The tardiness with which this business has been accomplished, will be overlooked by your Excellencies, on reflecting upon the extent of my occupations, and on the fact that the people from whom the depositions were taken, are of the laboring cla.s.s, seldom at their houses, and of consequence difficult to find. The last named among them was not met with till the twentyseventh of March.

With regard to the declarations of Antonia Puxant, I have to state that both in her deposition, and in the ratification, she appears to have disclosed the truth with perfect ingenuousness, as far as her knowledge extended and the interrogatives went, although a mistake was made in the name of the street, in which Pepa de los Gosos performed her divinations, which she affirmed was the Calle de Nazaret; but on being reminded of the error, she informed me, after the ratification, that it was the Calle de Farlandina which is situated at the head of the street leading from the convent of Nuestra Senora de los Angeles, to the Casa de Charidad of this city.

Respecting the persons denounced by the said Antonia Puxant, both in the deposition and ratification, I have summoned only those who, as I understood from her, were present when the aforementioned Pepa de los Gosos performed her divinations before the said Antonia. As to the other persons and matters, referred to by her, I have inst.i.tuted no proceedings respecting them, deeming an additional order from your Excellencies necessary to this step.

I have also to inform your Excellencies that the said Antonia Puxant is very anxious that her father, Jaime Puxant, may know nothing of her declarations, and in particular, that in the ratification, respecting Margarida Puxant, inasmuch as this woman is married to the brother of the above Jaime Puxant. She states further, that she heard sometime since that the above Margarida, her aunt, had been summoned before our Holy Tribunal for witchcraft and superst.i.tion; whether at the instance of her father or relations, or other persons, does not appear, and for this reason or some other, a discord had arisen between them.

With respect to the character and occupation of the denounced Pepa de los Gosos and the fact whether she observes the precepts of the church, I cannot transmit you any information, as I do not know the person, and have not yet been able to find her; but according to all that can be learned from the witnesses, she is undoubtedly guilty. They inform me she is very cautious in concealing herself.

In relation to the other witnesses, I have to remark the following. As to Gertrudis Poc y Marti, mentioned in the deposition of Antonia Puxant, it appears to me that he has concealed the truth in his declaration, from fear or some other motive; which opinion is confirmed by his having delayed the ratification beyond the specified time, so that it was found necessary to summon him anew. He appears, however, after he had been charged to declare the truth on the eighth of March, when the ratification took place, to have made a full and ingenuous declaration, which corresponds with the statements of the above Antonia Puxant.

As to the deposition of Rosa Llobet, it appears to be true, although nothing to the purpose. This person was summoned as she was supposed to be the lady of the house where the divinations were performed, from the description of Antonia; but I found, upon examining her, that she was not. Still some information was obtained by her means, she having informed me that a house near the one abovementioned, on the left hand, is a great resort for young females for some unknown purpose. In consequence, I have summoned the occupant, Francisca Jacoba, whom I shall hereafter refer to.

Respecting Madalena Masllorens, I believe that she has declared sincerely the whole truth. It is to be observed that this person is not the proprietor of the house in the Calle de Farlandina in which Pepa de los Gosos practised her arts, as was thought by Antonia Puxant.

With relation to Francisca Jacoba, who occupies the first floor of the first house in la Riera Alta, on the left hand as you go from the Convent of the Capuchins, she confesses that the said Pepa de los Gosos has visited her house upon business, as many other persons have done, but affirms that she never practised there, any performance or divination with cards; yet from her manner of answering the interrogatories, and her warmth in defending the said Pepa, talking at great length in her favor, and declaring she had been accused falsely, I have no doubt she is a friend of hers, and, therefore, that her testimony is very suspicious. In this, however, I may be mistaken.

With respect to Maria Tintorer, who is the proprietor of a house in the Calle de Farlandina where the divinations above referred to were performed, I think she has spoken the truth, and that her whole testimony may be credited. As to the Gipsey of the Calle de St Pablo, Senor Augustus Fuster, and the other females, I have not summoned them, waiting for an order from your Excellencies to this effect.

With regard to Antonia Ragas, I think her testimony may be admitted, as it corroborates that of Antonia Puxant in some points. Respecting the other witness, mentioned by Antonia, named Margarida, I have not been able to take her deposition, as she has been long confined by sickness, in the hospital in this city.

The above, Most Ill.u.s.trious Senores, are the depositions which I have taken, and the judgments I have formed respecting them. I trust you will pardon the faults which I have committed therein, and rectify my errors.

I remain your Excellencies' most humble servant, and kiss the hands of your Excellencies.

FR. GERVASIO MINGUELLA, _Carmelite Calzado_.

In the city of Barcelona, on the twentieth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and five, before the Reverend Father Fr. Gervasio Minguella, Carmelite Calzado, Presbyter and Commissary appointed for this investigation, and me, Fr. Joseph Abella, Presbyter Carmelite Calzado, Notary, having sworn to preserve secrecy and perform faithfully our duties, appeared, according to summons, and made oath to declare the truth and preserve secrecy, Antonia Puxant, a native of Ripoll, in the bishopric of Vique, daughter of Jaime Puxant, of this city, aged seventeen years.

Questioned, if she knew or conjectured the cause of her being summoned to appear.

Answered, that she supposed it to be on account of a letter which she had caused to be written in her name, to the Holy Tribunal, on the third day of the present month.

Questioned, at what time and place, and in the presence of what persons were the operations with the cards performed; also, with what words and gestures, and whether the performer received any rebukes for her actions, or appeared to be of sound mind.

Answered, that about six months ago, at the request of the deponent, she performed the operation three several times in the s.p.a.ce of three or four weeks at different places; that is to say, the first time in the Calle de la Riera Alta, at the other times in the Calle de Nazaret. The houses she did not know. In the Calle de Nazaret the entrance was by a small door in the lower story near a garden. The places she could recognise on seeing. The person who performed the operation was always unwilling to do it at her own house. Those present on the first occasion were four in number; the deponent, the operator, one of her friends called Gertrudis, and sometimes Jesus, because she lives in the Calle de Jesus. She was a married woman. The fourth was, as the deponent imagined, the lady of the house. On the second occasion there were present the two first persons before mentioned, a young woman named Antonia Ragosa, living in the Calle del Conde del Asalto, a native of Ripoll, and the lady of the house called Helena or Magdalena. On the third occasion there were present the two first persons, and another called Puntina, the widow of a weaver. The operations were performed with singular actions and unintelligible language. All that the deponent could understand was the word 'Barrabast.' n.o.body rebuked the performer, and she practised the whole seriously, and in her right mind.

Questioned, what things she divined.

Answered, that she told her what money she had in her pocket; what she was thinking about; that her father wanted her to marry a young man whom she disliked, and that on this account her father was displeased with her. Sometimes she made wrong statements, but this the deponent thinks was done designedly, and in order that she might not be discovered. She also told the deponent that the young man of Olot, to whom she was betrothed, and whose name was Caspar Giralt, would write to her within three weeks, and that he would visit this city, adding other information. The operator always chose Friday for her performances, and the deponent paid her two reals vellon.

Questioned, if she knew that any other persons had said or done anything which came under the cognisance of the Holy Office.

Answered, that she had heard of four other persons who performed divinations. One was named Fargas, and lived in a lane near St Paul's Church. Another was named Teresica, and appeared to be a married woman.

She lived in the same street. Another was called Garvi. Her residence unknown. The last was called Teresa, and sometimes Ballarenga, a married woman, and formerly living in the Calle de la Parra. The deponent was told by a young woman named Felipe, that on the second of this month she pa.s.sed the night with the said Ballarenga, where they burnt a rosary and a two real piece along with some holy water. On the following morning the said Felipe showed the deponent some black powder which she stated to be the ashes of the rosary and money, and said it was a potent love powder. The deponent was also informed by a young woman named Ursula, who lives in la Riera Alta, that a person living in Barceloneta carried on the same practices.

Questioned, if she knew anything more.

Answered, that a young woman named Teresa, living in the Calle del Conde del Asalto, told her that a certain man declared to her mother, that he knew a woman who would carry her to Olot in an hour's time, upon the condition that she should not invoke any Saint.

Questioned, what was the age and personal appearance of the abovementioned Pepa de los Gosos.

Answered, that she was a little old woman with sunken eyes and a wrinkled face.

Questioned, if she knew anything more.

Answered, that a woman named Serafina Xuera, wife of Senor Miguel in the Calle de St Olegario, had told her there was a woman in her house who performed divinations.

Questioned, if she knew anything more.

Answered, No.

The above having been read to the deponent, is declared by her to be correctly recorded. She further states that she has not made these declarations out of malice, but solely in obedience to her conscience.

Secrecy was enjoined upon her, which she promised, and not being able to write, I, the said Commissary, sign in her name.

FR. GERVASIO MINGUELLA, _Carmelite Commissary_.

ANTONIO PUIXANT.

Before me--