His enemies were determined to have his life, and he was cabled at Barcelona to return at once to the islands. Certain accusations were made against him, and he was thrown into prison at the Fortress of Montjierat (mont-hē ā´rät) in Spain, until a steamer should return to the islands. Then he was sent back to Manila, a state prisoner, isolated from all but his jailers.
He was brought to trial for sedition and rebellion before a court-martial of eight captains, with a lieutenant-colonel presiding; but there was no testimony against him. How could there be? The facts show that it was quite impossible for Rizal to have had anything to do with the revolution of 1896. He had been a prisoner of state, in seclusion, for years. He had had no communication with the people of Luzon, and there was nothing to show that he had taken any part in the revolt. But he had been condemned beforehand, and of all the cruel acts of Governor-General Polavieja (pō lä vē ā´hä), the cruelest was his decree for the execution of this man.
There were but a few days between Rizal’s sentence and his death. He was engaged to marry Miss Josephine Taufer, the adopted daughter of an American gentleman who had been a patient of Rizal’s in Hong-Kong, and to her he was married on the day of his execution. He was shot at six o’clock in the morning of December 30, 1896, and an immense crowd gathered on the Luneta to witness that terrible sacrifice.
His widow joined the insurgents. She was present at the battle of Silang (sē läng´), and fled with the rest before the Spanish, tramping through twenty-three villages on her way to the northern provinces. She was at last banished from the country by Governor-General Polavieja. During the American occupation she returned for a time to the islands whose welfare was so dear to her martyred husband. Later she went to Hong-Kong, where she died, in March, 1902.
The name of José Rizal is now hailed with honor. The government has made the anniversary of his birth a public holiday, and it is observed yearly in the public schools of the archipelago. Thus is his memory kept alive. His unselfish love for his native country should be remembered and shared by the Filipino boys and girls now growing up to work for the good of the land for which he hoped and dared so much.
Summary.—The Cavite insurrection, which took place in 1872, while not in itself of great importance, was the real beginning of the rebellion of 1896. It failed through a mistake in regard to signals. The Spanish authorities overrated the importance of this uprising, and those whom they accused of being concerned in it were punished with great severity. This course drove the people to desperation. Other uprisings took place, and there was great disturbance in the country. Many good public works went on, however. The Carriedo waterworks were built and put in operation, and an effort was made to raise money to pay off the tobacco growers. In 1881 the tobacco monopoly was done away with by royal decree of Alfonso XII.
In 1882 came the great cholera epidemic in Manila. During the time it raged, 30,000 people died in the city and province. During these years, teachers of the people began to rise in the Visayas, as well as in Luzon. Jaena, the Visayan patriot, was in Spain, trying to obtain justice for his people. Later, Dr. José Rizal began writing of the wrongs of his country. He came back to Manila, after an absence of some years, but was banished to Mindanao. When the trouble in Cuba began, he volunteered to go there as a surgeon in the Spanish army. He sailed from Manila to Barcelona, expecting to go from there to Cuba. At Barcelona, on the strength of despatches from Manila, he was thrown into prison, and later was sent back to Manila. His enemies there secured his trial on a false charge of sedition, and he was sentenced to death and executed.
Questions.—What was the main cause of the Cavite insurrection of 1872? Who was Don Fernando Carriedo? When were the Manila waterworks completed? When was the tobacco monopoly ended? Who was Jaena? Give an account of Dr. Rizal and his work.
