“Good Lord, deliver me,” plead the man in the grave.
“Silence the disturber of our devotions,” commanded the Jesuit.
One of the soldiers lifted a shovelful of sand and threw it in the face of the man man in the grave. Some grains entered his eyes, but as he lay in agony, because gravel filled his mouth, he could only groan and sputter without speaking.
“His mouth shall be filled with gravel,” quoted the Jesuit, with unfeeling sarcasm. “Fill in the grave, men.”
The soldiers shoveled for a moment and the remains of Aglipay were buried from sight, literally buried alive.
XVII.
“HE AIN’T NO FRIEND.”
Of course, the death of Aglipay became noised abroad. Indeed, the Jesuit took no pains to keep it from being known, because he felt that the death of the leader would have an important effect in ending the schism. The death was a matter susceptible of proof from the fact that the body was found, but that he was buried alive could not be proven save from the participants in the tragedy, who were not required to testify against themselves. Rumors as to the horrors of the fate of Dr. Obispo Maximo spread through Manila and Luzon, and aroused the people to a high pitch of indignation. In a sense, it was for the time beneficial to the revolt, because hundreds now flocked to Saguanaldo, bringing their own weapons and ammunition, and every region through which he passed was eager to feed the soldiery, so that opposition to the friars gained strong headway again. It became impossible for the Americans to ignore the matter. In order to appease the inhabitants of Manila, the three soldiers were arrested and placed on trial, before a court martial, for killing a prisoner. They were found guilty and ordered shot.
It was then that Violeta appeared before Judge Daft.