But
When The Keys Were Finished And The Plot Ripe For Execution, He
Communicated Intelligence Of The Whole Affair To Estrada; Who Instantly
Assembled The Friends Of Cortes, And Went To The Place Of Meeting, Where
He Found Twenty Of The Conspirators Already Armed And Waiting For The
Signal.
These were seized, but many others made their escape.
Among the
prisoners there were several very notorious characters, one of whom had
lately committed violence on a Spanish woman. They were immediately
brought to trial before Ortega, the alcalde-major of Mexico; and, being
convicted, three of them were hanged, and several of the rest whipped.
I must here digress, to mention an affair not exactly accordant in point
of time with my narrative, but relevant in regard to its subject. By the
same vessel in which Salazar had transmitted letters to his majesty
tending to criminate Cortes, other letters were conveyed and so artfully
concealed that he had no suspicion of their existence, in which a full and
true account of all his oppresions and unlawful proceedings was sent to
his majesty. All these facts had also been reported by the royal court of
audience at St Domingo; by which the reported death of Cortes was
contradicted, and his majesty was truly informed in what manner the
general was employed for his service. In consequence of these
representations, the emperor is said to have expressed his high
indignation at the unworthy treatment which Cortes had experienced, and
his determination to support him in the government of New Spain.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 440 of 796
Words from 121734 to 121991
of 221091
