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FRIAR JUAN DE PADILLA.
The First Religious Martyr Within the
Limits of the United States.
For a long time a controversy has
been going on , as to who was the first
missionary and who' was the first re
ligious martyr on this side of the At
lantic. From documents brought to
light a few years ago it appears that the
honor of having been the first missiou-
ary belongs to Friar Juau.de Macheua ,
a member of the Franciscan order , who
crane with Columbus on his second
voyage in 145)3 ) , and that Friar Juan de
Padilla , of the same order , who accompanied -
companied Coronado on his most re
markable march to Quivira , was the
first religious martyr ; whose blood was
shed by Indians on the soil of the
United States , within the borders of the
present state of Kansas.
Spain's political connection with
America is forever severed by our late
war with that country in behalf of
Cuba's independence ; but her histori
cal connection will live as long as there
is a history. Of the religious part of
her connection with America she may
be proud. The Roman Catholic church
was at the time of the discovery of the
new continent very active in missionary
work , and from the second voyage of
Columbus onward , with every expe
dition members of the religious orders
went to the newly discovered part of
our globe to spread the gospel among
the Indians.
The Franciscans were the first in the
field. The Jesuits , whose order was
founded by Ignatius Loyala in 1584 came
later. Eighty-one years before the
founding of Jamestown , the Domini
cans in 1570 had already erected a
chapel near that location on the James
river. The Dominican Antonio Mou-
teriino preached in Santo Domingo in
1511 against slavery ; over 250 years be
fore Garrison commenced his agitation
against that institution. France took
an early part in the conversion of the
Indians through the Jesuits and Recol-
lots , but the Spanish missions antedate
them for many years , long before the
French and English took an active part.
'Three years after Champlain founded
the Colony of Quebec in 1611 , the
earliest members of the Jesuit order ,
Masse and Briard , crossed the Atlantic
under French auspices.
The Spanish missionaries worked
among the Indians from Florida north
ward to the Chesapeake and westward to
the Mississippi , and from the Gulf of
California eastward to the Missouri
river. The labors of the Spanish mis
sionaries amid perils and dangers from
wild animals and the savages of the
new world , 250 yours before the United
States gained their independence , fur
nish an interesting and thrilling chapter
in the history of America.
If we are impartial and set aside all
sectarian prejudices , we are forced to
concede that the Franciscans , Domini
cans , Jesuits , etc. , have zealously worked
among the red men , and have , in foot ,
accomplished more in elevating and
civilizing the Indians than all other
sects together. The devotion to their
sacred calling , their ardent and untir
ing endeavors , their unselfishness and
self-denials , and the influence they
wielded over the savages , must arouse
our admiration and approbation.
Wherever Roman Catholic missionaries
have labored among the aborigines the
government has had the least trouble
with them.
Long is the list of those missionaries
who have sacrificed health and life in
their sacred calling among the aborigines.
Only the indefatigable Marquette , who
sank to an early grave in consequence of
exposures and privations , and the untir
ing De Smet may be mentioned.
The writer has studied the history of
the mission work of all sects and
churches , and though his religious
views are antagonistic to the teaching
and dogmas of the Roman Catholic
church , he cannot but yield his admira
tion and profound respect for these
Roman Catholic missionaries.
For the purpose of this article a de
scription of Coronado's expedition and
the location of Quivira is essential , but
as these have been fully discussed in the
columns of this journal by an abler pen
than mine , by that brilliant scholar ,
Professor E. E. Blackrnan , I do not
deem it necessary to repeat here what
the readers of THE CONSERVATIVE al
ready know.
The data at hand about the life of
Friar Juan de Padella , the first religious
martyr within the limits of the United
States , perhaps on the American conti
nent , on the east of Kansas , are very
meagre. We have only what the Span
ish chroniclers of the Coronado expedi
tion , Castaneda and Jaramillo , and the
historian of New Galicia , Meta Tadilla ,
say of him. This concerns briefly his
participation in the Coronado expedi
tion and his death. These accounts are
the basis of this paper , for which no
originality whatsoever is claimed by the
writer.
We are informed that in his youth
Friar Juan de Padella was a fighting
man , a soldier ; joining the Franciscan
order , he became a regular monk ( fraile
do misa ) and sailed with one of the ex
peditious sent out from Spain ' to New
Spain or Mexico , where he engaged in
missionary work.
When Coronado set out on his re
markable march to Cibola , the Friars
Juan de Padella , Juan de Cruz and
Louis de Escalona , the two latter lay
brethren , and some other Franciscan lay
brethren and "douadas" Indians in the
service of the Church , accompanied the
expedition. Friar Juan do Padella be
ing younger and more vigorous than his
brethren was the leader of the mission
aries. From the beginning of the expe
dition , which set out from Compostela
in Mexico in February , 1540 , ho was the
more active in maintaining the over
sight and discipline of the Church.
After Coronado had effected an armed
peace with the Pueblo Indians of Co-
bola , he sent out several expeditions to
explore the adjoining country ; in two
of these expeditious Friar Juan de Pa
della participated. He went with Pedro
de Tovar to the west to investigate the
territory occupied by the Tusagans and
with Antonio de Alvarado east of the
Rio Grande and to the Buffalo Plains.
When Coronado at the Canadian
river sent his army back to Tiguex and
pushed on with thirty horsemen to
Quivira , the friar went along on foot
and returned with the general to
Tiguex.
After wintering at Tiguex , near the
present city of Santa Fe , Corouado
made in the beginning of April , 1542 ,
preparations to return to New Spain in
stead of revisiting Quivira , as he had
first intended to do. The friars were
notified to prepare for the return , but
signified their intention to stay in the
newly discovered region , and continue
their missionery labors.
Friar Juan de Cruz chose Tiguex as
his field of labor , where he afterwards
was lulled.
Friar Louis de Escaloua selected
Cieuge , east of Tiguex , for his work ; of
his fate we have no information , as
nothing was ever heard of him ; perhaps
he also found a martyr's death.
Friar Juan de Padella's previous visit
to the Quivira province led him to de
cide to go back to that country , as ho
thought his teachings would bear fruit.
On a Sunday in Lent shortly before his
departure to Quivira he made his inten
tions the subject of his discourse in a
sermon to the army. He established his
proposition on the authority of the Holy
Scripture , declaring his zeal for the con
version of these people and his desire to
draw them to the faith , and that he had
the permission of the general , although
this was not necessary , as he had that
of his provincial.
The guides who conducted Corouado
from Quivira to Tiguex had stayed over
winter in the Pueblo country. Friar
Juan de Padella went with them on
their return. He was accompanied by a
Portuguese , De Campo , an Indian who
spoke Spanish as interpreter and passed
as a Franciscan Friar , a negro , a half-
blood or mestezo and two "donadas. "
He also took along a horse , some mules
and sheepornaments , probably rosaries ,
crucifixes and altar utensils to celebrate
mass , and "other trifles. "
Coronado sent an escort of a company
with him and Friar Louis de Esoalona
as far as Cieuge , where Friar Louis
stopped.
Friar Juan de Padella was successful