"The prisoner will stand."
"Diego de la Vega, you stand convicted of the crime of treason against the people and government of California and against our sovereign, the King of Spain. The crime of which you are guilty warrants the penalty of death. However, out of the deep respect due your father, Don Alejandro de la Vega, a true patriot, who came to the defense of his country and his king against the usurper, José Sebastian de Varga and who led the victorious fight in this very pueblo against this same usurper, we have taken it upon ourselves to commute your sentence. It is the order of this court that you shall be exiled for life from the territories of His Majesty known as Alta California. It is further ordered that you shall be exiled from all lands under the rule of our sovereign, the King of Spain. Notices shall be posted in every port and every pueblo that will declare your treason and your exile. To return to these lands is death. You will be taken from here and placed under house arrest at the hacienda of your father until tomorrow evening, when you shall then be escorted to the ship now anchored at the port of San Pedro. You may take only such belongings with you as Don Alejandro will allow, nothing more. When the ship sails, you will be on it, placed in the custody of the ship’s captain.
"Diego de la Vega, you are forever forbidden from these shores.
"Now, to the servant. Lancer, you will make him stand.
"The servant, Bernardo, also stands convicted of treason. This Bernardo was caught in the act of breaking into jail, the jail where his master had been lawfully incarcerated, trying to help de la Vega escape. He also witnessed the prior actions of his master and knew of their treasonous nature. He should have reported these things to the authorities and yet chose not to do so. His disabilities notwithstanding, the servant Bernardo knows right from wrong. His was a deliberate act of ignoring the law. Therefore, it is the order of this court that the servant Bernardo be hanged upon the gallows by the neck until he is dead, no later than noon of the day after tomorrow, or as soon as the gallows may be constructed. He shall be held in the jail of the cuartel until the sentence may be carried out.
"I declare that these proceedings are now concluded. This court stands adjourned. Remove the prisoners."
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The trial of Diego de la Vega rocked the pueblo of Los Angeles and sent shock waves all the way to Monterey. Never in their lives had the people of Los Angeles expected to witness such a spectacle as Diego de la Vega being accused and convicted of treason. Some few still could not believe it, but there were many more who were convinced by the evidence presented by the new Magistrado, Jorgé Martinez Santiago, who had arrived in the pueblo early in the first month of the new year. These were the people who suggested that were it not for the new Magistrado, the crimes of Diego de la Vega might not have been discovered until it was too late. But even now, the people did not feel safe. If the son of the most prominent landholder in the district could be part of a conspiracy to overthrow the legitimate government of His Majesty, then just whom could they trust?
And what of Zorro? The armies he was said to be gathering in the hills in preparation for conquering California for his own were still there were they not? De la Vega’s conviction as Zorro’s co-conspirator only served to lend credence to the stories. Rumors started to circulate among the people that many were ready to leave California and perhaps go to Argentina or some other of the Spanish colonies where the government was more stable, or to return to Spain herself. After the affair with the Eagle and now this new revelation, those who longed for security and safety were on a razor’s edge and it would not take much to tip the balance.
The new Magistrado looked upon the situation with great satisfaction.
Things were going well.
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Book Three Index
Book Four Index
