Barcelona
Barcelona, 24 June 1890
MR. JOSE RIZAL
Brussels
MY DEAR FRIEND:
I received on time your letter and forgive me for not having answered you at once. Many thanks for your photograph and the three copies of Morga which I have also received. I have not gone to Madrid because Marcelo said that he was planning to come here. I wrote him that I would wait so that we could go together on his return to Madrid.
On 19 May Jose died of measles here at the Fonda de Oriente where you stayed when you came here. When Roxas left for Madrid, he left his small son in a school here. At the beginning of May he got the measles in the school. When the parents were informed of this by Roces, the mother and Pepe immediately came. They transferred the patient to the Fonda and he soon recovered. While the little one was convalescing, Pepe contracted the same sickness and after five days in bed, he died. The parents did not allow us, their compatriots, to attend the funeral for fear of being associated with us. Don Pedro visited me several times when he first came. Now he is in Madrid.
How unlucky we are. A promising brother of ours is in bad luck. A cousin of Graciano who came here last year, through our earnest pleas, agreed to pension him to enable him to finish his studies. Upon his return to the Philippines, he wrote backing out of his promise. Graciano is now insisting on going to Cuba under any condition. A contribution has been started to help defray his traveling expenses.
Pepe Panganiban is in hot water for meddling with a married woman. The husband caught them. Pepe committed a very serious error of giving to the woman papers pertaining to his studies and of writing her an indiscreet letter. He had been hiding for a long time in Canon’s house, but one Saturday night, the husband, accompanied by a friend, met him at Plaza de Cataluna. The two beat him and though he was able to knock down one of them, he got a blow on the head which bled. Now the wound has healed. This affair did not reach the courts. What we want is to recover the papers and separate the lovers. We are keeping this affair a secret; if I am telling you about it, it is just to let you know about our bad luck. We are waiting here for J. Luna. Send me six copies of Morga because there are many compatriots who are ordering. Address them to Santiago Ycasiano – Xuela 25, 3 – 2 for they might not overtake me. Regards from Riego and everybody.
Yours,
NANING
02-547 [Blumentritt V.2]