1819. Cópia de carta de Joaquim José da Silva Mourão para sua mulher, Joaquina Teresa.

Copy of a family letter from Joaquim José da Silva Mourão to his wife, Joaquina Teresa.

The author tells his wife about the facts related to a crime under investigation, among other things.

Manuel Pereira Farroupo and José Antunes, both soldiers, were arrested for robbery. This letter, from a husband to his wife, is included in the process, since the author reports, among other things, facts related to this crime.

Abrantes, the 1st may, 1819

Dear Joaquina of my heart.

I certainly hope these few lines will find you better, as you and I hope, so that we won't have to worry anymore. Mine is good, may God be praised, and I offer it to you for whatever you wish.

My beloved child, this letter is for me to know about your health and to tell you that I've received your letter from the 29th this month, and I see you said in it that you didn't receive my letter in the previous mail, which surprises me, because I've written to you in every mail. Tell your godfather to look for it, because he must have it. That is, if it hasn't been taken away from you like the letter from the 13th last month, for you must know that my biggest pleasure is to write to you. If it were possible, I would be with the quill in my hand all the time writing to you, for it is the greatest relief that my heart has. You have no ideia how heavy my heart gets when you tell me you aren't better, because there's nothing in the world that could bring me more joy, and the thought that I'm living away from you and I'm not able to be as good to you as I wish, but thank me for my good will, for only God knows what it is. And, for this reason, I spend most of the nights awake, only thinking about this, for my heart is sadder than the night itself, since I have the thought that I'll arrive at home and I won't see you and my heart gets the saddest it can be.

My beloved child, my nephew has arrived here from the detachment of Foz de Alge and he told me he went to the village but he stayed no longer than four days. And during the time he told me he was there, the letter I wrote to your mother hadn't arrived yet, because it was right in the begining of April and the letter only arrived to Arganil after the 15th, and in which I sent the measures of the slippers for your brother Manuel; however, since the son of Joaquim da Soma de Bordeiro is there, and he'll arrive on the 10th this month, he might bring the slippers, because your brother told my nephew that he would do them, as soon as he received the measures. He also told me that everyone is in good health there and they didn't write because they didn't have the time.

The rest of the spun yarn that we left there with my sister-in-law, Isabel, she will send it by the soldier of Bordeiro, and, concerning the switch of spun yarn, my nephew told me how the cheating was done, because he says that one of the hanks that belonged to my niece Maria was missing and that my sister-in-law, just to avoid hearing her, gave her one of ours. And when my nephew saw the leftover yarn ball, he said to his mother that it was shameful to send such a ball, because you would recognize it and I almost didn't accept it, she should have bought one in the market to give to her daughter, instead of giving ours, since it is disgraceful to bring us such ball. I'm now curious to see what she's going to send, that is, if she actually comes, I'll tell you if she does.

This Lent there was no procession, nor sermons on Sundays, there were only Passions on Fridays and during the Holy Week we almost didn't have Maundy Thursday ceremonies, because, if it wasn't for Burrito's father-in-law and brothers-in-law, we couldn't celebrate, since all the church expenses were paid by them and it was the priest from Aldeia Nova who celebrated mass.

My beloved child, these are the novelties of this land: this month, on the 27th, three thieves went after some wine carters who were coming this way and they stole them and killed two of them and they took them, I mean from the carters, seventeen coins, and all this just about two leagues from here, but they didn't die immediately. The other carters ran away, but they recognized the thieves and two of them are already in jail, in this village, and that is because they were wearing masks, but, as they seized each other, their masks were taken off and when the thieves came here, they were arrested. They took them to the presence of the two carters who, after recognizing them, said they were the ones who had stolen them and there was only one missing, a soldier, who should be wounded in both his face and arm. And, according to what they said, it is Bernardo, Gouveia's son-in-law, because he had been released from jail. He immediately asked for the capitain's permission and left in the same day of the robbery. And, the next day, he showed up in the barracks, at night, with his face all wounded and a swollen arm. And, when he left, he had no money, and when he came, he brought some money, because he paid some things he owed and he spent more in other things. And, as a way of disguising, he said he had gone to Santarém and that he was going back there, because he wanted to break the spinebone to the crook with whom his wife had fled to Lisbon, and he asked me if I wanted to write to you. And, as I didn't know about anything at that moment, and I'm always wishing to have a carrier for my letters, I wrote right away. And he didn't sleep in the barracks that night, because someone warned him and, at dawn, very early, he came to knock on my door for me to hand him the letter, which he took to give you. However, back then, I was still unaware of what was being told about him, and now it is quite clear: he was one of the thieves. Now the ones who are in jail are keeping the secret of who was the soldier that had accompanied them during the robbery. One of the injured has already died, they say, I haven't seen them.

Let me tell you another piece of news, during the Carnival, people say there was here a man with the devil on his back, in human figure, asking for charity, but he had his feet covered. And departuring from here to Vila de Rei, four leagues away from here, he went to a door to beg and the woman asked the man if the monster didn't talk, because, without hearing him speak, she wouldn't give him anything. The devil made a frown with his mouth and stuck out his tongue more than a span out from his mouth, in a way the woman got very scared and said:

- Jesus, Saint name of Jesus!

And while this happened, the devil burst and never showed up again, but they arrested the man right away and forced him to say what that monster was. He said it was the devil, he was very hungry one day and he said he wanted to eat, even if it was given by the devil and the devil immediately showed up and told him that, if he carried him on his back for seven years, he would promise to give him what to eat and make charity easy for him to receive. And now they are taking him to the Holy Inquisition, to Lisbon.

Send greetings to all the usual people and accept my very nostalgic heart, only nostalgic, whose nostalgy will end when I see you. From your beloved husband who wishes you life and health for many years.

Joaquim José da Silva Mourão

My beloved child, if Bernardo goes there to hand you in the letter, be very careful, since he might be disagreable to you at home. The box hasn't arrived here yet. Try to talk to quartermaster again to make him tell you the name of the skipper who has got the box.