From the Emperor, Escobedo went to see Mejia, who saved him once when he was condemned to be shot. Mejia recommended his children to him, and Escobedo promised to take care of them. He sent later an aide-de-camp to the General's widow, and offered her his assistance for her children; but the noble woman spurned with scorn the assistance of the murderer of her husband, and said that she was young and strong, and could work for her children.
In the afternoon of the 18th the Emperor telegraphed to Juarez: "I would desire that M. Miguel Miramon and Thomas Mejia, who suffered all the tortures and bitterness of death the day before last, might be spared, and that I, as I have already said when taken prisoner, may be the only victim."
This request was refused, and the same fate attended the request of the same date of Baron Magnus, addressed to the minister Lerdo de Tejada, which thus concluded: "I implore you, in the name of humanity and of Heaven, not to make any further attempt against his life, and repeat how certain I am that my sovereign His Majesty the King of Prussia, and all the monarchs of Europe, who are related to the imprisoned Prince, his brother the Emperor of Austria, his cousin the Queen of Great Britain, his brother-in-law the King of Belgium, and his cousin the Queen of Spain, as also the Kings of Italy and Sweden, will readily agree to give all possible guarantee that none of the prisoners shall ever return to Mexican territory." The Emperor addressed letters of thanks to his four advisers, and wrote the following letter to Juarez, which is dated June 19th, as it was to be delivered on that day:
"QUERETARO, June 19, 1867.
"M. BENITO JUAREZ: On the point of suffering death because I desired to try whether new institutions would enable me to put an end to the bloody war which for so many years has been causing ruin to this unhappy country, I will yield up my life with satisfaction if this sacrifice can contribute to the welfare of my adopted country. Being fully convinced that nothing durable can be produced on a soil soaked in blood and moved by violent agitations, I implore you in the most solemn manner, and with that sincerity which is peculiar to moments like those in which I find myself, that my blood may be the last that may be spilled, and that the same perseverance, which I appreciated when in the midst of prosperity, and with which you defended the cause that conquers now, might be applied to the most noble end - to reconcile all hearts, and to rebuild on a durable, firm foundation the peace and order of this unhappy country.
"MAXIMILIAN."
In the morning of the 19th, at four o'clock, all were up in our convent, for the disposable part of the battalion Supremos Poderes marched out at half past four. Soon after six o'clock Lieutenant-Colonel Pitner came into the room adjoining the chapel, and called out, "They have already led him away!
We now listened with breathless anxiety; but nothing betrayed what had happened, when on a sudden all the bells of the city began ringing after seven o'clock. Pitner called out, "He is dead now! and, not caring for the sentinel at my door, he rushed into the chapel, and in a mute embrace our tears fell in memory of the much beloved, noble dead. Toward eight o'clock the troops returned from the execution.
The last moments of the Emperor have been frequently described; but all these descriptions differ from one another. Though it was not my lot to assist my Emperor in his last moments, I shall write down what eight or ten Liberal officers, among whom was Colonel Villanueva, concurred in saying.
The Emperor rose as early as half past three, and made a very careful toilet. He wore a short dark (blue or black) coat, black trousers and waistcoat, and a small felt hat. At four o'clock Pater Soria came, from whom the Emperor had already received the last sacraments. At five o'clock a mass was celebrated, for which purpose an altar had been placed in a convenient niche. The Emperor gave to Doctor Basch several commissions and greetings to his friends, among whom he did not forget to mention me. He then breakfasted at a quarter to six. The people in the city were much excited, and this excitement was even noticeable among some portion of the troops. Escobedo was afraid of demonstrations, and even of a riot, and to baffle such attempts the execution was ordered to take place an hour sooner.
“Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and the earth under our feet.”
–Matthew Henry, Commentary, Genesis 1