Our Cat/10/ic Heritage in Texas
some of his predecessors, he was a high-spirited man, who had taken a strong dislike to Munoz and to the missionaries in San Antonio. In the investigation conducted by Martinez Pacheco, he stretched his testimony against Munoz, and when early in 1791 Fray Jose Manuel Pedrajo, an experienced missionary, attempted to reconciliate him with the other mis- sionaries at the request of Gaspar Gonzalez de Candamo, administrator ad interim of the diocese of Nuevo Leon, Moreno publicly insulted him and refused to return the courtesy call. Governor Munoz, who had returned after the fruitless investigation against him, abstained from interfering with the irate priest. There was good reason. One of the servants of the household of the governor named Gabriel Gutierrez had been falsely accused of illicit relations with the wife of Francisco Galan, who, as a result of the charges, had separated from his wife. Circumstances pointed to Moreno as the chief instigator of the false rumors in an attempt to implicate the governor for his tacit approval of the alleged scandalous conduct of his servant. But when on November 13 a severe beating was administered to Ignacio Santos Coy, former sacristan, under circumstances that pointed clearly to Curate Moreno, Governor Munoz was forced to undertake an inves- tigation which revealed the complicity of Moreno and his new sacristan, Francisco Mata. In a letter to the administrator of the diocese, Munoz deplored the situ- ation but felt duty bound to report that Moreno was lax in his duties, that he rarely if ever preached a sermon, and that the people lacked spiritual guidance and instruction. He politely expressed the hope that Gonzalez de Candamo would take steps to remedy the situation. As early as May 9, 1791, Munoz had remonstrated with the viceroy against the conduct of the curate. Repeating his complaint in August, he pointed out the dis- agreement between the curate and the missionaries. The matter was eventually brought before the advisors of the viceroy, who, in a formal opinion, declared that for the welfare of the community of San Antonio it would be well to ask the Most Reverend Andres Ambrosio de Llanos y Valdez, the bishop-elect of Nuevo Leon, then in Mexico, to appoint a new parish priest. A formal investigation was instituted concerning the accusation against the character of Herlinda Bustillos. wife of Francisco Galan. She was completely exonerated, and Galan was ordered to live with her as man and wife. This affair, while of no great importance,
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