CHAPTER IV
RETURN OF RABAGO AND THE FOUNDING 01' THE CANON MISSIONS
For eight years the case against Captain Felipe de Rabago y Teran, for the murder of Father Ganzabal and the unfortunate Ceballos in Mission Candelaria on the San Xavier River, had been argued before viceregal officials. The Auditor de Guerra, Francisco Cagigal, and thl! Fiscal, Domingo Valcarcel, reviewed the entire case on June 7, 1760, and recommended to the viceroy that Rabago and his associates, Sergeant Miguel de Sosa, Tomas Iruegas, and the Sayopin Indian Andres be absolved of all guilt. This strange miscarriage of justice was based on the allegation that the accused "were not and could not have been at or near Mission Candelaria at the time of the fatal [sic] murders," that the witnesses had been intimidated to give false testimony, and that the declarations had been maliciously altered in several instances. It was formally announced that the murders had been perpetrated by the runaway Coco Indians, who could neither testify nor be punished. But the presence of the Indian Andres in the household of Captain Rabago. in whose service he had remained since the fateful night at San Xavier, lends a strong suspicion to the undeniable guilt of the former commander. Agreeable to the recommendation, however, the viceroy exonerated Rabago y Teran and ordered that he be restored to his former post as commander of the Presidio of San Xavier, now moved to the San Saba RiYer and renamed San Luis de las Amarillas. Rabago was at this time still at Sacramento, Coahuila, where he received the order of June 19, 1 760, to proceed to Texas to take charge of San Saba.1 Colonel Diego Ortiz Parrilla, who appears to have left Texas early in May of the same year to make a personal report to the viceroy on his unfortunate expedition against the northern tribes, was already in Mexico when the favorable verdict was rendered. The restoration of Rabago to San Saba was tantamount to his predecessor's removal. He immediately presented a long argument to the viceroy pointing out that Rabago y Teran had never been commander of San Saba, that at the time of his temporary transfer to Sacramento he was commander of San Xavier, 1 Autos y fallos de! Fiscal sobre cargo de homicidio en mission de la Candelaria contra el Capitan Don Felipe Rabago y Teran ... San Francisco ttl Grandtt Archivtt, Vol. I 6, pp. I •IO; Consulta de! Capitan Rabago y Teran, October 3 I' I 7 60, A. G. ,., Audiu1cia de klexico, 91-3-3 (Dunn Transcripts, 1759-1762), pp. 1-3. i: 148 J
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