THE BUILDER AUGUST 1916

THE POLITICAL PSEUDOMASONRY OF SPANISH AMERICA
BY BRO. F. de P. RODRIGUEZ, CUBA

II. THE BLACK EAGLE CONSPIRACY

What the Lodge of Lautaro was for South America, the Black Eagle
Society purport to be for Cuba, but unhappily it failed. Not any
General History of Cuba has ever been written by a Mason; it is for
that reason that no one conversant with the underlying principles
of our Institution, has purified our local branch from the calumny
of political conspiracy thrown on her by pro-Spanish historians.
During the colonial period, however, that task could not be
undertook, reasons: Masonry was forbidden; the Catholic priests,
supported by the Spanish government, were against us; and, better
yet, we Cubans were not at liberty to bring Spain to the pillory.
After Cuba got her deserved freedom, thanks to the American Eagle,
the time arrived to defend ourselves and wipe out from our faces so
unbecoming spot.

Mexico and Cuba were during the XVIII century, and the first
quarter of the XIX, very tightly related, the island of Cuba was
not then self-supporting; our political metropoli was Mexico; from
that vice-royalty came to us periodically galleons filled with gold
and silver to keep us alive. The Cubans of yore were, therefore,
used to refer to Mexico for all their needs, rather than apply to
the Mother Country so far situated. After Mexico got her freedom
Cuba longed for her's, and even our conspiracies came from there,
witness that Society denominated the Black Eagle, originally
ascribed to the Masons and which we shall describe presently.

Although Mexico was ahead from us in many undertakings, she was not
so in matters Masonic. Mexicans got their lodges in 1813 from
Spain, and in 1825, through the American Minister Poinsset, from
the United states. We Cubans began to be familiar with the Square
and the Compass since 1762, when the English took Havana,
introducing into the city an Irish Army Lodge, which lasted as long
as the British remained with us, about nine months. Frenchmen
expelled from Haiti, brought their lodges with them to Santiago
soon afterward, and ever since 1804, Pennsylvania, South Carolina
and Louisiana chartered regular lodges in Cuba, which in 1818
started the SPANISH GRAND LODGE OF THE YORK RITE, doomed to an
early death, as she was under bann by Captain General vives in
1824, and totally disappeared in 1829; two lodges, nevertheless,
meeting irregularly until 1859 when together with a new one
chartered by South Carolina, founded the actual Grand Lodge of
Cuba.

The best History of Cuba is undoubtedly that of Pezuela, (1) but
even so good a writer, when he comes to describe the political
situation of Cuba in the first quarter of the XIX century,
classifies Masonry as one of the Secret Revolutionary Societies
conspiring against the Government, but of course, he could not
prove it.

The historian Zavala emits the following opinion: (2) "After the
failure of the Soles Conspiracy (the first of Cuban Revolutionary
Clubs) several of its members and sympathizers emigrated to Mexico,
constituting there another Society named JUNTA PROMOTORA DE LA
LIBERTAD CUBANA. The Society was constituted on July 4th, 1825, and
its object, as stated in the Proceedings, was presented so: "The
undersigned, at a meeting held on the extinguished Convent of Balem
. . . & have started a Junta under the name of Protectora de la
Libertad Cubana, the object of which will be to obtain from the
Govelnment of the Federation (Mexico), which we completely trust,
that THE AZETECAN EAGLE WILL HIGHLY AND MAGESTICALLY FLY OVER OLD
CUBANACAN (Cuba)."

Calcagno, a Cuban contemporaneous writer, says: (3) "CHAVEZ (Jose
de) a native of Havana, friar of Belem, in 1810 constituted in
Mexico the Lodge of the Black Eagle." (4)

The late Dr. Vidal Morales, one of the best of Cuban authors,
states in his splendid work: (5) "At the end of General Vives
period of Government, J. J. Solis, informed the Authorities of the
revolutionary plans of the GRAN LEGION DEL AGUILA NEGRA, the name
of a York Rite Lodge, the Chief Officer of which in America was the
President of Mexico, Gral. Guadalupe victoria, and in Europe a
physician of London. The members of the said Society called each
other Indian. The name of the lodge comes from the Eagle that
symbolizes the 32d of the Scottish Rite."

These words are almost verbatim those used in the Proceedings of
the Process to several members of the Society, as instructed by a
Spanish Military Committee. Whoever is acquainted with the manners
of conducting the investigations in matters political or religious
in Spain, or in her colonies of yore, has to be reminded how the
depositions were obtained: by torment or by the lash, in thorough
medieval style. The Jesuitic proverb: "All means are justified
provided the end is attained," was closely adhered to and no wonder
how malicious the judges were in connecting Masonry and Politics.

Now, allow me to go deeper into the mentioned paragraph of the
Proceedings. To any Masonic Student it is plain that lodges are
local groups and nobody can be the Grand Master or Chief of any
Lodge in any country but of a collection of lodges named Grand
Lodge or a similar name. Next, President Victoria, of Mexico,
although a convinced Cuban sympathizer, was never the Grand Master
of the Mexican Masonry in either of her branches (escoceses or
yorkinos) while he ruled the country; during the period from 1824
to 1828, the Grand Masters of the two Mexican Grand Lodges of the
time being were Generals Bravo and Guerrero respectively.

The European physician, named as the Chief in the old world, is
another lie. The late R. F. Gould in an article upon the "Medical
Profession and Freemasonry" (6) mentions among all English Masons
of the medical profession, during the possible years 1797-1850,
only Robert Thomas Crucefix, who, every Masonic scholar knows,
never presided over any Revolutionary Society. He was a
distinguished man, but even in the Grand Lodge of England, to which
he belonged, he only attained the Office of Grand Junior Deacon;
not being blue blooded he could not expect even a wardenship.

As to the Eagle which symbolized the Society, why choose the 32d?
It would have been the same the 30d, 31d or 32d, all are
represented by Eagles, but two-headed, not single-headed, as that
used by the revolutionaries. The Eagle adopted by them was that of
Mexico, the one that the Aztec legend mentions as appearing in
Tenoxtitlan, posed upon a cactus, devouring a serpent, the same
that was adopted as the Mexican National Emblem.

Let us now examine some other statements found the Proceedings of
the Process, to which those poor eople were subjected; (7)-they
said: "J. J. Solis was a young man 26 years old, a native of New
Orleans, Louisiana, carpenter by trade, who was initiated into
Masonry by Lucas Arcadio Ugarte, Secretary of the Patriotic Society
of Cuba (the principal Society of its class in the country and of
pro-Spanish proclivities). According to Solis deposition, several
days after his initiation, Ugarte told him that the Society had
changed its object, the Aguila Negra's only purpose was to gain
members to work on behalf of the independence of the country." This
deposition, as can be easily seen, is a mix-up of falsehoods,
undoubtedly forged by the Spanish soldier's Committee. Ugarte was
an aristocrat of those times, Secretary to the Board of Aldermen of
the City, and a conspicuous Mason, and it does not seem probable
that he would try to deceive a humble carpenter in any fashion
whatever.

More yet about the deposition of Solis: "The members did not offer
any obligation, they only signed the By-Laws, their main purpose
was the independence of Cuba." Among the papers added to the
Proceedings is printed Instruction for the use of the Deputies of
the Several states, signed by one JICOTENCATL, of the Grand Orient
of Mexico, (8) 1825. Searching in Mexican Masonic History, I easily
found out that the Mexican National Rite was the only one that had
a Grand Orient at that time, but as the Grand Lodge, which had to
be previously established, was not founded until 1826, how could
there be a Grand Orient in 1825 ?

Added to the Proceedings is also found a soi disant Constitution,
snatched from one Miguel Vazquez; see here the purpose of the
Society as mentioned in the said Constitution: "The Order had for
her object the affording to good patriots the means of obtaining
the liberty of America, wherever a member found himself, either in
Mexico, Havana or London; of this Lodge which could not be
confounded with any other, all persons could be members, provide
they were not European; there were no degrees nor distinctions of
any kind, and they had no Temples or Halls to meet in." How can
this apply to the Cuban Masonry of the epoch that styled herself
SPANISH GRAND LODGE OF THE YORK RITE? How can be explained the
presence among the members of hundreds of Spaniards and of Cuban
Noblemen, both occupying the principal offices of the Grand Lodge?
Is it not plain how the judges (sic) mixed up their pleasure
falsehoods to impeach Cubans ?

I have examined at leisure the Proceedings in search of things
Masonic, commencing with the series of pass and sacred words,
assured to be those of the 33d degrees of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite, which appear carefully separated and with large
characters of hand writing. From this examination I draw the
conclusion that either I have been deceived when I obtained my
degrees from a regular lodge, and from legally constituted
subordinate bodies of a most regular Supreme Council, as are those
of Cuba, or the soldierjudges tried to make dupes out of the whole
population of Cuba, to whom they assured that the ones found by
them were true Masonic words. There is not a single one among them
that resembles ours; more yet, they are in plain Spanish
vernacular.

Now as to the principal Pass Word: Both members situate one in
front of the other, their right hands resting on the left shoulder
of the other, the following dialogue issuing:

1--You are a beautiful Indian. 2--Courageous, also. 1--Persevering,
besides. Come ye students of Masonry and honestly tell to which of
our degrees the words belong.

But the most curious of all things is the Sacred or Principal Word
or Phrase, which I joyfully append:

"GENERAL BEHEADING TO ALL, LET NOT ANY EUROPEAN REMAIN ALIVE, NOR
ANY WHITE PERSON UNFRIENDLY TO US, LET NATURAL RELIGION BE THE ONLY
ONE ACCEPTED, LET US RIDICULIZE THE CLERGY, AS THEY DEMORALIZE THE
PEOPLE, EXTORTING FROM THEM ONE-TENTH OF THEIR INCOMES, LET US
DESTROY CATHOLIC HIERARCHY AND THE BUILDINGS BELONGING TO THE
PRIESTS, THAT NO TRACE OF THEM REMAIN FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. LONG
LIVE THE INDIANS."

Let any honest man come forward and say whether that was Masonry.
If the Conspiracy was started by white people, how could they be
enemies of their own race? I once more claim that the above
mentioned Proceedings were a malicious falsehood developed by
dishonorable judges, completely outside of Masonry.

Being convinced that Masonry had nothing to do with that
Conspiracy, I shall now, as a historical research, discuss the
final result and sentence of that famous Process, followed against
several members of the Black Eagle, who happened to be also Masons,
by a most bigoted Spanish Court. I must, nevertheless, call the
attention of my readers to the fact that the Court discriminated in
their sentence between Masonry and Conspiracy; the succeeding
historians not regarding afterwards so important difference.
Remember too that the meeting of Masonic lodges was regarded as a
crime by the Spanish laws of the time. Be careful in the reading:

"WHEREAS: We are ordered to proffer charges as FREEMASONS, against
several persons already imprisoned, as members of the Conspiracy
denominated LA GRAN LEGION DEL AGUILA NEGRA, the only charge
resulting against them is to have affixed their signatures to
various Masonic documents, during the years 1825, 1826 and 1827,
for which they were indicted . . . and although other members were
also accused, their prosecution was ordered to be conducted
separately as they are indicted only as conspirators."

One of the principal paragraphs of the Public Prosecutor in his
Report reads like this: "The subscribing Auditor having examined
this Proceeding followed to find out the crime of Masonry committed
by several persons, states that their presence in lodge meetings
has not been proved, which fact, if proved, will have brought to
them the full penalties specified in the last Royal Decree, (9) but
as they continued in participating in Masonic practices after the
year 1824, as proved by their having signed documents as these
added to this Proceeding. . . ."

The final paragraph of the sentence says: "We condemn J. J. Solis,
Miguel Vazquez, J. Gonzalez Avila .... (and others) to the penalty
of ordinary death on the infamous garrote, their property to be
confiscated for the benefit of His Magesty the King, on account of
being convicted of performing Masonic acts. during the years 1826
and 1827, and of having been initiated into the so-called GRAN
LEGION DEL AGUILA NEGRA, the object of this last Association being
the freedom of the American Colonies." "Lucas Arcadio de Ugarte,
convicted of having signed and having procured the affixing of
other signatures to a Certificate or Diploma of the degree of Rose
Croix (18d), extended in the year 1825, and of having kept under
his care Masonic documents, seals and other Masonic paraphernalia,
is sentenced to eight years at hard labor in the Ceuta Penitentiary
(Africa)."

Happily the first of king Ferdinand VII's children (afterwards
queen Isabella II) was born in those days and, as customary on such
occasions, a general pardon or amnesty was granted for most crimes
or offenses, and the Masons fared out better than they expected:
none were garroted and Bro. Ugarte did not spend his forced
vacation at Ceuta.

As the only practical result of so infamous a trial two documents
remain attached to the Proceedings, which I have carefully examined
and hope some day they may be donated for the Library and Museum of
our Grand Lodge. They are: one, the Certificate of M. M. granted to
Miguel Vazquez. by his Lodge! Hermanos Desenganados No. 53, and the
Diploma of RoseCroix extended to J. J. Solis by Sabiduria Chapter
No. 1, on the 3d of December, 1825. It is beautifully engrossed on
parchment, colored, and, although nearly a full century old,
remains as fresh as when issued. That document, as customary then,
commenced so: "In the name of the Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity
&," which is no longer the style of the Rite.

My task is now ended--temporarily only--as my investigations in old
Cuban Masonic lore needs to be continued; but my satisfaction is so
far complete because I have been able to prove that Cuban Masonry
never conspired; the Masons individually, surely did so, but the
Fraternity never.

Can American Masons show on their shields, as we do, the having
been imprisoned and sentenced to death for being Masons? We Cubans,
more than once, became acquainted with damp dungeons, only to be
more firm adherents of our convictions; that is an honor and glory
that nobody can snatch from us. More yet, it is not far the date
(1870) when we had a Grand Master shot without trial, only for
being the head of the Craft in Cuba !

If so has been our history and our sufferings, why disdain us
because we do not speak English? Oh, Lord, have mercy for our
detractors !

NOTES
(1) Pezuela--Historia de la Isla de Cuba. Madrid. 4 Vols.
(2) Zavala--Ensayo Historico sobre las Revoluciones de Mexico.
(3) Calcagno--Diccionario Biografico Cubano. Havana.
(4) The date is wrong.
(5) Dr. Vidal Morales--Iniciadores y Primeros Martires de la
Revolucion Cubana. Havana.
(6) Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, Vol. VII, page 145.
(7) I have examined the original Process in the Government Archives
in Havana
(8) Note the orthography, it is purely Spanish; no Mexican ever
spelt it so, but Xicotencatl.
(9) What could this full penalty be if they were already sentenced
to death?

FOR ETERNITY

As is water in a dish,
Be it square or round,
Shaped according to that form,
By that nature bound;
So is man by those with whom
Keeps he company
Shaped and moulded good or ill
For eternity.

_Imperial poem of Meiji Era

THE CITY INVINCIBLE

I dream'd in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the
whole of the rest of the earth.
I dreamed that was the new city of Friends;
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love--it led
the rest,
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,
And in all their looks and words.
--Walt Whitman.
