Ferrer in Australia

New Zealand Tablet, 4 November 1909, Page 1744

Ferrer in Australia

A recent cable message stated that the anarchist Ferrer left, by will, all his property to two Barcelona anarchists excluding his own family from all participation in his estate. Ferrer, about whose execution for high complicity in the recent Barcelona outrages ' there has lately been such a buzz in anarchist and other circles spent at least four months in Melbourne. So much we learn from the Melbourne 'Argus.' A Spanish resident of Melbourne, who knew him well, supplied the 'Argus' with some interesting information regarding his life, personality and family affairs. ' 'I knew him from the time he was a boy, working as a guard on the railway between Barcelona and Marseilles. He married young, and had- two daughters, whom he brought to Australia. His brother was growing tomatoes at Bendigo on a property owned by Councillor Carolin, of that city. Ferrer himself came out between eight and ten years ago. 'I remember him very well indeed— a tall, fine, dark man with a long, dark beard. In Australia he gave no sign of his anarchist convictions. He left his daughters with their uncle. They married afterwards, and went back to Spain. j- i>r He was saic \£ t(3i *' h ave been the instigator of tlife affair o± Moral, and~wag-- the treasurer of the anarchist societies in Barcelona. The anarchists naturally worked all they could to save him, for his money and theirs will now go te the Treasury. ° ' When Ferrer got back to Europe he f brmed an attachment with a woman he met in France. She had money and he and she went back to Barcelona, and joined his brother when he, too, returned from Australia. They lived on aproperty, jointly owned, near the city— and had their money — and the society's — in the bank in a joint account. After the riot he knew' the police wanted him; he had his warning in the Moral affair. He intended to lie hidden for' awhile and then leave Spain. But the police were on the watch ' r He got out of Barcelona" one night, and ran almost immediately into the patrol. They recognised him- in the bright moonlight — it was about one o'clock. But they did not rush at him— they knew they had him safe. Where are you going, Senor?" they asked him politely. "To Barcelona," he replied. "But you are going the wrong wav " they pointed out. 6 J> 'Then he changed his story. "You understand, Senors " he said, "there is a lady in the case." They laughed 'in their sleeves, and let him tell his romantic story Then ;they arrested him. They knew him easily enough" though he had shaved off his long, black beard. ' • Inquiries in Bendigo show that Ferrer spent about a month there with his brother Jose and his two daughters known locally as 'Trina' and 'Tiz.' The latter was regarded by the residents of White Hills, where Jose Ferrer had his farm, as a more than usually clever girl for her years. She was a good linguist, and on one occasion was employed- by the police as an interpreter. Trina married a .young Spaniard, and returned with him to Spain, while Tiz is believed to have returned to her father. Ferrer did nothing while he "was/in Bendigo, but is said to have taken an intelligent interest in local affairs. The 'Argus' views the execution of the anarchist Ferrer, who was the instigator of the outrages in Barcelona last August, as a thing that could not be avoided: — 'The anticlerical turn which the demonstrations have taken in Northern Italy .and other .parts of Europe is due to the fact that Ferrer's teaching and- influence were as hostile to revealed

religion as they were to government in general ana monarchy m particular. ... The wild and extravagant language used m Trafalgar Square need not be taken very seriously, for it came principally from half a dozen fanatics who- assert themselves in much the same way at every pos-!?-5 c ?PP ortunitv ; an <r a crowd of 8,000 nondescripts is hot difficult to organise at any time in London'