Finding
That He Could Not Bring Over Las Casas, De Avila, And Zuazo To His Party,
Salazar Caused The Two
Former to be arrested and prosecuted for the murder
of De Oli, and even procured their condemnation; and it was
With the
utmost difficulty their execution could be prevented by an appeal to his
majesty; but he was obliged to content himself with sending them prisoners
to Spain. He next sent off the licentiate Zuazo in irons to Cuba, under
pretence of making him answer for his conduct while acting as a judge in
that island. Salazar collected all the gold he could lay his hands upon,
and seized Rodrigo de Paz, alguazil-major of Mexico, who had been major
domo to Cortes, demanding of him an account and surrender of all the
treasure belonging to the general; and as he either could not or would not
discover where it was, he caused him to be tortured by burning his feet
and legs, and even caused him to be hanged that he might not carry his
complaints to his majesty. His object in collecting gold was to support
his negociations at court; but in this he was counteracted by almost all
the other officers of government in New Spain, who determined to send
their own statements of the affairs of the colony to court by the same
conveyance with his. He arrested most of the friends of Cortes, several of
whom joined his party as he gave them Indians, and because they wished to
be of the strongest side; but Tapia and Jorge Alvarado took sanctuary with
the Franciscans.
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