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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/vista-del-castillo-en-1940.webp"  alt="The   Montjuïc Castle in 1940" />
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(The  Montjuïc Castle in 1940)
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<h2>
Dawn at Montjuïc Prison
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<p>
At 3:00 AM on October 6, 1896, Rizal was awakened by Spanish guards in his prison cell at the Castell de Montjuïc, the imposing fortress prison perched atop Montjuïc hill overlooking Barcelona. This marked his fourth day as a prisoner in the infamous military fortress, having been confined there since October 3 when the steamer <b class="lt-bold">Isla de Panay</b> arrived from Manila.
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<p>
Montjuïc Castle had served as a military prison since 1868, housing political prisoners and those condemned to death. The fortress was notorious for its harsh conditions and association with executions of freedom fighters and revolutionaries. Rizal had been held in what is now known as Sala 17, which was later designated as the "<b class="lt-bold">Sala José Rizal</b>" in his honor in 2011.
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<h2>
The Morning Ordeal
</h2>
<p>
Rizal spent the entire morning confined in his prison cell at Montjuïc. The grim fortress, with its thick stone walls and narrow chambers, had witnessed countless political prisoners over the decades. During this period, Rizal was held under the watch of Spanish military authorities who were preparing for his swift deportation back to the Philippines.
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<h2>
The Afternoon Interview with General Despujol
</h2>
<p>
At approximately 2:00 PM on October 6, Rizal was removed from his cell and brought to the headquarters of General <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1349/today-in-philippine-history-november-17-1891-eulogio-despujol-becomes-governor-general-of-the-philippines" class="news_link">Eulogio Despujol</a>, the Military Governor of Catalonia. This was a significant and ironic encounter, as Despujol was the same Spanish General who had previously exiled Rizal to Dapitan four years earlier in 1892.
</p>
<p>
The interview between Rizal and General Despujol lasted several hours and proved to be a tense confrontation. According to historical accounts, <b class="lt-bold">"the clear conscience of the latter seems to have stirred some sense of shame in the man who had so dishonorably deceived him"</b>. This suggests that Rizal's dignity and moral clarity during their meeting may have affected even his captor.
</p>
<p>
During this crucial meeting, General Despujol informed Rizal that he would be immediately shipped back to Manila aboard the transport ship <b class="lt-bold">Colon</b>, which was scheduled to depart that very evening. The decision had already been made at the highest levels of Spanish colonial administration to bring Rizal back to the Philippines to face charges related to the ongoing revolution.
</p>
<h2>
Evening Departure on the Colon
</h2>
<p>
Following the interview with Despujol, Rizal was escorted directly from the general's headquarters to the port of Barcelona, where he was placed aboard the mail steamer Colon. The ship was described as being "full of soldiers and officers and their families", indicating the heavy military presence during this period of colonial unrest.
</p>
<p>
At 8:00 PM on October 6, 1896, the Colon departed Barcelona with Rizal aboard. He was assigned a second-class cabin and was held incommunicado throughout the voyage, meaning he was prohibited from communicating with other passengers or sending messages. This isolation was a deliberate measure by Spanish authorities to prevent any potential rescue attempts or communication with sympathizers.
</p>
<h2>
The Journey's Context
</h2>
<p>
Rizal's presence on Spanish soil had come about through his volunteer service as a military doctor for Cuba, where Spain was fighting both a revolution and a yellow fever epidemic. He had received official permission from Governor-General <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram%C3%B3n_Blanco,_1st_Marquess_of_Pe%C3%B1a_Plata" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Ramón Blanco</a> to travel to Cuba via Spain, but unbeknownst to him, Spanish colonial authorities had been conspiring with Madrid to arrest him upon his arrival in Barcelona.
</p>
<p>
The timing was particularly significant because the <a href="https://kahimyang.com/articles/2973/the-battle-of-san-juan-del-monte-the-dawn-of-the-philippine-revolution-took-place-on-august-30-1896" class="news_link">Philippine Revolution</a> had erupted just weeks earlier on August 26, 1896, when Andrés Bonifacio and the Katipunan launched their uprising in Balintawak. Spanish authorities were now treating all Filipino patriots with extreme suspicion, and Rizal's return to Spanish custody was part of their broader crackdown on the independence movement.
</p>
<h2>
The Voyage to Manila
</h2>
<p>
The journey from Barcelona to Manila aboard the Colon would take nearly a month. During the voyage, Spanish authorities confiscated Rizal's diary on October 11, suspecting it might contain seditious content, but returned it on November 2 after finding no incriminating evidence. Rizal's friends in Singapore, including Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor and Sixto Lopez, attempted to secure his release through legal means with the help of English lawyer Hugh Fort, but their efforts failed.
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October 6, 1896: Rizal was taken from Montjuich castle to a ship to sail back to Manila