Chapter 5 From noon to 7 pm

Rizal’s Last 25 hours - At noon, he was left alone in his cell. He

had lunch, read the Bible, and
Rizal’s last 25 hours until his execution was the meditated.
most controversial in his biography since it is - About this time, Balaguer reported to
claimed that his supposed retraction and the Archbishop that the only hope for
Catholic marriage with Bracken allegedly Rizal was his retraction.
occurred within this time frame. - He also wrote to Blumentritt his last
letter in which he called him “my best,
my dearest friend”.
From 6 am to 12 noon - 2 pm, he had a talk with Estanislao
March and Jose Vilaclara.
- December 29 6 am. Judge Advocate - 3:30 pm Balaguer returned to his cell
Dominguez formally read the death and allegedly discussed again about his
sentence to Rizal. retraction.
- 7 am he was transferred to either his - 4 pm Doña Teodora and his sisters
“death cell” or “prison chapel”. went to see him. As they were
- He was visited by Jesuit priests Miguel
leaving, Rizal handed Trinidad an
Saderra Mata and Luis Viza; they
alcohol cooking stove.
brought the medal of the Ateneo’s
Marian Congregation of which Rizal was - 5:30 pm the Dean of the Manila
a member & a wooden statue of the Cathedral, Don Silvino Lopez Tuñon,
Sacred Heart of Jesus he had carved in went to see Rizal to exchange some
the school. views with him.
- He put the wooden image in his table but - 6 pm Josephine Bracken arrived just
he rejected the medal as Rosell was leaving. They
- 8 am, Antonio Rosell arrived after his co- emotionally talked with each other.
priest Viza left. They had breakfast.
- Later, Lt. Andrade came and Rizal
thanked his defense lawyer The Night of December 29
- at about 9 am, Santiago Mataix of the
Spanish Newspaper El Heraldo de
Madrid interviewed Rizal.
- 7 pm Faura returned and convinced Rizal
- Priest Federico Faura came at about 10
to trust him and some other Ateneo
am; he advised Rizal to forget about his
professors. Rizal allegedly confessed to
resentment and marry Josephine
Faura.
canonically. They had a heated religious
- 8 pm Rizal took his last supper. He also
discussion witnessed by Rosell,
told Dominguez that he had forgiven his
- 11 am, Jose Vilaclara and Vicente
enemies and the military judges who
Balaguer also visited Rizal; they tried to
sentenced him to death.
convince Rizal to write a retraction. Rizal
- 9 or 9:30 pm Manila’s Royal Audencia
believed that if he signed the retraction
Fiscal Don Gaspar Cestaño arrived and
document without believing nor feeling,
he would be a hypocrite and thus he had a friendly talk with Rizal.
would offend God. - Historians Gregorio and Sonia Zaide
alleged that at 10 pm, Rizal and some
Catholic priests worked on his
 retraction. Supposedly, Balaguer “To my dear and unhappy wife,
brought to Rizal a retraction draft Josephine/ December 30th, 189/ Jose
made by Archbishop Bernardino Rizal”
Nozaleda. Rizal did not like it for
being long. A shorter retraction made Slow Walk to Death
by Jesuit Pio Pi was then offered to
Rizal, which he allegedly liked. - 6:30 am, wearing a black suit, bowler
- It was said that he wrote his hat, tied elbow to elbow, Rizal began
retraction renouncing his his slow walk to Bagumbayan.
freemasonry and his anti-Catholic - He walked along his defense lawyer,
ideas. Andrade and two Jesuit priests,
- Rizal spent the night resting until March and Vilaclara.
dawn of December 30 - After some minutes, they reached
the historic venue.
Early Morning of December 30 - Filipino soldiers were deliberately
chosen to compose the firing squad.
- 3 am the Zaide’s alleged that Rizal - Behind them are their Spanish
heard Mass, confessed sins, and took counterparts ready to execute them
Communion should they decline to do the job.
- 4 am he picked up the book Imitation - Rizal refused to kneel and declined
of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, read, the traditional blindfold. He said that
and meditated. he was not a traitor to his country
- 5 am he washed up, and did his and Spain, he even requested to face
routine before reading the Bible and the firing squad.
contemplating. - Rizal finally agreed to turn his back to
- Breakfast: 3 soft-boiled eggs. Rizal’s the firing squad on the condition that
grandniece Asuncion Lopez-Rizal he be shot not in the head, but in the
Bantug mentioned and narrated that small of his back instead.
Rizal ate two of them. - After the agreement, Rizal shook the
- Ambeth Ocampo wrote “three hand of his defense lawyer.
hardboiled egges” and related that - The military physician asked for
Rizal did not have any breakfast. permission to feel the pulse of Rizal.
- Both historians nevertheless wrote He was startled to find that Rizal’s
that Rizal placed the boiled egg to a pulse was normal.
cell corner, saying that “This is for the - After the command, Rizal yelled
rats, let them celebrate likewise!” Christ’s last two words
- Some accounts state that Bracken “Consummatum est!” (it is finished!)
was forbidden from seeing Rizal on as he simultaneously exerted and
his fateful day. effort to twist his bullet-pierced body
- Zaide, however, wrote that at 5:30 halfway around. Rizal fell on the
am, she and Josefa came. Bracken ground at exactly 7:03 am,
and Rizal embraced for the last time December 30, 1896.
and Rizal gave Josephine the book
Imitation of Christ with a dedication