Without making direct accusations, he made it clear that the situation was causing a public scandal. The Colonel, cornered and desperate, committed the fatal error of trying to bribe the priest with a substantial donation to the church. The attempt to buy silence was interpreted as a confession of guilt.
Father Antônio refused the donation and began preaching sermons about hidden sins and the importance of the moral purity of Christian families. Dona Esperança, devastated by the birth of her second child and the family’s social collapse, developed severe depression. She refused to leave her quarters, received no visitors, and spent whole days crying.
Motherhood, which should have been her fulfillment, had transformed into a source of shame and suffering. The remaining slaves of the agreement lived in constant terror. João Crisóstomo was transferred to work in the deepest mines, where contact with other workers was minimal. Miguel dos Santos was assigned to equipment maintenance in isolated areas of the farm.
Pedro Gonçalves lost his post at the Big House and was demoted to field work. Francisco de Assis and Luís Carlos, realizing the irreversible deterioration of the situation, made a desperate decision. In May 1866, during a moonless night, they fled the farm taking only the clothes on their backs. The simultaneous escape of two slaves drew the attention of the authorities and intensified suspicion of irregular activities on the property. Colonel Augusto, facing unbearable social pressure and an official investigation into the escape of the slaves, began to drink excessively.
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