O Mundo reporter with the Registo Civil mission
Smiling at the tonsured one's ridiculous trick, the excursionists went on to the Cova da Iria, the theatre chosen for the miracle. Despite the great distance and the difficulties of transport, and despite the priest's trick as well, there was no lack of people to listen to the speakers, Messrs. Augusto José Vieira, Conceição Vasques, Machado Toledo and Artur Santos, who reported a telegram of adherence from the Democratic Republican Centre of Leiria. All the speakers stressed that they had not come there to offend or disrespect the sincere beliefs of anyone whatever, but only to castigate the clerical speculation of the swindlers of the people and to convince the people that whoever talks to them of miracles and apparitions has no other aim than to dupe them the better to enslave them. Warm cheers for the Republic, enthusiastically returned, were raised beside the crude contraption built there of wooden laths, for show. In the distance, poor fanaticised women were singing the *Bemdito!
[…]
The return was made by way of Aljustrel, with the aim of seeing the miracle-working children, above all the seer Lucia, which was not achieved, as she had gone with the priest to Ortiga, and the others were refused by their mother, naturally coached to do so by the priest.
Sorrindo do ridiculo truc do tonsurado, os excursionistas seguiram para a Cova da Iria, teatro escolhido para o milagre. Apesar da grande distancia e das dificuldades de transporte, e apesar ainda do truc do padre, não faltou quem escutasse os oradores srs. Augusto José Vieira, Conceição Vasques, Machado Toledo e Artur Santos, que deu conta de um telegrama de adesão do Centro Republicano Democrático de Leiria. Todos os oradores frizaram que não iam ali ofender nem desrespeitar as crenças sinceras de quem quer que fosse, mas apenas verberar a especulação clerical dos burlões do povo e convencer este de que quem lhe fala em milagres e aparições só tem em vista ludibriá-lo para melhor o escravizar. Soltaram-se calorosos vivas á Republica, entusiasticamente correspondidos, junto á grosseira caranguejola ali construida de ripas de madeira, para armar ao efeito. Ao longe, pobres mulheres fanatizadas, cantavam o *Bemdito!
[…]
O regresso fez-se por Aljustrel, no intuito de ver as crianças milagreiras, sobretudo a vidente Lucia, o que se não conseguiu, por ter ido com o padre para a Ortiga e as outras foram negadas pela mãe, naturalmente industriada para isso pelo padre.
