Toward the end of 1934 or the beginning of 1935, pioneers John and Eric Cooke left Barcelona to work south along the coast. On the other hand, Ernest Eden continued to preach in the towns of Barcelona province.

John and Eric Cooke first went down the Mediterranean coast to the famous Roman city of Tarragona and its adjoining town, Reus. Working their way northward to the province of Lérida and the village of Pradell, the Cookes located Salvador Sirera, a subscriber who had learned the truth and allowed Christian meetings to be held in his pension in Barcelona.

After some days of preaching along with Salvador in nearby towns and villages, John and Eric accompanied by Salvador cycled the 145 kilometers (90 miles) to Huesca. Was the journey worth while? Indeed it was! There, subscriber Nemesio Orús gave them a warm welcome and just “drank in” the truth. However, in his zeal and desire to associate with these brothers, he acted rather indiscreetly and caused his wife to become jealous, so that she secretly laid false charges with the police against the brothers. The Guardia Civil or rural police came to the apartment and arrested John and Eric, but at the Civil Guard headquarters the matter was resolved.

The Cookes visited Nemesio on various occasions and thought it would be good to observe the Memorial in Huesca on April 17, 1935, inviting Salvador Sirera to attend as well. So, John wrote to Nemesio with this suggestion. Imagine his surprise upon receiving Nemesio’s answer to the effect that he was thrilled with the idea and that he had already bought the lamb in readiness for the occasion! Obviously, his understanding of the Memorial was still a little deficient, even though his zeal was commendable. Can you imagine what it must have been like to keep a live young lamb for days in a small fourth-floor flat? Nevertheless, the Memorial was celebrated and it was a great occasion for the small group of Jesus Christ’s followers. In fact, it was about the nearest they ever came to an assembly in Spain in those days.

When John Cooke thought that the province of Huesca had been covered adequately, he and Eric headed for Zaragoza, the capital of the region of Aragón, and the focal point of Spanish Mariolatry, the veneration or worship of Mary. At that time, in 1936, the city had about 170,000 inhabitants. The river Ebro cuts through the northern part of Zaragoza, and on the southern bank is the Temple of the Pillar, a massive, multisteepled church that contains a notable marble column. There, according to Catholic legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to the apostle James in the year 40 C.E., while it was said that she was still alive in Palestine! Though this legend has no historical or Biblical basis, over the centuries a blind faith has developed in La Pilarica (Our Lady of the Pillar).

MISTAKEN FOR FASCISTS

While Eric Cooke and Antonio Gargallo were witnessing in the village of Mediana, a woman falsely accused them of being Fascist agents and against the existing Spanish Republic. All the evidence she had was that a booklet placed with her spoke of God and of Christ! The village was practically 100 percent Communist, according to Brother Cooke, and to the villagers anything that spoke of God or Jesus Christ was Roman Catholic and therefore was Fascist. It was impossible to persuade them otherwise.

First, quite a crowd of women gathered. Then the town crier told Brother Cooke to clear out of the village or else he would notify the Civil Guard. The brothers did not leave and the police later arrived. At the headquarters the sergeant carefully examined the booklets and questioned Brothers Cooke and Gargallo. Finally, he said he could see nothing wrong at all, but would have to look into matters further since a complaint had been filed by the villagers. He then told Brother Cooke to take a letter to the lieutenant at the nearest town, feeling that he could better decide on the legality of our work.

As Eric and Antonio made their way down the rutted cart track, several coatless youths were running alongside them in the fields. Soon, a man and some boys came up behind the brothers. Over twenty of them converged at one point, reported Brother Cooke, who added: “Two seized our arms, accusing us of being Fascist propagandists. One bold youth stuck a pitchfork in my stomach in case I should try to escape. Another picked up the book Vindication in English, which I was carrying to read. ‘Look!’ he said, ‘Italian! These must be Fascist agents.’ Antonio attempted an explanation, but they were past being reasonable.”

Antonio’s book bag was pulled off the bike and the literature was thrown to the ground. Another assailant tried to tear the book bag off Eric’s back. Meanwhile, others were gathering sticks for a fire and some were trying to tear the volumes, preparing for a book-burning.

“Just at that point, when things looked hopeless,” reports Eric, “we saw their attitude change. The girls present started to run away. The grip on our wrists slackened. I looked behind, and coming round the bend were four members of the Guardia Civil. What a welcome sight! As Antonio said, Jehovah permitted matters to reach a certain point and then he intervened.”