Josephine the twelveth girlfriend of Rizal. In Dapitan, Zamboanga, In early February 1895, Rizal met an 18-year-old petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken, the adopted daughter of George Taufer who had traveled to Dapitan from Hong Kong to have his eye treated by Rizal. Rizal was immediately attracted to Josephine. He called her "dulce estranjera," or sweet foreigner. The loneliness and boredom of exile may have taken its toll as he found himself falling in love quite easily. However, Rizal's sisters suspected Josephine of being a spy for the Spanish authorities and a threat to his security. Rizal asked Josephine to marry him, but she was not yet ready to make a decision due to her responsibility to the blind Taufer. Since Taufer's blindness was untreatable, he left for Hon Kong on March1895. Josephine stayed with Rizal's family in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan, Rizal tried to arrange with Father Antonio Obach for their marriage. However, the priest wanted a retraction as a precondition before marrying them. Rizal upon the advice of his family and friends and with Josephine's consent took her as his wife even without the Church blessings. Josephine later gives birth prematurely to a still born baby, a result of some incidence, which might have shocked or frightened her.
ESTÁS LEYENDO
Ilustrado (The Love Of Dr. Jose Rizal)
RomansaDo we know who these women loved by Dr. Jose Rizal. We know just where he attended school, what books he wrote, where he was imprisoned and killed.
