Figueiroa (Francisco Anacleto de)

He was a militia colonel and died in Funchal in the year 1810. We know nothing about him that makes him worthy of mention, but the horrible death he found at the bottom of a grave deserves special mention here. In an official document, we came across the following information: "Francisco Anacleto de Figueiroa, a militia colonel, was reported dead in Funchal where he resided. He was taken to the burial vault of João Gonçalves Zarco, in the convent of Santa Clara. Years later, another death in the family required a visit to the vault, and, next to the heavy grating at the entrance, in the dark depths of the staircase, the skeleton of Figueiroa was found, clutching the bars in a final agony of atrocious suffering".