Washington telegraph., 1845-02-26

"How goes it with the fightl'' he asked
in a broken voice.
1--WE have conquered, Bob. The enemy
killed and taken. Not man escaped"
He paused little, and then spoke again:
"Have l done my duty' May hope to
be forgivenl"
The Alcade answered him in an agitated
voice:
ale who forgave the sinner on the cross,
will doubtless be merciful to you, Bob.
His holy book says: There is more JOY over
one sinner that repenteth than over ninety
the Almighty will surely be mercifll to
youl"
''Thank We. squire" gasped Bob, "you're
a true friend. friend in life and in death.
Well it's come at last" said he, while a
resigned and happy smile stole over his
features. 'I'vc prayed for it long enough.
Thank God, its come at lastl''
lie gazed up at the Alcade with a kindly
expression OF countenance. There was a
slight shuddcring movement of his whole
frame-Bob was dead.
: The Alcade remained kneeling for a
short time by the side of the corpse, his
lips moving in prayer. At last he rose to
his feet.
God deSircih not the death of the sin.
ncr, but rather that he may turn from his
wickedness and live" said he, in low and
solemn tone. Il had those words in my
mouth four years ago, when cut him down
from the branch of the Patriarch.
"Four years ago." cried |. '.Then you
cut him down, and were in time TO save himl
Was it he who yesterday brought us news
of the vicinity of the foel"
..It was, and much more than that he has
done," replied the Alcade, no longer siriv-
ing TO conceal the tears that fell from his
eyes. "For four years he has dragged on
his wretched existence. weary of the world
and dcspised of all men. For four years he
has served us, lived, fought and spied for us,
without honor, reward, hope or consolation
without a single hour of tranquility, or
wish for anght except death. All this 10
serve Texas and his countrymen. Who
shall say this man was no; a true patriot
God will surely be mcrciful to his soul" )"
said the Alcade, after pause.
IL trust he will, answered l., deeply
affected.
We were interrupted at this moment by
a messenger from Gen. Houston, TO whom
we Immediately FASTENED. All was uproar
and confusion. Santa Anna could not be
found among the prisoners.
This was a terrible disappointment. for
the capture of the Mexican president had
been our principal object, and the victory
we had gained was comparatively unim-
portan; it he escaped. Indeed, the hope
of putting an end to the war by his capture,
had more than any thing encouraged and
stimulated US to the unequal conflict.
The moment was a very critical one.
Among our men were some thirty or forty
most desperate characters. who began
handling their knives and casting looks on
the prisoners, the meaning of which 1t was
impossible to mistake. Selecting some of
our trustiest men, we stationed them as a
guard over the captives, and, having thus
assured the safety of the latter, began ques-
tionng them a to what had become Of their
General.
They had none of them seen Santa Anna
since the commencement OF the fight. and II
was clear that he must have made his es-
cape while we were getting over the breast
works. He could not now be very far off,
and we at once took measures TO find him.
\ hundred men were sent of with the pris-
oners to Harrisburg, and hundred others,
capiially mounted on horses found in the
Mexican camp, started TO scour the country
in search of the fugitive chief. i accom-
panied the latter detachment.
We had been twelve hours in the saddle
and had ridden nearly a hundred miles OF
ground. We began to despair of finding
the game we were in quest Of, and were
thinking OF abandoning the chlsc, when at
the distance of about seven miles from the
camp, one of onr most experienced hunters
discovered the print of a small and delicate
boot upon some soft ground leading to a
marsh. Following this trail, it at las; led
us TO man sunk up TO his waist in the
swamp, AMI so covered with mud and filth
as to he quite unrecognizable. We drew
him from his hiding place, half dead with
cold and terror, and having washed the dirt
from his face, we found him 10 be n man of
about forty years of age, with blue eyes, of
a mild but crafty expressions; a narrow, high
forehead, long, thin nose, rather fleshy at
the tip projecting upperly, and long chin.
These features tailed too exactly with the
description we had had of the Mexican
President, for us TO doubt that our prisoner
was Santa Anna himself.
The only thing that at all tended to shake
this conviction. was the extraordinary pol
troonery of our new captive. He threw
himself on his knees and begged Us, in the
name of God aud all the saints to spare his
life. Our reiterated assurances and prom
ises were insufficient to convince him of his
being in perfect safety. or to induce him to
adopt demcanor more consistent with his
dignity and high station.
The events which succeeded this for
tunaie capture, are too well known to re-
auire more than very brief recapitulation