Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-05-16
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AN INC41IISS4arVT ON THE MAS
SACRE At GOLIAD.

AN lNLHSIaNT ON THE MAS
SACRE AT GOLIAD.
1t was the morning Of the 18th of March, 1896,
aurora, mother of dews, and mistress Of the
mansion of golden clouds, came, as she almost
ever comes to the living green of the plains of
Goliad-,a thing of beauty, queen of the sky, on
throne of burning amber, robed in the crimson
of fire, with dladem of purple, and streamers
of painted pink. Oh it was glorious dawn for
the poet to sing of earth, or the saint to pray
heaven but neither poets song or saints prayer
made the mathis Of the place and the hour. A.
las no; it was very different sort of music.
number of hoarse drums roared the loud
rerieAe that awoke four hundred Texan prisoners
and their guard-four times their number of
Mexican soders-the elite of the Chief Butch
er's grand army,
The prisoners were Immediately summoned to
parade before the post, in the main street of the
village; and every eye sparkled with joy, and
every tongue uttered its shout-lhe involuntary
exclamation of confidence and hope" Thanks.
noble Santa Anna he is going TO execute the
treaty We shall be Slipped back to our be-
loved United States! We shall see our dear
friends once more" Such were the cheerful
cries with which the American volunteers, and
the few Texans among them, greeted the order
to form into line.
The line was formed, and then broken into twJ
columns, when every instrument of music in the
Mexican host sounded merry march, and they
moved away with quick step over the pararie
towards the west.
Five minutes afterwards, q singular dialogue
occurred betwixt the two leaders of the front
column Of prisoners -
"What makes you walk SO lame, COL Neil ?
Are you wounded ?" asked tall. handsome man,
with blue eyes, and bravery flashing forth in all
their beams.
"Col. Fannn walk lame to keep from be.
ing wounded; do you comprehend ?" replied the
utiIer, Win Idugn, alu-s laugh no
words might descrlbe-it was so loud, so luxuri-
ous like the roar of the breakers OF sea of hu-
NOR; it was, in short, laugh of the inmost
heart.
81 do not comprehend you, for | am no artist
in riddles" rejoned Fannin, smiling himself at
the ludcrous gaiety of his companonso strange
Iy ill,tmed.
"You discover that am lame in each leg"
said Col Neil, glancing down at the members
indicated, and mimcking the movements of
confirmed cripple, as he laughed louder than
ever. "And yet," he added, in a whisper,
have neither the rheumatism in my knees, nor
corns on my tees, but have two big revoIvers in
my boots !"
"That is a violation of the treaty, by which
we agreed to deliver up all our arms" Col. Fan
min mournfully suggested.
"You will see, however, that l shal need
them before the sun is an hour high" replied
Neil. "Ah! Fannin, you do not know the
lreachery of these base Mexicans."
At the instant the sun arose in a sky of extra
ordinary briIlancy, and million hower-cups
flung their rich Odors abroad over the green pra-
re, as an offering to the lord of light, when the
mandate to halt" was given by one Of Santa
, Annals aids, and the two columns of prisoners
| were broken up and scattered over the plain, in
: small hollow squares, encircled on every side by
; Mexican irfantry and troops Of horse with load.
' ed muskets and naked swords And then came
e IA momentary pause, awful in its stiffness, and
t disturbed only by an occasionally shrick of ter.
ror, as the most timid among the captives real
t zed the impending storm of fire and extinction
y of lites last hope
0 And then the Internal work of wholesale mur
v der was begun, and scene ensued such as
scarcely might be matched in the very annals o.
hell itself. The roar of muskelry burst in sue.
d cessve peals like appalling claps of thunder
n but could not utterly drown the prayers of the
e living, the screams of the wounded, and more
:, terrible groans of the dying
a Col. Fannin fell among the first victims, bu
- not So the giant Neil. With the order of tn,
Mexican officer for his men to fire, our here
stoopod almost to the earth, so that the volle,
passed entirely over him. He waited not for
n second; thrustng hand into the leg of eacl
boot, he arose with couple of six shootcrs-th,
deadly revovers of Aliens patent-and com
menced dschnrgng them, with the quick rapid
+. ty of lightning, into the thckest ranks of hi
- foes-his immense strength enabling him to pul
: off both triggers together.
. Panic stricken with surprise and fear, tn
f Mexcans recoed and opened passage, thrc
which Mel bounded, with the spring of pan
tIer, and fled away, as if wings were tied to HI
heels, while half dozen horsemen gave chase
For while it seemed doubtful whether the gi
ant Colonel would not distance even these. S
much had the peris Of the occasion increase
d the natural elasticity of his mighty MUSCLES
+ But presently charger feeler than the res
might be dicerned gaining on his human riva
and approaching SO near that the dragoon raise
= his flashing sabre for the coup de grace Nei
e became conscious of his DANGER and hast
e slackcned his speed, till the hot stream of smok
from the horses nostrils appeared to mnglo wit
a his very hair and then, wheeling suddenly, h
a fred another round from revolver, and the ri