Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-05-15
Gboitf M(istellanp.

The Laughing Hero.

AN INCIDENT OF TIE MASSACRE At GoLIAD
1t was the morning of the 18th of March,
1886, Aar0ra, mother of dews and mistress
of golden clouds, came as she almost ever
comes 10 the living scenery of the plains of
Golad-a thing of beauty, queen Of the sky,
on the throne of burning amber, robed in the
crimson of fire, with dadem of purple, and
streamers of painted pink. Oh! it was a
glorious dawn for the poet to sing of earth,
or the saint to pray to heaven; but poets
song nor saints prayer made the mathis of
the place nor the hour. Alas. no; if was
very different sort of music.
A hundred hoarse drums roared the loud
receilie that awoke four hundred Texan Pris-
oners and their guard-four times their num-
Der of Mexican soldiers-ihe elite Of the
Chief Butchers grand army.
The prisoners were Immediately summon
ed to parade before the post, in the main
street of the village, and every eye sparkled
with JOY, and every tongue uttered the lnvol-
untary exclamation of confidence and hope:
Thanks, Santa Anna! He is going TO
execute the treaty! We shall be shipped
back to the United States! We shall see
our friends ence more!"
Such were the feelings with which the
American folunieers and the few Texans
among them greeted the order to form into
line.
The line was formed and then broke into
two columns. VIXEN every instrument of mu-
sic in the Mexican host sounded merry
march and they moved away quickly over
the prairies towards the West.
Five minutes afterwards a singular dia-
logue occurred between the two leaders of
the front columns of the prisoners:
'What makes you walk So lame, Colonel
Neili Are you wounded" asked a tall,
handsome man, with blue eyes, and bravery
flashing forth in all their beams.
"Col. Fannin, walk lame to keep from
being wounded; do you compreheEdl' re-
piled the other with a laugh, and such q
laugh as no words might describe-it was
so loud, so luxurious, like the roar OF the
breakers of the sea of humor, it was, in
short, laugh ofthe inmost heart.
81 do not comprehend you, for I am no
artist in riddles,' rejoined Fannin, srniling
himself at the ludicrous gaiety of his com.
panion, SO strangely ill-timed.
"You discover that | am lame in each leg!'
said Colonel Neil. glancing down at the
members indicated, and mimicking the move
menis OF the confirmed cripple, as he laugh
ed louder than ever. "And yet,' he added
in a whisper, 81 have neither the rheuma-
tism in my knees, nor corns on my my toes
but have two big rerolUers in my boots!"
sThat is a violation of the treaty by which
we agreed to deliver up our arms" Colone
Fannin mournlully suggested.
sYou will see, however, that shall neet
them before the sun is an hour high" re
piled Neil. sAh! Fannin, you do not know
abe trelchery of these base Mexicans."
At the instant the sun rose in sky of ex
traordinary brilliancy. and million flower
cups flung their rich doors abroad over tn
green prairie, as an offering to the lord o
light, when the mandate to shalt" was givel
by one of Santa Annals Aids, and the TIVE
columns of prisoners were broken up an
scattered over the plain, in small holloN
squares, encircled on every side by Mexica
infantry and troops of horses, with loade
nuskets and drawn swords. And then cam
momentary pause, awful in its stillnes:
and disturbed only by an occasional shrie
of terror, as the most timid among the caI
tives realizing the impending storm of fir
and extinction of life's last hope.
And then the Internal work of wholesal
murder was begun, and scene ensued sue
as scarcely might be matched in the yer
annals of hell itself. The roar of musketr
burst in successive peals like appalling claT
of thunder, but could not utterly drown til
prayers of the living, the screams of th
wounded, and more terrible groans of ii
dying!
Col. Fsnnin fell among the first victim
but not so the giant Neil. With the ords
of the Mexican officer to his men TO fire, OF
hero stopped almost to the earth, so that th
volley passed entirely over him. He waite
not for a second; thrusting hand into le
of each boot, he rose with a couple of s.
shooters, the deadly revolgers, and con
menced discharging them with the quie
rapidity of lightning into the thickcst ranl
of his foes.
Panic stricken with surprise and fear, Il
Mexicans recoiled and opened a passag
through which Neil bounded with the spriI
of panther and fed away as if wings we