Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-06-14

| 1t was the morning OF the l7th OF March,
I 1896, Aurora, mother of dews and mistress of
| golden clouds, crime, as she almost ever
comes to the living scenes of the plains OF Co.
liad-a thing of beauty, queen Of the sky, on
throne of burning amber, robed in the Grim
son Of fire, with diadem OF purple, and stream
ers 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 and the
hour. Alas no; it was very different sort OF
music.
| A hundred hoarse drums roared the loud
| yerillc that awoke four hundred Texan prisoners
| and their guard-four times their number Of
| Mexican soldiers-the elite Of the Chief Butch
ers grand army. .54 5......
| The prisoners were Immediately summoned
to parade before the post, in the main street ct
the village, and every eye sparkled with Joy,
and every tongue uttered involuntary acclama-
tons of confidence ard hope
Thanks, Santa Annal He is going to exc
cute the treaty? We shall be shipped back to
the United Statesl We shall see our friends
once more"
Such were the feelings with which the Ameri-
can volunteers, and the few Texans among
them greeted the order to form into line.
The line was formed and then broke into two
columns, when every instrument of music in the
Mexican host sounded merry march, and they
moved away with q quick step over the prairie
towards the west. H.
Five minutes afterwards, q singular dialogue
occurred between the two leaders of the front
columns of the prisoners.
"What makes you walk so lame, Col. Neil7
Are you wounded?" asked tall, handsome
man with blue eyes, and bravery flashing forth
in all their beams.
"Col Fannin, walk lame to keep from be-
ing wounded; do you comprehend?' n replied
the other with laugh, and such laugh as no
words might descrbe-it was SO loud, SO luxu-
rious, like the roar of the breakers of sea OF
humor, it was, in short laugh Of the inmost
heart. .
Il do not comprehend you, for am no ar
tist in riddles" rejoined Fannin, smiling him
self at the ludicrous gaiety of his companion,
so strangely ill-timed.
" You discover that am lame in each leg
said Col. Neil, gancing down at the members
indicated and mimcking the movements Of
q confirmed cripple, as he laughed louder than
ever. "And yet," he added in whisper, II
have neither the rheumatism in my knees, nor
corns on my toes, but / have two big rerolrers
in my bootsp'
"That is violation of the treaty by which
we agreed to deliver up our arms" Col Fannin
mournfully suggested. ~
You will see, however, that / shall need
them before the sun is an hour high" replied
Neil. "Ahr' Fannin, you do not know the
treachery of these base Mexicans."
At the instant the sun rose in a sky Of extra
ordinary brilliancy, and million fower-cups
flung their rich odors abroad over the green
prairie as an offering to the lord of light, when
the mandate of "hat' was given by one of
Santa Anna aids, and the two columns of pris-
oners were broken up and scattered over the
plain in small hollow squares, encircled on
every side by Mexican infantry and troops of
horses, with loaded muskets and drawn swords.
And then momentary pause, awful in its still
ness, and disturbed only by an occasional
shrek Of terror and the most timid among the
captives realized the impending storm of FIRE
and extinction Of life's last hope.
And then the Internal work of wholesale
murder was began, and scene ensued such as
scarcely might be matched in the very annals
of hell itself The roar of musketry burst in
successive peals like appalling claps of thun-
der, but could not utterly drown the prayers of
the living, the screams of the wounded, ard
the more terrible groans Of the dying!
Col Fannin fell among the first victims, but
not so the giant ONeil. With the order of the
stopped almost to the earth, so that the volley
passed entirely over him. be waited not for a
second; thrusting hand into the leg of each
boot, he rose with couple Of six shooters, the
deadly revolvers, and commenced dscharging
them with the quick rapidity of lightning into
the thickest ranks of his foes.
Panic stricken with surprise and fear, the
Mexcans recoied and opened passage through
which Neil bounded with the spring of pan
tber and fed away as if wings were tied 10 his
heels, while half dozen horsemen gave chase.
For while it seemed doubtful whether the
giant Colonel would not distance even these, so
much had the peril Of the occasion increased
the natural elasticy Of bis mighty muscles.
But presently charger feeter than the rest
might be discerned gaining on his human rival.
and approached so near that the dragoon raised
his sabre for coup de grace. O'Neil became
conscious of his danger, and hastily slack
ened his speed, till the hot stream Of smoke
from the horses nostrils appeared to mingle
with his very hair; and then wheeling sudden
ly, he fred another round from revolver, and
the rider tumbled from his saddle. The victim
then renewed his fight.
A mad yell Of grief and rage broke from the
remaining troopers as they witnessed the fate
Of their comrade, and its effect was immediate
ly evident in the augmented caution OF their
pursuit--for they galloped afterwards in one
body, greatly retarding their progress, so that
Neil reached the river before them. He paused
not moment, but plunged headlopg down
the steep bank into the current, and struck for
the other shore The dragons discharged
their FIRE arms Intellectually, and gave over the
chase.
In few minutes Neil landed, and as soon as
he felt satisfied that he was perfectly safe, burst
into an insuppressible convulsion of laughter,
and exclaimed, ut will kill me, Just to see
how astonished the yellow devils looked when
hauled my revolvers out Of my bootsW
Such was Colonel O'Neil--possessipg fund
of humor that no misfortune could ever ex-
haust, and fow of animal spirits which would
have enabled him to dance on the grave OF
all his dearest friends, or TO have sung Yankee
Doodle at his own execution
virginians for ksnsas
We learn from the Petersburg Democrat that