Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1858-06-24
THE LAUGHING HERO.
AN INCIDENT OF THE MASSACRE
AT GOLIAD.

1t was the morning of the 7th of March
1886. aurora, mother of the dews anC
mistress of the golden clouds, came, as sh'
almost ever comes to the living scenery o
the plains of Goliad--a thing of beauty
queen of the sky, on throne of burning
amber, robed in the crimson fire, with
diadem of purple. and streams of painted
pink. Oh! it was a glorious dawn for {
poet to sing Of earth, or the saint to pray
to heaven; but the poets song nor the
saints prayer mathis Of the place an hour
Alas! no; it was very different sort ol
music.
A hundred hoarse drums sounded the
loud reueiHe that awoke four hundred Tex.
an prisoners and their guard four times
their number of Mexicans soldiers--the
elite of the Chief Butchers army.
The prisoners are Immediately summon
ed to parade before the post in the main
street of the village, and every eye spark
led with joy, and every tongue uttered an
exclamation of confidence and hope. Thanks
to Santa Anna! He is going to execute a
treaty. We shall be shipped back to the
United States! We shall see our friends
once more!' Such were the feeling of the
American volunteers and the few Texans
among them, greeted the order to form a
line.
The line was formed and then broken
into two columns, when every instruments
of music in the Mexican host sounded a
merry march and they moved away with
quick step over the prairie towards the
west
Five minutes afterwards, a sinsularidia-
logue occurred between the two leaders of
the front columns fprisoners:
What makes you walk so lame. Colonel
Neil? Are you wounded?" asked tall
handsome man, with blue eyes. .and 5ravely
flashing forth in all their beams.
"Col Fannin, walk lame to keek from
being wounded; do you comprehend" re-
Piled the other with laugh, and such a
laugh as no words might describe--it was
so loud, like the roar of the breakers of a
sea of humor, it was, in short, a laugh Of
the most inmost heart.
81 do not comprehend you, for | am no
artist ia riddles" rejoined Fannin, smiling
himself at the ludicrous gayety Of his COM
panion, SO strangely ill-timed.
You discover that am lame in both
legs said Col. Neil, glancing down to the
members indicated, and mimicing the
movements of n6sm-cripple, as he lau-
ghed louder than ever. And yet,' he add
ed in a whisper, L have neither rheuma-
tism in my knee. nor corns on my toes,
but l have a big revOlver in my boots!'
That is a violation of the treaty by which
we agreed to deliver up our arms Col.
Fannin mournfully suggested.
You shall see, however, that | shall
need them before the sun is an hour high,
replied Neil. 'Ah! Fannin, you do not
know the treachery of these base Mexi
cans.'
at the instant the sun rose in sky Of
extraordinary brilliancy and million flow
er..cups flung their rich odors abroad over
the green prairie. as an offering to the lord
of light, when the mandate to halt was
given by one. of the 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 infantry and troops Of horse with
loaded muskets aud drawn swords. And
then came momentary pause, awful in its
stiffness, and disturbed by an occasional
shriek of terror, as the most timid of the
captives realized the impending storm of
Gre and extinction of life's last hope.
And then the Internal work of slaughter
begun, such as scarcely might be match
ed in the annals fhell itself. The roar
of musketry burst in successive peals like
appalling claps of thunder, but could not
utterly drown the prayers ofthe living, the
scream Of the wounded, and more terrible
groans of :he dying!
Col. Fannin fell among the first victims,
but not so with the giant Neil. With the
order of the Mexican officer to his men to
fire, our hero stopped almost to the earth,
so that the volley passed entirely over him.
He waited not fer a second; thrustiig a
hand into lee of each boot, he arose with.
a couple Of six-shooters, the deadly revol-
yers, and commenced discharging with the
qnick rapidity Of lightning into the thick
est ranks of his foes
Panic-stricken with surprise and fear,
the Mexicans recoiled and opened pass
age, through which Neil baunded with the
a confbar and fled aWay as II