The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-23
Meanwhile Father Maloney, the curate

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the vestry, and shut the door. He had
hardly done so when Sonora Pachita
Alavesaue entered, and asked if they
were still alive. The priest answered
that they were in tie vestry, but that
he expected Dominguez for them every
moment. "Give him this note," she
said, sand if he dares to treat it with
disrespect, he shall never pass that door
alive" Soon Dominguez entered.
"Show him the note, father" said
Pachita. Dominguez read the note,
which was signed "Garay," and it di-
rected that the three physicians and
their assistants should be reserved from
execution. Dominguez. walked away
with an air of disappointment.
The last assassination was that OF Col.
Fannin. The colonel being wounded,
was led out and seated in chair. An
interpreter, Capt. Splan, had been left
for the purpose Of explaining anything
that the colonel might have to say. The
colonel took from his pocket letter and
watch, and asked that they be sent to
his wife. he then handed the officer
some doubloons, which he begged him
to accept, requesting that he would have
him shot through the heart and decently
buried. All this was promised, the off,
Ger pocketing the money. Fannin was
then blindfolded, shot through tho
head, his clothes stripped off, and the
body dragged out through the main
gateway, and left lying on the grass.
After Fannin was murdered, the Off
Ger ordered Splan to take his seat IN
the chair, as he also was going to shoot
him. Capt. Splan replied that he Lad
been reserved as an interpreter.
"We have no further use for inter
prefers now," said the officer, call the
Americans have been shot. Take your
seat" ..s. -
At that critical moment an officer with
whom Splan had sligh ht acquaintance
was passing. Splan hailed him, and
they commenced talking about the exc
cution of Fannin, which had just taken
place. Becoming impatient, the officer
ordered Splan once more to take the
chair. The officer told the commander
of the firing party that he would be re-
sponsible for Splan, and taking him by
the arm, they walked away together.
The officer conducted the captain to
where we were stationed, and then left
him to seek the commander. 1t was
here, from Capt. Splan's own lips, that
I learned the particulars of Fannin's
death. He had scarcely finished his
narrative, when an orderly came up and
told him he was want, d by the COM
mander. He bade us an affectionate
adieu, saying he had no doubt that he
was going to be shot, and walked off
with the orderly. Happily, he was mis-
taken. The next morning he was started
off to Matameras with returning pro-
vision train.
The soldiers, stripped the clothing
from the dead bodies of their victims,
and, making bundle Of the CORY vest
ments, hung them on their bayonets,
and thus marched back to their quar-
ters. As they came, past where we were,
one fellow raised his gup, shaking his
bloody bundle at us. Some of them got
hauk notes out of the prisoners clothes,
Of the value of which they knew nothing
9 That afternoon man came to our quar-
tiers and offered O. twenty dollar United
States bank note foor fifty cents. He
succeeded in eff-cting sale. A lancer
came With pair of boots hanging to
his saddle, which he offered for "dos
reals" Davy Strong wanted boots very
badly, and thought they would fit him.
M,ny of the men cried out "shame to
Davy. but he paid the money and pulled
them on.
The bodies cf the murdered men were
burnt at the places where they died.
The cremation occupied three or four
days. Whatever may have been the
motive for this, the result was benef-
cial, as it spared US from the stencil that
would have arisen.
Eight days after the massacre an or
Ter arrived at Goliad to shoot the re-
manning prisoners, but before it could
he carried into effect it was counter
manded. And this, Don Manuel Talsa
told me, was. the result of Sonora
Alavesque's influence at headquarters.
About the close of April following
Sonora Alavesque came to our quarters
one day with the don, her husband, who
looked like a good hearted man, but
dreadful stiff and digniied. 'Pachita
bade US all good bye, and said she was
going home to Durango. There was
very handsome young Kentuckian named
Allen in our company, who used to talk
in French with the sonora. On taking
her fral departure Allen was the last
man she spoke to. 1t was plain to me,
boy that was, as I watched their part
ing, that there was special cause for
her great interest in our fate.
Allen was young, about twenty-five, a
blue eyed, handsome fellow, with o
quiet we'll bred air. The sonora was
hardly twenty, a black eyed, high-bred
beauty. God bless her. She saved my
life and the lives of nv companions.
/ A Of oai6.lln