Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-08-05

at Goliad on the twenty sixth, having
left San Antonio the morning of the
same dav, distant one hundred miles.
Don ]. N. Partilla, the commandante,
glanced at the superscriptioD, then at the
black seal bearing the presidents arms,
an upright arm and dagger, with the
legend "Mano y Clavo, and sat down
oI his camp stool to read the missive,
uttering something like groan. Its
purport was that he had certain prison
ers in charge, that he knew what his
duty was, and must execute that duty
and promptly rejoin his commander.
Partilla threw down the dispatch in dis.
gust. DUTY, indeed" he muttered,
leaning his head upon the table.
A young woman entered the room,
took up the letter, and read it through
from beginning to end. Partilla looked
up and discovered the intruder with the
dispatch in her hand.
az see you have been reading my dis
patch" said the commandante.
$50 1 have. I came here with that
very purpose, she replied.
81 suppose you know what ii
means ?"
81 understand its meaning perfectly.
1t means the death of every American
now in Goliad. have watched for the
courier since daybreak, and was resolved
to know the contents of his dispatch at
any peril. What are your intentions9'
To obey the presidents instructions
to the letter"
"There is one company among the
~, 4hora - rrl,Dco h.,
president could not have been advised
when he wrote that dispatch. [ mean
the men from Capano."
&C don't know that"
"Suppose you assume that he was
not aware of their presence. He does
not mention the company in his letter. -
"Well, what then9 1t would only
prolong their lives for few days"
" Promise me that you will do as l
wish. Much can be done in a few days.
[ have friends near the president whom
he cannot afford to disoblige ; nor can
they we'll afford to slight me. Promise
me this, and Francisco, my husband S
orderly, shall start for Bexar tonight" "
cit shall be as you desire. They call
me Indian, Sonora Alavesque; but were
president would not write that letter
for all the lands your father owns not
for all the gold that ever passed the
mint of Mexico"
The colonel leaned his bronzed Aztec
face upon the table, weeping like a
child.
Donna Pachita Alavesque, lovely
women of twenty, was the wife of a
colonel of the Mexican army, man of
great wealth and power. She had fol-
lowed him to Texas, partly from whim,
but chiefly in the hope of doing good.
Her visit that night to the commander
saved seventy lives.
Col. Portilla sent courier that night
at nine o'clock to Victoria, informing
Gen. Urea of the receipt of Santa Anna s
note, and of the plan he should pursue
He also informed him of his intention
in respect to the company to be pre-
served.
On that same evening the rumor got
abroad among the prisoners inside the
fortress that the commander-in-ch chief
had been heard from, and that all would
march in the morning for Capano, where
ships were waiting to transport us to
New Orleans. Nearly all were young
men, most of whom had pleasant homes,
aud friends who would welcome them
home with joy. Many were singing
gleeful songs, or telling pleasant stories
and talking of their friends. A young
man asked some one, apparently among
Wards men, if he remembered Jack
Fellows-I think that was the name.
The answer was: eyes" And the first
voice continued: "Do you mind how
lie used to sit up there in the bastion
evenings and sing and talk of his moth
ers and sisters at home9"
81 do right we'll. That chap used to
make me cry sometimes"
swell, he'll never sing any more.
He's as dead as Julius Caesar, He was
the first man killed in the Encinal. Poor
fellow l helped to bury him in the
ditch. l wish he was here tonight" "
A flute in the hands of skillful per-
former had been playing all the evening
such airs as "Auld Lang Syne," and
"Home, Sweet Home" Every one
around me appeared to be happy and
spoke in pleasant tones. At length all
the voices were silent, and nothing was
heard but the cries OF the Indian sen
tries as they paced to and fro on the
walls yelling in most unearthly accents
"Centinella Alerta |" "Centinella"-
something else, which l have long ago
forgotten. At daylight the reveille con
sisted of simply few drum traps and a
bugle blast. Soon lines were formed
and the rolls called. There were no sol.
diers inside the fort, only few officers,
who were counting the prisoners, and
making preparations of some sort in q
very quiet way. Now and then some
thing was said about the early release
and departure of the prisoners; about
the necessity for slaughtering beeves,
and other preparations for voyage.
Soon number of prisoners, should
say at least $50, moved out of the main
gateway, in the direction of the south
ern bastion. An officer came up to
where we were standing in line and Or
dered us to move. AS we passed through
the gateway, the party that had gone
out ahead of us had turned the corner
of the fortress, going apparently toward
the river. We turned the opposite way,
and entered a small peach orchard,
where we were told to sit down on the
grass and keep quiet.
On one side of this orchard, facing
the Matamoras road, was line Of
officers tents. The other side was pro.
tected by cactus hedge, beyond which
was an old graveyard, much dilapjdated.
The western side was an open prairie,
with here and there tree. The rest OF
the prisoners then came out of the fort,
one-half going three or four hundred
yards westward along the Matamoras
road, and the others in the direction We