Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-04-19
.eived from Boston the following

ceived from Boston the following
note:
Or, Yor DEAREST ArNTy!-I know
you will open your eyes so wide you
can't half shut them again. and you
will say all sorts of bitter sweet things
to your dear, bad. weak.minded girl:
but, aunty, can't help it. know l
said never would, but / don't mind
that. I've fallen awfully, desper.
ately in love, and some time am 60
ing to be married-O Aunty Fee Ito
Mr.. Schenck. There! Your own
MADGE.
And Aunt Phemy both laughed and
cried but Jack turned somersault
when, six months after, he read the
marriage notice in New York paper.
And Madge found letter waiting for
her on her return from the bridal tour,
in which was copied, in a big, round
hand, the last two lines of "Highland
Nora" and the significant and EN-.
phasized phrase beneath them: II
never WILL
l am afraid he never was invited to
The Birches.-Iarper's Bazaar.
The Massacre Ut the Alamo.
The completion of a railway by a
Bostonian from Houston, 200 miles, to
San Antonio, in Southeastern Texas,
has invested with fresh interest the
memories of this ancient capital.
coveal with Philadelphia. Every.
where, in every city and hamlet OF
the United States. the play entitled
1.-The Alamo or, Death of David
Crockett has appealed to the pas.
sions of the multitude. When this
railway was finished last week, went
with great throng to San Antonio
and gathered the facts here detailed,
which give the Mexican aspect of the
old familiar story. The recital as given
! is careful translation by Col. Ford,
commonly known as 'Old Rip" a
frontier member of the Texas Senate.
The old Mexican soldier, the Rac0n.
teur, is named Francisco Buerra, born
in Guanajuato in 1910. He became a
| soldier in 1928, was one of the army
that stOrmed the Alamo, in 1876, and
was captured at San JacintO. He be.
came citizen of Texas, served in the
war of 1857 against his native cOun.
try. and in tue Confederate army iii
the war between the States. lie is
now an honored and aged citizen of
Brownsville, and his recital OF facts as
seen by Mexican at the storming of
the Alamo has peculiar value.
Santa Anna was Joined at Laredo,
where he crossed the Rio Grande. by
Gen. Cos, who in violation of the terms
of his recent surrender at San Anton
| 10, was forced to join Santa Anna and
return to Texas. The movements Of
tho Mexican army were greatly re-.
tarded by fires on the prairies. which
rendered the horses of the whole force
almost useless. Deaf Smith, famous
Texan scout, was the author of this
mischief. Santa Anna halted a day at
Medina, when he was met by Senior
Novarro and a priest, who gave the
General accurate information as to
the strength-20S men in the Alamo
of the Americans in San Antonio. A
sudden rain-storm and 'nOrther made
the river impossible, and Il forced
march and immediate assault isnpos.
sible. Next day he resumed the march,
Gen. Mora in advance with orders to
seize the Mission Of the Conception, a
massive stone structure, deemed by
Santa Anna a more defensible strong.
hold than the Alamo. A cannon. shot
was fired when the head Of the advan
cling column reached the cemetery.
The town was not defended, and Col.
Mora was ordered to take position
north and east Of the Alamo to pre-
vent the escape of the garrison. This
was late in February, 1886. Santa An
ma led 1000 men and awaited the
coming OF Gen. Talza with 1000 more.
A battalion crossed the San Antonio
River and took possession of houses
below the Alamo to build Il bridge
across the riv /. Thirty men of two
companies sent the next day to make
reconnaissance were killed. 4 light
earthwork was thrown up above the
Alamo. The firing from the fort, now
invested on every side, Was ceaseless.
An earthwork nearer the fort was cOu.
structed at night. On the Sd day OF
March Gen. Talza arrived, and the
plan of assault was defined and made
known to the division commanders.
Or the 5th Of March scaling. ladders
were distributed. At three o'clock on
the morning of the 9Th, ever memoir.
able in Texan song and story, the bat.
TALON Matamoras was moved to a point
near the river and above the Alamo.
They were supported by 1000 men
under Gen. Cos, this wing of the army
being commanded by Gen. Castrillon,
Gen. Talza leading that below the AL
amo. Santa Anna spent the night in
the earthworks near the Alamo. The
whole force was to move silently upon
the fortress at bugle.sound, and not to
fire until in the trenches of the Tex
ans. The bugle was heard at four
o'clock. Gen. Castrillon's division
after an hours desperate fighting, and
after repeated repulses and unheard.of
losses, succeeded in effecting an en-
trance in the upper part Of the Alamo,
in sort of outwork, now courtyard.
The fighting had only begun. The
doors and windows of the Alamo build.
ing were barricaded and guarded by
bags of sand heaped up rs high as a
man 8 shoulders, and on the roof were
rows of sand.bags, behind which the
Texans fought as men never fought be-
fore-muzzle to muzzle, hand to hand
Each Texas rifle.shot exhausted its
force and spent itself in successive
bodies of Maxicans packed together
like a wall of flesh. Muskets and rifles
were dubbed, and bayonets and bowie
knives never wrought such fearful car
mage.
The ceaseless crash of firearms, the
shouts of the defiant, desperate, be.
leagured Texans, the shrieks of the
dying, made the din internal, and the
scene indiscribable in It's sublime ter
rors. Each room in the building was
the scene of a desperate struggle with
fearless men driven to desperation and
conscious that escape was impossible
They fought even when stricken down,
and when dying still struggled mot with
death. but to slay Mexlcans. In the
room used as hospital the sick and
wounded fired pistols and rifles from
their pallets. A piece of artillery sup.
/ u - ~