The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-01-03

Texan of to-day, leaning over the broken
walls, reverts to the stirring scenes of
of the revolution of 1886, and of the
bloody incidents connected with that
struggle, and which occurred in the
shadOws of this old church, more than
forty years ago. The main building, of
massive stone walls and the dull clumsy
architecture of 1882, the date of its
building by the Spanish monks, is still
standing, but the once lofty walls of the
plaza, which made the place in reality a
fort for defense against the Indians in the
olden time, are
ALL IN RUINS.
On the northward, and a few hundred
yards distant, flow the clear waters of the
San Antonio, here shallow enough to be
forded in dry weather and fringed on
either bank with lofty poplars and the
stately cottonwood On the westward,
and basking in the red rays of the setting
sun, are the low, One-stoTy, thatched ROOT,
adobe houses and quiet streets OF the old
Mexican town Of Geliad, with its mOrose,
swarthy men, with jingling spurs and
broad -brimmed hats with silver serpents
for bands, its handsome, black-eyed black
haired matrOns and graceful damsels.
lHE OtNIBAIlON Is IENAN 1RcOIS-
In the early part of 1886, Gen. Santa
Anna, the arrogant dictator of Mexico,
in the prosecution of the war against his
Texas dominion, planned and undertook
the invasion of a territory still claimed
by the Mexican power. Sending Gen.
Urea with a portion of his army to chas-
tise the settlements on the gulf coast
north of the Nueces, Santa Anna himself,
with 1900 troops, invaded what Is now
west Texas, taking the city of San An
taniO, and, with characteristic cruelty,
putting its Texan garrison in the Alamo
fortress to the sword. Nor is it other
wise than remarkable that while Travis
and its heroic defenders lay among the
heaps of the slain, fate was preparing a
still more startling horror on the banks of
the very same river that flows past the
grim walls of the Alamo. Gen. Urea,
with a superior force, after n battle at
Refugio, rapidly advanced northwsTd,
aad on the 18th of March, 1886, appeared
before Goliad, whose old church and
stone fortress we're
OCCUPIED BY THE TEXAN COMMANDER,
Col. Fannin, with 300 men. On the
morning of the 18th, with a small detach-
ment of cayaly and several pieces Ut ar
tillery, the Texans evacuated the town
and retreated across the river toward
Victoria But Col. Fannin, undertaking
the strength of his enemy and the danger
of the situation, was too late in the move
ment.. He was intercepted by the Mexi-
cans on the banks OF the COleta beauti-
full stream twelve miles to the eastward,
while his men were resting and the oxen
that hauled his baggage and artillery
Ii ,,raI1v hrDrr--Inn he broad
prairie and mUnching its tall grass.
BATTLE OF THE COLETA.
There ensued one of the fiercest engage
merits Of the Texan revolt of 1886.
Urea had l, 700 men to Fannin's devoted
band of 300. The Texans had no water
to swab theiy cannon, and after desper-
ate resistance, during which many were
slain On both sides, Col. Fannin surren-
dered his whole command, it being ex-
pressly stipulated In writing, with the
Mexican commander, that he and his
men were to be treated as prisoners OF
war. and eventually forwarded to the
United States and out of the country.
BACK IN THE CHURCH OF TIE OLD
MISSION.
On the goth of March the Texan pris-
oners arrived back, and were put under
guard in the same Old stone church from
which only few days ago they had de-
palted assured of victory. Two days
later the wounded, among them Col.
Fannin himself, arrived, the latter being
placed under Col. HOlzinger, a German
engineer in the Mexican army. On the
23d, Mai. Miller and eighty Texan vOlun-
teers were brought in as prisoners of war,
having been taken 'at CopanO, and an
other addition was made by the arrival
of Col. Ward and his command as pris-
oners.
JOYFUL ON THE EVE OF SLAUGHTER
On the evening of the 26th the Texan
prisoners in the church Of the mission
were more than usually cheerful. A.
the last rays of an unclOuded spring SUD
glided the antique towers or glistensd on
the carbines OF their Mexican guard.
some of the fated and doomed prisoner
dreamed it was FOR them the last golden
sunset. Col Fannin talked cheerfully
and confidently of an early release and 2
Journey into the states, and some Of the
young men, as the shadows of
THEIR LAST EVENING ON KARTIt
drew on. amused themseIves by the W
luptUous music of flutes, all totally uH
conscious Of approaching fate, and that
there was at that time in the hands oi
the Mexican commander the order 20
their massacre, signed by the unscrupu-
lous and merciless tyia1t Santa Anna
To Col. POrtiila, the Mexican comman-
dart of the place, was entrusted the xe
cution of the horrible mandate and or
der of wholesale butcheTy. Nor did he
hesitate to carry out the decree.
THE MASSACRE.
Palm Sunday, March y, 1886, dawneo
clear, bright and balmy the serene sui
! looked down from the heavens, clear Il
! the skies that bend above Italian plains
ard the almost holy serenity that reigne'
around made it beautiful day on whicl
! To die. The lives of four physician
J from the prisoners-Drs. Bernard, Field
! Hall and Shackelford-weTe s"ared, a
/ they were wanted to attend the wound:
/ in the battle of the Cpleta. The baEnc
were marched out in separate dstach
nnents and doomed to the massacre.
The EXECUTI"N
took place on the open prairie, about 10