Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-01-05
LOVE OR ROMANCE.

LOVE OR ROMANCE.
Like another Alhambra, it brings uy
the contemplation of the past. and the
Texan of to-day, leaning over the broken
walls, reyerts to the stirring scenes OF
of the revolution of 1886, and of the
bloody incidents connected with that
struggle, and which occurred in the
fhadows 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, il 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 few hundred
yards distant, flow the clear waters of the
San Antonio, here shallow enough to be
iorded in dry weather and fringed on
either bank with lofty poplar5 and the
stately cottonwood. On the westward
and basking in the red rays of the setting
sun, are the low, one-story, thatched ROOT
adobe houses and Quiet streets of the old
Mexican town of G0liad, with its morose,
swarthy men, with iingling spurs and
broad.brimmed hats with silver serpents
for bands, its handsome, black-eyei black
haired matrOns and graceful damsels.
THE OCCUPATION BY TEXAN TROOPS.
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 territory still claimed
10y the Mexican power Sending Gen.
Urea with 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 battle at
Refugio, rapidly advanced northward,
ard on the 18th Of March, 1886, appeared
before Goliad, whose old church and
stone fortress were
OCCUPIED BY THE TEXAN COMMANDER.
Col Fannin, with 300 men. On the
morning of the 18th, with a small detach.
menU of cavaly and several pieces Ut ar
tillery, the Texans evacuated the town
aud retreated across the river toward
Victoria. But Gel. 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 baauti-
full stream twelve miles to the eastward,
while his men were resting and the oxen
that hauled his baggage and artillery
were lei,urely browsing on the broad
prairie and munching its tall grass,
BATTLE OF THE CoLETA.
There ensued one of the fiercest engage
ments Of the Texan revolt of 1886.
Urea had 700 men to Fannin's devoted
band of 500. The Texans had no water
to swab their cannon, and after desper,
ate resistance, during which many were
slain on both sides, Col. Fannin surren.
dsred his whole command, it being ex.
pressIy 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-
parted assured of victory, Two days
later the wounded among them Col.
Fannin himself, arrived the latter being
placed under Col. Holzinger, q German
engineer in the Mexican army. On the
23d, Maj. Miller and eighty Texan volun-
teers were brought in as prisoners of war,
having been taken at CopanoSand 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. As
the last rays of an unclouded spring sun
glided the antique towers or glistenld on
the carbines OF their Mexican guards,
some of the fated and doomed prisoners
dreamed it was TOR them the lagt golden
sunset. Col. Fannin talked Cheeriully
and confidently of an early release and
Journey into the states, and some of the
young men, as the shadows OF
THEIR LAST EVENING ON EARTH
drew on, amused themselves by the vo,
luptuous music of flutes, all totally un.
conscious of approaching fate, and that
there was st that time in the hands of
the Mexican commander the order Tor
their massacre, signed by the unscrupu-
lous and merciless tyiant Santa Anna.
To Col. Portilla, the Mexican comman-
dapt OF the place, was entrusted the exc.
cution of the horrible mandate and or.
der of wholesale butchery. Nor did be
hesitate to carry out the decree
THE MASSACRE.
Palm Sunday, March p, 1886, dawned
clear, bright and balmy the serene sun
looked down from the heavens, clear as
the skies that bend above Italian plains;
and the almost holy serenity that reigned
around made it beautiful day on which
to die The lives of four physicians
from the prisoners-Drs. Bernard, Field,
Hall and Shackelford -wele srared as
they were wanted to attend the wounded
in the battle Of the Colcta. The balance
we're marched out in separate datach
ments and doomed to the massacre.
THE EXECUTION
took place on the open prairie, about 100
yards east OF The church. When the
Texans marched out they were arranged
in line and ordered TO sit down with their
backs 70 their guards, and upon hearing
the order young man named Fenner
sprang up and exclaimed, in the faces oil
his execetioners, "Boys, they are going
to kiu us; let US die with our faces to