Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-11-13
A TEXAS VETERAN.
Bcminisc enec and Incidents Of riouooI IS
Life---Cart. scurlock Interviewed.

Capt William Scurlocll of Sabine |
county now on visit TO Pilot Point, |
thus related the early events of his life |
TO n Pilot Point Post reporter: came |
to Texas from Tennessee in 1894; am |
16 years old; settled in san Augustine, |
then the most important town IN Tex |
as. At the beginning of the war he |
tween Texas and M.Xico | answered |
the first call for volunteers, joining the |
first company from Augustine under |
Capt. Hal. Augustine, mustered into |
service Oct 10, 1885; reported to head |
quarters ut san Antonio, Gen. Austin |
cummander-in-chief.
My first encounter was with MeXi- |
can cavalry, fifteen in number, who
were kept ut bay several minutes by
| two companions and myself, near the
fort ut san Antonio. My first regular
| engagement was the Grass Fight
which was opened by forty-threc COM
panions and myself under Col. Jim
| Bowie; we were sent out To intercept
what was supposed 10y old Deaf
| Smith the noted spy, to
| be reinforcements under lgarr-
techea, to strengthen the fort under
! the Mexican general, Cos, but who
proved TO be n company of Mexican
! cavalry sent out to gather grass, hence
! the name Grass Fight. | fired eleven
shots during this engagement, and
all ever believe that nine MeXicans
| fell thereby. ! was one of the twenty
| four men under Col. Grant who were
waylaid and all killed but seven we
fled to San Patriotic, where We eN-
pected to find Col. johnson with forty
men. but we arrived only to find him
routed and all killed but eight; found,
To our surprise, the place occupied by
900 Mexicans. Discovering our peril
| we fed back to the river holly pur-
sued, abandoned our horses and es-
capped through the swamp After
| travelling three days without food we
! Joined Col. Fannin at Goliad. Here,
about the middle of March, 1886, we re-
ceived news, from Gen. Houston, of
the fall of the Alamo and the tate OF
| Travis, Bowie, Crockett and their
brave comrades, which east deep
gloom over the entire family. Instead
of marching at once from GOliad To
Victoria, as ordered 10y Gen. Houston,
Col. Fannin remained at Goliad five
6avs in order 10 allow King, with
twenty-three men, aud Ward, with
one hundred and fifty men, to JON
him; this enabled the enemy to over
take, surround and force Fannin Ia
! fight, with only 325 men. We were
surrendered on the 10th OF March,
| 1896, upon tire, ty between Col. Fan
min and Gen. Urea; were marched back
TO the fort at Goliad where the entire
command, as prisoners, were Kept
without food, except Il small piece OF
raw beef once day, until the follow
ing Sunday, when Fannin and his
entire army with the exception of
thirteen saved inside the fort and ten
or twelve who escaped by running
when the Mexican soldiers
were firing upon them were
shot. Myself and three others
| Smith, Bills and Nocej Were snved TO
wait on the Mexican wounded. | had
been placed in the ranks of the DOOM
ed who were about 10 take up their
march for the battle field when was
| detailed rs above stated. saw tannln
when he was assisted from the hospi-
tai, (he being woundedi) 10y young
man named Joe Sparul, who was also
J saved. Sparm said that fannln,
when told he must die, gave his gold
watch and money to Mexican ollleer
| with the request that the watch ne
sent TO his wife; don't know ~hetheI
|
Tloridn not being able to speak Span
ish reduestr,. young Peter Griffin TO
offer Mexicnn officer n large sum OF
money If he would save his Hughes
| life hui thoughtful Griffin offered the
money i'm his own behalf ~ well rs
I, Hughes and the officer took Dotll
I from the ranks and shut them
inside a church and saved both.
hoard the firing and lamentations that
ended tho lives of Fannin and his
! brave comrades. During two months
of life too terrible 10 relate, and
robbed OF everything | possessed az,
tended regularly twenty-five wounded
| Mexicans, washed their bandages ana
washed the officers clothes, toiiing
thus day and night. Bills died mere,
leaving three of us, who with our
charges were started to Mexico after
the news of Santa Annals capture ana
/ The retreat. When at Refugio, thifly
miles frem Goliad, ! determined 10
make my escape. After hard even.
i ipg's work among the Mexican ana
! irish women of tho village. ! secured
4 six biscuits and bowl Of milki hiid
after dark l drove two horSes,
which were hobbled, TO con
venient place. took the hVUpies
and made n single line, which enaniel
me to guide the animal; thus
equipped / moanted, and with the
north star AS a guide set out for We
torla. hui was re sptnred next day by
two Mexiclns and taken TO the house
of one of them. 10 this MeNican,s
wife am / indebted for my life. as II
was the determination of my eaptorss
10 take me back. But his wife and
two young women, who were greatly