The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1885-11-25

fused. So brutal was Santa Annals reply
that his chief Of staff, Fronchmou, o..
brother Of the celebrated astronomer Arugo,
at once resigned refusing to have any
hing to do with the butchery
Col. Travis, according to the account of a
man named Rose who escaped the night
before the final assault by Disgusting him
self as a Mexican, upon the refusal Of Santa
Anna to extend a guarantee Of mercy, called
the survivors of his noble band together
and delivered this
LAST HARANGUE:
"Men, we must die. Our speedy massa-
ere is fixed fact Let us choose the mode
by which we can best serve our country.
II we surrender we will be shot, and if we
try to cut our way out we would be
butchercd before we could kill twenty Of
our enemies. We could but lose our lives
without bouohtting our friends fathers and
mothers, brothers and sisters, wives, and
little ones. Let us, then, vow to die to-
gethor. Kill them as they scale the wall;
kill them as they leap in; kill them as they
raise their weapons, and continue TO kill
them as long as one Of US shall remain
alive. And be assured our memory will be
cherished until all history shall be erased,
and noble deeds be forgotten among men.
God and Texas Liberty or DEATH"
Drawing q line in the sand with his
sword, he asked all who would fight to the
death to cross it with him. Only the man
Rose declined, and he escaped through the
Mexican lines at night-fall. It is a tradi-
tiOu that even Col. Bowie, on sick bed,
requested that his cot be carried across the
line
When left San Antonio after our recent
visit it was necessary to take an early train
And as I watched a gloriously red and
golden sun arise behind the dark relief Of
the walls of the old Alamo, could not help
but think of another sunrise behind the
same walls SO many years ago-the last
sunrise that many brave Texan was des-
tined to see, and 1 wondered if it shone so
brightly beautiful on that awful morning;
when its gilded rays revealed Santa Annals
blood-red flag upon the ancient tower of
old San Fernando, and when the Mexican
bugles sounded the dGQuelo-" "death-no
quarter veritable requiem to the Spar
tan-like band behind the grim masonry Of
the old convent walls. l wondered if its
beams were SO grandly dazzling as when
the old cathedral bell that called the faith.
full to the morning ace, at the same time
rang out the sombro tones of death -knell
and it's reverberations mingled with the
canuon's roar and the din and clash of the
Aztec spear and Texan disk.
For it was just Mt daybreak on the sixth
of March when the Mexicans made the last
and successful assault. The infantry was
formed around the doomed fort and bach
of them the cavalry to press upon the in
fantry, and make it almost impossible fol
them to fall back, but twice the balls of tn,
Texans did such execution that the be
siegers were repulsed with heavy loss. A
last they effected an entrance over the out
work walls, when the Texans retreated t.
the Alamo Chapel and made a last desper
ate resistance.
Of the death Of Travis and Crockett ac
counts differ. Some traditions have it tina
they fought desperately to the last, bu
another and perhaps more likely account i
that the two were found among the Texa
dead utterly exhausted and were recognizes
by the Mexican Gen. Cos, who greete
Travis warmly, and induced some brothe
, officers to join him in asking the dew
Santa Anna to spare their lives, which wa
in return for generous treatment receive
when previously a prisoner Of Travis
, Then said a Mexican soldier who wi
messed the final tragedy, "Crockett aros
4 wearily to his feet from among the corpsel
when Santa Anna, seeing them, becam
terribly angry saying he wanted no pri
oners' and turning a file Of soldiers ordere
them to shoot the survivors Travis wa
= first shot in the back. With arms folde
stiff across his breast he stood erect until
bullet pierced his neck, when he fell hea,
long upon pile of the slain. Crockett fa
at the first fire completely riddled wit
r bullets" Bowie was murdered on II
4 sick bed
@ Filisola, prominent Mexican historic
q who witnessed the battle, was overcom
20 with shame at the butohery, and writing
,- Santa Annals official report said that "suc
d a document could only emanata from
n dastardly liar, such as the Mexican tyra
}, had ever proven himself to be-. The hi
h torian estimated that the Mexican DEF
d amounted to 1000, exclusive Of those kill,
!. in the previous eleven days siege.
d OF all the inmatesof the Alamo only Mr.
e Dickinson, wife Of Capt. Dickinson vii
II their infant daughter and a negro alol
Il were spared, The last the lady saw Of h
IS husband was when he rushed into the roo
/, and said "My dear wife, we are lost; tn,
rs are coming over the wall. May God spa
70 you and our dear baby" Silently er
,s bracing the babe he drew his sword az
went to duty and to death.
is After the last hero had persisted d
10 bodies were stripped and burned. II
as awful funereal pyre was erected at a poi
l- shown to visitors on Alameda street, ne