The Arizona sentinel., 1890-07-05

adobes, 1t geni<l pleasant people. that persist in doing as they please and permitting others to do the same, make 1t part and parcel distinct fIom other Texas towns rhe 'bad man" is not known here His career is cut short immediatel, ] on his arrival. They think in Sau Antonio as does your correspondent tbat of all the vicious creations o1 the devil the Texas bad-man" + the most cowardly and worthless. They take measures with this class of people that are highly distastful to the class, but highly beneficial to the town.
 But the "Alamop The whole town is marked Alamo.
 There are Alamo restaurants, sc numerous, and Alamo saloons, so numerous that 1t would appear that the whole fame and prosperity of the place depended on tie main tainanoe of that celebrated name.
 1 enquired into this matter. I visited the Alamo.
 The old building is religously preserved by San Antonio. Every stone in the old church is intact.
 The city has recently bought the property adjoining, and proposes to surround the old relic with park and thus always preserve, not only the old church, but the me mories of those who fell within its walls.
 I was shown where Travis fell, shot through the brain and falling over the gun he had so bravely stood by, on the fatal morning of the last desperate and successful assault by the Mexicans on March i, 1886.
 I also saw where Bowie, the in ventor of the knife bearing his name, was lanced while lyingin an upper room. He had been injured by fall from a platform, but even as he lay upon his pallet managed to send two or three of his slayers to the 'happy land" before they could quench that gallant life. Crockett! That name stands out boldly. That giant figure gives to this murderous contest, where five thousand greasy brigands over came two hundred heroes, solt of pathos that would fit better the days of Bayard, and the grim Con- stable of Orleans than it does the annals of these degenerate days. 1 was shown the corner where he fell, between the church and the old barracks, now demolished. He did not die alone. Not by any means.
 These valiant "caballeros" Iashed their Iances together to probe the life out of this valiant old man and be out of the reach of that sabre that had sent several of them to the shades.
 There were, at the first, 14j men in the Alamo.
 Later 5 men forced their way in making 200 in all.
 These 200 Texans killed 1G0G Mexicans. This statement was made by Alcalde Ruiz. He assert ed that not sufficient room could be found for them in the grave yard.
 After the fall of the church five men were brought to Santa Anna by General Castrillon, one of the Santa Anna's generals. Castrillon imagined they would be accorded quarter. Santa Anna severely re- primanded him for his clemency and turned his back upon him. In a moment the men were butchered with knives. The bodies of all these Americans who fell in this desperate conflict, were burned. A layer of brush, layer of bod e :, go on with pile of brush on top completed the business. Those flames burned so brightly that they still illuminate the old structure, and will as long as Texas history lasts. The light from that same blaze also sheds rank and deadly lustre over the name of that greasy miscreant, Santa Ana, and while it continues to burn there will never be much love lost between Texas and Mexico.
 On my last visit to the old ruin 1 was escorted about the place by an old veteran. He showed signs of age. His voice was thick with pathos and beer as he related in broken and trembling tones the story of the great massacre. He showed me were Bowie fell in six different places. He also showed me window at the back of the old church, where, he claimed that nine men escaped through, and that they were all killed but ten. He likewise informed me confident tally that he was one of the sur vivOrs, but that it was not gener- ally known. As he had confded to me the fact previously that he was 52 years of age, l figured up that he must have taken part in the fight 1 just two wears before he was born.