Evening star., 1895-08-28

q dozen 6-pound howitxers, had Eeen storm.
Ing the old mission almost continuously
On March he was reinforced by 900 men,
and at daylight on the 9Th the final assault
came.
There is a variety Of data as to the mum.
Some put s uet at 1s some at u IL re but % the
death roll. SO far az known. shows that 1863
were killed. None 1tgot away. Col. Travis
had sent out numerous messengers plead
hours before sunset 81 March 8 the bonn
berdment Of the mission suddenly ceased.
and the Mexicans withdrew to an unusual
distance. Col. Trafis knew that 1t was but
the calm before the storm. He drew his
men UP in single file and made short ad-
dress. He told them that their fate was
scaled: that he had foped against hope that
suecor would come. but it was now too late
There was chance. he said to surrender
ard be deliberately shot without taking the
life of a single enemy: tn ere was chance
to cut through the Mexican ranks, kill q
them might possibly escape. but it was his
determine tion to remain in the fort and XIII
as many as he could before death came.
The Battle Charge.
Let us kill them as they come" he said:
kill them as they scale our walls, kill
them as they leap within, kill them as they
raise their weapons and use them, kill
them as they kill our companions and con-
tinue to kill them as long as one of us shall
remain alive"
Then he drew his sword. and tracing
line in the dust in front of the men stand
ing in company front, he said: who Will
be the first to cross over the line with me?"
Capley Holland was the first to move He
bounded over the line, exclaining, Il am
ready to die for my country!" Immediately
all of the others followed his example save
ore, a man named Rose. He said he was
not ready to die, and finally he scaled the
wall and escaped Col. Bowie, sick in bed,
called out: Boys, I am not able to move.
but won't some of you lift my bed over the
liner" They did. His led was carried from
his room placed over the line. and after
ward returned to the chamber
The last charge Of the Mexicans began
about daylight and lasted until o'clock.
They mounted the walls with scaling lad
ders, and some by mounting on the shout
ders of others. a terrible FIRE belched from
the interior and men fell from the iao9ers
CrastilIor succeeded in making lodgment
In the upper part Of the Alamo to the north
east. then an entrance was forced in the
front door and battering rams and cannon
forced an entrance through the wall on the
south side. Still the Texans fought like
demons, 1t was at short range, muzzle to
muzzle hand to hand: muskst ana q rlne' nar
fusion. Tine crash of firearms. the shouts
of defiance, the cries Of the dying, made
din almost Internal. The Texans fought
demons.
every inch of the ground
They only yielded when death came. AS
an indication of the Wonderiui bravery anu
GOODNESS Of these men. 1t Is said tnat ABOUT
nine-tentns of the Mexicans who were
killed outside Of the wall were shot through
the head and upper part of the body. Ihat
these Texans shot with terrible precision
1000 dead Mexicans showed. Ihe exact
number of Mexicans killed in this battle Is
hard to determine. Some put the figure al
1900, while others estimate 1t at $500. 1t
is probable that GOO is nearer the figure.
David Crockett, giant In stature ana a
man of remarkable bravery. stood fighting
near the front door, When his dead body
was found a half dozen Mexicans lay about
and over him. ga.
After the battle, had ceased. because there
were no more Texana to kill, the Mexicans
carried their dead II bodies to where st.
Joseph's Church naow stands, piled their
bodies in heepeit then piled wood under
and over them, and act them on fire.
1t has often besai,said that Col. James
Bowie, who was killed at the Alamo was
the inventor of the Bowie knife. This Is
declared by pee pl<shsre to be untrue They
say that the inventor, of the Bowie knife
was Reason P. Bnwia.
the men who died IN the Alamo. David
Crockett had retnrned to Texas from Ten
nesssee but two weeks before the battle Of
the Alamo was fought. He was offered a
colonelcy. but DECLINED it. saying he pre-
ferred to fight for his country as private.
How We'll ne 1OuSnt scores OF dsaQ MeXl-
cans tell. James Butler Bonhan,. who had
beeh a schoolmate of Col Travis. was one
of the men sent Afop iiielp. 'sAfter the per-
formance of that duty he returned to San
Antonio, March 3. He refused to remain
outside the walls of the Alamo, but de-
clared that he would report to Travis or
die in. the attempt. Mounted on cream
coored horse and with a handkerchief
flf ltng from his lat. signal previously
arranged with Travis. he dashed. through
the Mexican lines amid a shower of bull
lets and entered the gates opened to re-
ceive him unharmed. OF course, he met
death three days later with the others.