The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-08

! Too bad, Alamo stuff isn't going very
/ strong now" Literary aspirants of the
/ locality as soon as they finish writing
1 about Her Eyes, begin on the Alamo
/ Statistics show that 697l0 writer's Of the
state OF Texas have begun at the Alamo
Notwithstanding this fact, the Alamo
| remains The greatest memorial to courage
| which civilization has allowed to stand.
The quaint and curious little building
/ fronts on one of the most populous pla-
zas of the city and because of Travis,
! Crocket Bowie and their comrades il
maintains dignity amid the taller mod
orn structures which front it. II is the
tomb Of the fiery emotions of Texans who
who refused TO admit that numbers and
MeXicans were arguments. Whether the
swift OF life the crowd upon the streets,
pauses 70 look or not, the spirit that lives
in this building It's air of contemplative
silence rs as eloquent as an old battle flag
The first Americans 10 visit San Anto-
MO arrived in irons. This was the year
1900 There We're eleven of them They
had fought $50 Spanish soldiers on the
eastern frontier and, by one of these in
comprehensive chances which so often de-
cidcs the color of battles, they had lost
the fight Afterward, Americans began
10 filter down through Louisiana until in
1884 there Were enough Of them to openly
disagree with the young federal govern
ment in the city Of Mexico, although there
was NOT really any great number of them
Santa Anna didn't give a tin whistle for
the people of Texas. lie assured himself
that he was capable of managing the re-
public of Mexico and after coming to this
decision, he said TO himself that that part
of il which formed the state of Texas had
better remain quiet with the others. In
writing of what followed, a Mexican ser
geant says: The Texans fought like
devils"
How Bowie and Crockett Met Santa
Anna.
There was a elimination at the old mis-
sion of the Alamo i'm 1896 This struc-
ture then consisted of a rectangular stone
parapet 1870 feet long and about 100 feet
wide with the existing Church of the Ala
mo in the southeast corner. Col VIII
lam b. Travis, David Crockett and Col
Bowie, whose monument is a knife with
a peculiar blade, were i'm this enclosure
with a garrison of something like $50 men
when they heard that Santa Anna kas
marching against them with an army of
1000. The Texans shut themselves in the
mission, and when Santa Anna demanded
their surrender they fired a cannon and
inaugurated che most appalling conflict of
the continent.
Once Col Travis called his men together
during Iull of the battle and said to
them: "Our fate is sealed. Our
friends were evidently not informed of our
perilous situation in time to save us
Doubtless they would have been here by
this time If they had expected any consid-
erablo force of the enemy. Then
we must die"
Three Ways of Being Killed.
He pointed out to them the three ways of
being killed-surrendering to the enemy
and being executed, making a rush
through the enemys lines and getting shot
before they could inhict much damage or
of staying in the Alamo and holding out to
The last. making themselves into a huge
and terrible porcupine to be swallowed
by the Mexican god of war. All the men
save one adopted the last plan with their
colonel.
This minority was a man named Rose.
I'm not prepared to die, and shall not do
so if / can avoid it," He was some kind
of a logged philosopher. Perhaps he said:
Whats the use?" There is a strange in
verted courage in the manner in which he
faced his companions with this sudden and
short refusal in the midst of a general ex-
hibition of supreme bravery. No" he
said. He bade them adieu and climbed the
wall Upon its top he turned to look down
at the upturned faces of his silent COM
rades.
leans mingled with the corpses of the Tex
ans.
The Mexicans form a certain large part
of The population OF San Antonio. Modern
inventions have driven them toward the
suburbs, but they are stin seen upon the
main streets in the ratio of one to eight
and in their distant quarter of course they
swarm. a small percentage have reached
positions of business eminence.
The men wear for the most mart wide
brimmed hats with peaked crowns, and
under these shelters appear their brown
faces and the inevitable cigarettes. The re-
mainder of their apparel has become rath-
er Amercanized, but the hat of romance
is sill superior. Many of the young girls
are pretty, and all of the old ones are
ugly. These latter squat like clay images
ana the lines upon their faces and espec-
tally about the eyes, make it appear as if
they were always staring into the eye of
a binding sun.
Food That Is Hot when 1t Is Cold.
Upon one the piazzas Mexican vendors
with open-air stands sell food that tastes
exactly like pounded fire-brick from hades
Chill concarne, tomales, enchiladas, chilli
verde, frioles In the soft atmosphere of
the Southern night the cheap glass bot
ties upon the stands shine like crystal and
the lamps glow with a tender radiance
a mum OF conversation dScCnnS from lHS
strolling visitors who are at their social
shrine
The prairie about San Antonio is wrinlS-
led into long low hills, like immense waves
and upon them spreads wilderness Of
the persistent mesquite, a bush that grows
in defiance of everything. Some forty
years ago the mesquite first assailed the
praires about the city, and now from vari-
Gus high points il can he seen TO extend
10 the joining of earth and sky. The
individual bushes do not grow close To-
| gether, and roads and bride paths cut
| through the dwarf forest in ali directions.
| A certain class of MeXicans dwell in how
| els amid the mesquite.
In the Mexican quarter of the town the
| gambling houses are crowded nightly, and
| before the serene dealers lie little stacks
of silver dollars. A Mexican may not lie
| able TO raise enough money 10 buy beef
| tea for his dying grandmother. but he can
| always stake himself for a game Of monte.
Upon a hi.lock oil the prairie in the out
| skirts Of the city is situated the govern
ment military post, Fort Sam Houston.