The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-04-19

In the procession. Then too was grin.
ming Sambo of ebony hue with his
white collar and rolling ewes. ana
many a dusky damsal clad IN an ar
ray of color that would put Soloman's
glory to shame.
The dominant factor however. I'm
this cosmopolitan !ctr is the Anglo
Saxon. and TO him il is essentially an
historical celebration Remember the
Alamo" is blazoned in flowers by day
and electric lights by night The
little chapel of the Alamo. all that is
now left of the famous mission of
| San Antonio de Nalcro Is the shrine
to which his pilgrimage is made, for
here was enacted one of the bloodicst
and most heroic of all The events of
American history
Col William B. Travis. with one
hundred and seventy.six Americans.
among whom were the celebrated Col.
James Bowie, inventor Of the Bowie
knife, and David Crockett. the from
tier philosopher, were beseigod in
that little stone chapel by an army
Of McNicans variously estimated from
five TO seven thousand l.ut week
before. the Mexican Commander Gen.
Santa Anna. had sanctioned the mur.
der OF band of Americans captured
at GOliad. And now Col. Travis and
his men knew only too well that to
surrender or retreat meant complete
annihilation. Gathering his men into
the nave of the chapel Col Travis
explained To them the gravity of the
situation. III we surrender he said,
we will be shot without taking the
life OF single Mexican II we try
to escape through the Mexican lines.
We shall be butchered before we can
dispatch our adversarics. Yet. to ev-
cry man | give permission to sur
render or escape. My desire and de.
cision is To remain in the fort and
! fight as long as breath remain in my
body But, do as you think best, each
of you, and those who consent to re-
main with me to the end will igve
me JOY unspeakable.'
Then amid solemn and oppressive
silence he stepped pack and drew a
line with his swords point across
the dirt floor OF the chapel. Those
who will remain with me and fight till
We die, step across this line"
Then was moments pause. and
Col. Bowie, who lay on his cot help
less with pneumonia, said: "Will two
OF you boys carry me over. | am not
able to walk" As the cot bearers
moved forward, the entire garrision
except one man moved resolutely
across the line.
Col. Travis hurried to the ramparts
and answered Santa Annas summons
to surrender with a cannon shot. At
once a red flag was run up on the
| tower of the Cathrt dral of San Fer
nando, signal for utter destruction
of the garrison. So the terrible seige
began, and Tor twelve days the handful
of American soldiers, by desperate and
| incessant fighting held the Mexican
army that outnumbered them thirty
TO one successfully at bay. Travis,
the master spirit of that little band
of heroes, issued call for aid, sent
| by couriers who never returned. II
rings like a clarion: II shall never
surrender or retreat he wrote
Though this call may be neglected,
am determined to sustain myself
die like a soldier who never forgets
what is due his own honor or that
of his country. ictory or DEATH
But at last human endurance
reached its limit. With ammunition
almost gone, and the men exhausted
by incessant fighting for twelve days
and nights, the Americans realized
| on the night OF March the NTH that
the end was at hand. Next morning
at sunrise, while the monks OF San
Fernando were chanting at mathis,
the Mexican host made simultane-
Gus attack on all four sides. The
silence was broken by the roar OF
artiller and the rattle of small
arms, And the garrison compelled to
reserve their small store of ammuni.
tion saw the enemy close in on all
four sides But when they came up
the scaling ladders the unerring from
tier marksman picked them OFF, At
last breach was made in the outer
walls and the MeXicans swamed into
the Inner court. The Americans pour