East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-03-08

This the Alamo seemed well calcu-
lated to stand. The walls were thick
and though built more than a CEN
tury previous, were solid and could
Withstand the lang range firing of
the Mexicans. The windows were
high and very narrow, and there were
few doors.
For five days the siege continued,
and then Santa Anna decided to try
to carry the place by assault. The
entire building was surrounded by
a high adobe wall, since torn down.
Dawn of March showed the Tex
ans guarding this wall, which was
strong on three sides, but weak on
the north. The place was entirely
surrounded and the devoted souls in
that old stone church building knew
that their fate was sealed.
Hand to Hand Encounter.
The storming parties were held at
bay by the Texas rfemen on three
sides, but a column under command
of General Castrillon attacked the
weak north wall and made a breach.
Then came the most desperate hand
to hand fight of which history makes
record, as the Mexicans came pouring
in. The Mex!cans were beaten back
again and again, but each time they
renewed the attack they made better
headway. The outer wall was carried
and the Texans retired within the
church. II was butchery then, and
no slaughter house was ever more
completely soaked. Into the very last
part of the building the Texans were
crowded and separated from each
other in different parts of the struc-
ture. Still they fought on, with
guns.
Crockett was still on his feet and
with a band of five or SIX He had
left but the barrel of his rifle
and with this he laid about him Gen.
eral Castrllon wanted to spare the
lives Of the remaining Texans, and
he besought his commanding general
to do so.
Crockett heard Santa Annals re-
fusal TO do so, and dropping his gun I
barrel and clutching his knife, he
tried to break through the fighting |
cordond that surrounded him and |
reach the Mexican general. but fel! |
riddled with bullets. Meantime, Col |
onel Bowie. who lay on his bed in |
another room without being able to
take a hand in the fight assumed !
command Of the wounded in the hos |
their lives as dearly as possible. The
doorway to this hospital room was
very narrow--so small that scarcely |
more than a single person could get
through II at time. Lying on his
bed, Bowie used his pistol and sever
al other pistols that were loaded and
handed to him, for he was as great
A shot as Crockett was with the rifle.
Every shot killed a Mexican.
Santa Anna saw he was sacrificing
men as fast as Bowie could pull a
rigger and he resorted to a most
horrible eXpedient. The cannon that
he Texans had used I'm their defense
vas wheeled up SO that its muzzlo
vas right at the door of the little hos
pital room. and load of grape shot
md canister turned loose that de-
'troyed every living thing in that
Dom.
The Final Struggle.
Even after this cannon shot was
ired Bowie leaped from his bed and
plunged his knife into a Mexican and
10Th fell dead together. History re-
ords that four persons escaped this
massacre, and they were all nom
ombatants. one was Mrs. Dickin-
on. wife of one of the Texan officers.
nd her daughter, Emily; the other
wo were negro servants. Miss Emily
vas an infant at the time After
Yards she was known as the child of
The Alamo"