Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-25
ALAMO FIGHT
FINALLY ENDED
SAN ANTONIO BUYS HISTORIC
STRUCTURE
HAD BEEN USED FOR CONNER
clAL PURPOSES
Dispute Over Ancient Facts. Results in
Court Procedure in Which De-
scendants of Spanish Gran-
dees Figure Prominently

t6peClal
SAN ANTONIO, Tex, Jan. 24.-The
question, Who should have charge of
the Alamo? may be regarded as settled
by the decision Of the supreme court Of
Texas, not to grant q writ of error to
the De Zavala chapter of the Daughters
of the Republic of Texas in its action
against the parent organization headed
by Mrs. Rebecca j. Fisher.
1t might almost be said that the bat
tie of the Alamo could not have been
more bitter than the legal fight just
ended. Miss Adina de zavala, descen-
-dant of one of the few Spaniards who
took the part of the Texans during the
war of independence, and leader of the
faction wishing to secure control of the
Alamo, had led the battle in the courts
with great generalship. but uncondi-
tionaI surrender was the final verdict.
Litigation in the case arose from the
fact that the De Zavala faction in
sisted upon having a building not form
ing part of the Alamo proper given due
recognition. The Alamo itself, the
chapel building of the Spanish mission,
San Antonio de Valero, and the scene
of the bloody carnage of March 6, 1886,
had been owned by the state since 1888,
and while nominally in the custody of
the city of San Antonio had been in
the care of the Daughters of the Re-
public of Texas. To Miss Adina de
Zavala and several others it occurred
in 1904 that it would be well to acquire
and hold for its historic interest a
building adjoining the Alamo which
had formerly served as a barrack for
Spanish soldiers and as granary at
other times. The property, however,
was held by a wholesale grocery house
which was turning it to good account
by using it as sales and storage rooms.
The legislature was induced to appro-
pirate SEQ, 600 for the purchase of the
property, and in 1905 the Hugo Schmelt-
ger building, as the old barracks were
known, was bought and given into the
care of the De Zavala chapter.
De ZavaIa View of 1t
All would have been well had they
been contented with the old building.
But such was not the case. The
famous massacre had not taken place
in the Hugo Schneider building, al
though it must have figured extensive
iy in the assaults made on the Alamo
chapel, and besides, it had for years
been nothing else but canned goods
and "liker" emporium in which such
excellent men as Honore Grenet and
the Hugo Schmeltzer company and
others had made an honorable living.
To the De Zavala chapter this was
not enough. After the building had
been closed to the vulgar inroads of
modern commercialism the De Zavala
faction caused a marble tablet to be
inserted in it's wall on which was set
forth the fact that the Old barracks
had also figured in the massacre of the
Alamo. But still the Alamo proper
was the only place that drew a crowd,
metaphorically speaking.
This was very annoying to Miss De
Zavala and her supporters, and, claim
ing that they were the only guardians
of the Alamo, they proceeded to take
the matter into court. That honorable
body, however, has failed to take the
De Zavala view of things, and with
the possible chance of securing a re-
hearing of the motion for a writ of
error there is nothing that will again
disturb the Daughters of the Republic
in their possession of the only Alamo
there is.
Restoration Effort Fails
An attempt was made recently by
the city to restore the old barracks to
their original appearance by tearing
down the huge wooden gallery in front
of it that had been erected by its for
DleI OWnGIS. 1IllS, llOWGNti, 1ldS llOl
been entirely success, for the long
and severely plain stone facade on the
city's principal plaza is anything but
an attraction. 1t is not at all unlikely
that in the near future an attempt
will be made to restore this part of
the Mission San Antonio de Valero en-
tirely.
According to some ancient authori-
ties the wall of the building now
standing was fanked at one time with
the conventional mission towers, a sort
of Renaissance with strong Moorish
features. The proposal has been made
that these be rebuilt and that the
building after some improvements in
it's interior be converted into mu
scum of early Texas history. There is
enough material from Indian, Spanish,
Mexican and Texas republic times to
fill the place and thus have it serve a
very useful purpose. In case this step
is not taken it is not at all impossible
that sooner or later the property will
be acquired for commercial purposes
and that another one of the few land
marks in American history will van
iSb