Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-22

| Travis wrote the following remarkable
| letter which he sent out by a scout:
| "Commandancy of the Alamo.
Bejar February ~. 1896.
| To the People of Texas and All Ameri-
cans in the World:
Fellow Citizens and Comratriots-I am
| besieged by thousand or more of the
| MexicanS under Santa Anna. | have SuS
| tanned continued bardment and can
nOnade for twenty-fouF hours, and have
not lost a man. The enemy has demanded
| surrender at discretion: otherwise. the
| garrison is to be put TO the sword If
| the fort is taken. l have answered the
demand with a cannon shot, and our
| flag still waves proudly from the walls
| shall never surrender or retreat. Then
l call on you in the name of liberty, Of
patriotism and everything dear to the
American character. to come to aid
with all dispatch. The enemy is receiv
ing achievements daily and will no
doubt increase to three or four thousand
in four or five days. If this call is neglect
ed l am determined to sustain myself as
long as possible and die like a soldier.
who never forgets what is due to his own
honor and that of his country. Victory
or DEATH
civilian BARRET TRAVIS.
'Iieut. Col. Comdt."
"P. S.-The Lord is on our side. When.
the enemy appeared in sight We had not
three bushels of corn. We have since
found in deserted houses eighty or ninety
puShelS and got into the walls twenty or
thirty head Of beeves. TRAVIS"
Exhorted to Die Bravely.
On March 3. nine days after. the stu
alton had become so desperate that
Travis called the garrison around him
and made them a remarkable speech, as
follows:
Our fate is sealed. Within very few
days, perhaps very few hours, we must
all be in eternity. l have deceived you
long by the promise of help. Every let
ter from the council has teemed with as
surances that our people were ready,
willing and anxious to come to our re-
lief; these assurances 1 received as facts.
but the promised help has not come and
our hopes are not to be realized; so We
must die. Our business is, not to make
fruitless effort to save our lives but to
choose the manner of our DEATH Only
these three modes are presented to us.
Let us choose that one by which we may
best serve our country. Let us resolve to
Withstand our adversaries to the last. and
at each defense to kill many of them
as possible. When at last they storm
our fortress, let us kill them as they
come; kill them as they leap Within kill
them as they raise their weapons, and
our companions. and continue to kill
them as long as one of us shall remain
alive. Should any man prefer to sur
render or to attempt an escape he is at
stay in the fort and fight as long as
breath shall remain in my body; this
will do even If you leave me alone
Col. Travis then drew his sword, and
ground in front of the file Then he
said:
II want every man who is determined
to stay here and die with me to come
across this line. Who will be the f1rst?
March,
Two Famous Characters Who Fell.
The first to respond was Tapley Hol-
land and his example was followed by
every other man in the garrison except
James Ross, who made excuses and was
allowed to escape as best he could. Col
James Bowie who was so ill that he
could not leave his bed, cried out, Boys
1 can't come to you, but 1 wish that you
would take my cot over there" Four OF
his comrades Immediately seized the cot
and carried il across the line.
Bowie was famous az a fighter. At an
early age he participated in duel on
Natchez, where he killed his anita gonist,
Maj. Norris Wright. with rude knife
he had himself made from long file.
Arms and cutlery We're scarce in that
others followed BOwies example, until
the plan of converting files into weapons
OF Onense and defense became very pop
ular In the southwest, and they were
the inventor. Afterward the demand was
supplied by northern cutlery manufac-
turers. Bowie married the daughter of
the Mexican Vice Governor of Texas. He
had brother. Rein, who was famous.
hunter.
David Crockett was also of the little
band of defenders and succeeded to the
command when Travis was killed fey
days before the end. Crockett was tia
son of a revolutionary soldier of Irish
descent and was engaged with cattle
drovers before he was twelve years OF
age. He could not read or write until he
was nineteen years old.
In the Greek war he came under the
notice of Gen. Andrew Jackson, and they
formed friendship that lasted through
life. Under Jackson's patronage he went
into politics. was elected to the legislature
of Tennessee and afterward served
three terms in the Congress of the United
States. He was quaint figure in Con-
gress because of his eccentricities of
dress and manners. His remarkable gift
of oratory and faculty of phrasing and of
making epigrams gave him great fame
and popularity. The familiar motto, BE
sure you are right. then go ahead" and
him. He wrote several books which are
notable for their oddity rather than for
any literary merit.
Alamo Carried by Storm.
Five thousand Mexicans assaulted the
Alamo before dawn on the 9Th Of March
with scaling ladders, and the garrison
fought until the last man died. The
wounded were butchered, and the bodies
of the dead were collected in a huge pile
and buried. The Mexican dead. who num-
bered between 40 and 800 were buried In
a cemetery outside of the town
The Alamo was destroyed as far as
Santa Anna was able to destroy 1t. and
remained a ruin until the Mexican war,
when the United States forces repaired
the walls. restored the roof and converted
the building into quartermaster's depot.