Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-05-15

Victory or death!' Meantime the
enemy Is active. On the 25th Travis
has q sharp fight to prevent him from
erecting a battery raking the gates of
the Alamo. At night it is erected,
with another a half mile of at the
Garita, or powderhouse, on a sharp
eminence, where the cemeteries are
now located. On the 26th there lie a
skirmish with the Mexican cavalry.
In the cold-for q norther has COM
menced to blow and the thermometer
is down to 89-the Texans make a
sally successfully for wood and water,
and that night they burned some old
houses on the northeast that might
afford cover for the enemy. So amid
the enemy's constant rain of shells
and balls, which ~miraculously hurt no
one, the Texans strengthen their works
and the siege goes on. On the 2Sth
Fannin starts from Goliad with three
hundred troops and four pieces of ar
tiIlery, but for lack of teams and pro-
visions quickly returns, and the little
garrison Is left to its fate. On the
morning of the first of March there is
doubtless a wild shout of welcome in
the Alamo; Captain John w. Smith
has managed to convey thirty-two
men from Gonzales into the fort.
These join the heroes, and the attack
and defense go on. On the Sd a single
man, Moses Rose, escaped from the
fort. His account of that day must
entitle it to conservation as mi of the
most pathetic days of time.
About two hours before sunset on
the Sd of March, 1886, the lombard
ment suddenly ceased, and the enemy
Withdrew an unusual distance. M \
Colonel Travis paraded all his effective
men in a single file, and taking his
position in front of the center he stood
for some moments apparently speech
less from emotion; then nerving him.
self for the occasion, he addressed them
substantially as follows:
My brave companions: Stern ne
cessity compels me to employ the few
moments afforded by this probably
brief cessation of conflict, In making
known to you the most interesting,
yet the most solemn, melancholy and
unwelcome fact that humanity can
realize. Our fate is sealed. Within a
few days, perhaps a very few hours,
we must all be in eternity! 1 have de-
ceived you long by the promis of help;
but I crave your pardon, hoping that
after hearing my explanation you will
not only regard my conduct as pardon
able, but heartily sympathize with me
in my extreme necessity. ] have con-
tinually received the strongest assur-
ances of help from home. Every let
Ter from the Council, and every one
that | have seen from individuals at
home, has teemed with assurances
that our people were ready, willing
and anxious to come to u relief.
These assurances L received as facts.
In the honest and simple confidence of
my heart l have transmitted to you
these promises of help and my conf
dent hope Of success. But the prom
Used help has not come, and our hopes
are not to be realized. / have evident
ly confided too much In the promises
of our friends; but let us not be in
haste to censure them. Our friends
were evidently not informed of our
perilous condition In time to save us.
Doubtless they would have been here
by the time they expected any consid-
cradle force of the enemy. My calls
on Colonel Fannin remain unanswer-
ed, and my messengers have not re-
turned. The probabilities are that his
whole command has fallen into the
hands of the enemy, OF been cut to
pieces, and that our couriers have been
cnt off. $50 does the brave simple
soul refuse to feel any bitterness IL the
hour of death.) Then we must die.
Our business is not to make a fruitless
effort to save u lives, but to choose
the of our death. But three
modes are presented to US; let us choose
that by which we may best serve our
country. Shall we surrender and be
deliberately shot without taking the life
of a single enemy? Shall we try to
cut our way through the Mexican
ranks and be butchered before we can
kill twenty Of our adversariesl / am
opposed to either method. Let US re-
solve to withstand our adversaries to
the last, and at each advance to kill as
many of them as possible. And when
at last they shall storm our fortress,
let US kill them as they come! kill
them az they scale our WALL kill them
as they leap within! Kill them as
they raise their weapons and as they