The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-04-30
The OBSERVATORY
T H z AL A M o

l have just been reading of the
storming of the Alamo at San An
tonic, Texas in 1886, and the massacre
that followed. Texas had revolted
from Mexico and was trying to es-
tablish her independence, and was
soon after annexed to the United
States, and brought with herself
dispute as 10 the southwestern boun-
dairy; President Polk sent General
Taylor into the disputed territory,
which aroused the ire of the Mexi-
cans, who came with big army and
attempted driving out what they
termed Invaders" In that war for
independence the fiercest passions
were aroused and the Alamo was but
one of many desperate fights, and by
February, 1886, the temper of both the
Texans and the Mexicans was such
that they would not parley; and so
bitter had been the struggle that
neither side recognized "the law of
the nations" And an account of the
time when the attack on the Alamo
fortress at San Antonio began, says:
Santa AIMS band struck up the as
sassin note of deguello, or no quar-
ter" Many whose names have been
familiar in our histories were
among the Texans at tn a t
time and place; among them
David Crockett" of Tennessee. who
a few years before represented a
squatter constituency in congress,
where his oratory was distinguished
for hard sense and rough grammar;
another was ]. B. Bonham of a prom
T..
chivalrously offered his services to
help free Texas; another was James
Bowie, whose name has been preser-
'bowie-knife" While the Texans
had practically accomplished their
task of securing independence, they
had not formally declared it; it was
while the siege of the Alamo was in
progress that the act of independence
was declared at another place, as
showing the comOlextion of the fight
ing Texans is this fact, that while the
whole company of about 100 defended
the Alamo. only nine of them were
what we might call real Texans; those
who had been in the territory long
enough to be considered real settlers;
all others were those who had come
from outside to help against the Mex
leans. And this fact will be illustrat-
ed by the story which this historical
incident has called up in my memory.
The battle began on our historic day
of February p, and lasted over a week
and when ended not one of the de-
tenders remained to tell the story
The Alamo had been a Spanish mis-
sion building, then church and no
turned into fort. For those who are
interested in the present struggle in
Mexico, | commend a reading of any
reliable story of the struggle for Tex
an independence; if parallels are to be
followed the whole north of the pres
ent Mexican republic should be
wrenched off and afterwards added to
our country; while that might be an
untold blessing to the Mexicans, it
is no task that we should covet and
for which result we should not lift a
weapon of war. If northern Mexico
fights its way to independence and
then knocks at our back door for ad-
mission we may we'll admit her.
/ have often made observations
about the queerness of human mem
DRY. A few days ago | took UP a
stray pamphlet, an advertisement of
some books, and in it was a part of
the story of the Alamo; as that san
culinary conflict was in 1886, years be-
fore l was born, of course l could not
remember it; and yet it opened long
closed door in my memory. l have
above said that volunteers came to
aid in the Texas struggle from. all
over our country; most of them from
Our then southwest, largely from
Tennessee, like Crockett and Sam
Houston; but some we're from other
parts of the United States; one surely
from as far off as Boston, Mass |
saw him once; l heard about him for
some years; l knew his mother and