The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-07-14
ALAMO MASSACRE
Fresh IN memory
ACCOUNT OF GREAT SLAUGHTER
OF EIGHTY YEARS AGO
RETOLD.
NOT A DEFENDER LEFT
After Most Heroic Defense Ever
Known Perhaps, None Sur
yiye Battle.
"Thermopylae had its messengers

"Thermopylae had its messengers
of death, but the Alamo had none
Not a defender of the old stone mis-
sion house and fortress. which stands
today in San Antonio, Tex, surviv-
ed TO tell the story when the Alamo
fell eighty years ago before 1000
frenzied Mexicans. The battle cry
that had its origin in that blood
soaked compound of Scared walls
Aand it's defenders ashes has never
been forgotten.
Remember the Alamo!" ran the
word through Texas. and Texas re-
membered. At San Jacinto' Tex
troops. eleven hundred of them,
shouted to one another hoarsely.
Remember the Alamo" and men re-
membered how Davy Crockett had
died, ringed around with dead Next
cans, and Jim" Bowie, and Col.
Travis; and at San Jacinto the power
of Mexico was broken forever as far
as Texas was concerned.
Texas remembers the Alamo to-
day, when rumblings and rumors OF
new bloodshed run up and down the
border, when the bodies of Ameri-
cans slaughtered on scattered ranch
es. in mining villages, even on Amer
lean soil, cry out for vengeance. You
do not wonder that hatred of the
Mexican burns deep in these border
folks, when you look back upon the
blood stained pages of their past
and remember the Alamo"
Texas, settled by hardy frontiers
men and backwoodsmen, had revolt
ed against the rule of Santa Anna.
dictator of Mexico. and declared IT.
self independent That independence
IL won without the aid of the United
States, and the most heroic struggle
OF the fight was the Alamo.
The Alamo was on old stone and
'dobe mission house, built in the arly
Eighteenth century and used occa-
sionally by Spaniards and Mexicans
as fort and arsenal. There, when
Santa Ana came up with his 1000 ov-
er 600 miles of desert in February,
1886, the little handful of Americans,
$50 strong. under Col. William Trav-
ais, made their stand. 1t was des-
perate venture from the start, for
loin hope. II Houston came down
from the North in time rescue was
possible, otherwise-what could $50
men hope to do against 1000?
, There were Mexican troops already
between him and the Alamo when
Davy Crockett. frontiersman, hunter,
soldier under Jackson and one time
member of Congress, made his way
into the fortress. From the roof of
the old building the Americans saw
the dust of Santa Annals army COM
ing up from the south.
There were a few old cannon in
the Alamo, thirty head of beef cattle,
ninety bushels of corn. But when
Santa Anna sent a messenger de-
handing the forts immediate sur
render Col. Travis refused promptly
and fred one of his cannon. In the
camp of the MeXicans they raised a
blood red flag, and that meant no
uarter. The frontiersmen knew how
the Mexicans not only slew, but mutt
lated their enemies,
February 23 the siege began and
il continued until March 6. The
Mexicans had artillery, but they
could not bring it close. The Texas
rifemen were too skillful in picking
off the gunners. At one cannon Dayy
Crockett picked off five gunners in
succession and the Mexicans could
not even drag it back to a safer po-
sition until after dark. The Ameri-
cans threw out thin skirmish line
beyond their Notifications and the
long rifles did deadly work.
Bowie, desperately i'll of typhoid
fever, was constantly alert, constant
ly asking whether there was any
news of succor from the north.
There was none.
Day after day rifle balls and can
non shot fell within the inclosure.
Day after day men fell and their bod
les were piled In dark room on the
FIRST floor OF the old building.
And outside very many little