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106
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
The Snow Drop.
It is to rue the flower of flowers!
The favorite of my earliest hours,
Long ere I knew a sigh or tear,
I gaily twined it in my hair.
Its tiny bells as pure and bright
As my own visions of delight 1
And when the shadow of the tomb
Shrouded my youthful heart in gloom,
And grief had taught that heart to know
All was not happiness below—
These flowers to me a cherished friend
“Tokens of sympathy ” did 6end!
Tho’ dearly loved in childhood’s hours,
Far dearer, now, were these fair flowers;
For on each snowy leaf I read,
Mem’ries of joys, forever fled!
•* * * :S * * *
I took the little plants she gave,
And decked with them—a brother’s grave!
Wacahoota, Fla. F. C.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
JACK DOBELL;
Or, A Boy’s Adventures in Texas.
A STORY FOR BOYS.
CHAPTER YII.
PRISONERS IN THE “OLD MISSION’’-SUFFER
INGS-TIIE INQUISITIVE OFFICER-AN IN
DIGNANT PRISONER-THE PRISONERS MARCH
ED OUT-THE MASSACRE-MY ESCAPE.
FTER our surrender, we
were marched back to
Goliad, escorted by a
large detachment of cav-
K airy, and placed within
walls of the “Old Mission,”
around which a strong guard was
posted night and day. Among the
e 7 Mexican officers there was a Lieu
tenant, named Martinez, who had
been educated at a college in Kentucky,
where he had been for a longtime a room
mate of a member of my company, named
B . Every day he used to call to see
B , and condole with him upon his un
fortunate condition; but he never gave
him the least intimation of the treacher
ous designs of the Mexicans towards .us,
and on the morning of the massacre I was
told he was in command of a portion of
the guard that, was detailed to execute
the bloody work upon tho division in
which his college friend B was inclu
ded !
A day or two after our return as pris
oners to Goliad, Major Ward and those of
his battalion that survived the enmme-
O O
ment they had with the Mexicans, near
Refugio, (as mentioned in Chapter Y.,)
were brought in and confined along with
us within the walls of the “Old Mission •”
as also a company of 80 or 100 men, un
der tho command of Captain Miller, who
were surprised and captured at Copano,
just after they had landed from their ves
sel. These men were also placed within
the walls of the “ Old Mission,” but were
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
kept separate from the rest of us, and to
distinguish them, each one had a white
cloth tied around one of his arms. At the
time I had no idea why this was dono,
but subsequently I understood the reason.
On and after the sixth day after our
return to Goliad —whether the Mexicans
had become suspicious of an intention on
our part to rise upon the guards, or whe
ther they merely wished to render our
situation as uncomfortable as possible, I
know not, but from that time we were
forced to take up our quarters in the
“ old church,” where we were so crowded
that we had scarcely room to lie down at
night. Our rations, too, were reduced to
about five ounces of beef a day, which wo
had to cook in the best way we could, and
eat without bread or salt.
One day an officer who was passing,
attracted, I suppose, by my youthful ap
pearance, spoke to me, and finding that
I understood Spanish, (which I had learn
ed at college,) he took a seat near me and
entered into conversation. He asked me
a great many questions about the United
States, the size of our standing army, our
form of government, what State I was
from, and what induced me to come to
Texas, etc., etc.; to all of which I frankly
answered. He expressed much astonish
ment at tho correctness of my pronuncia
tion, and inquired if I had ever been to
Old Spain, saying he was confident I had
not learned the language among the Mex
icans. I told him I had never been far
ther from home than Texas, but that I
had studied the Spanish under an able
professor, at a Catholic institution, lie
then asked me if I was a Catholic, and
when I told him I was not, he seemed
much disappointed, and tried in various
ways to get some sort of admission from
me that I had more faith in the Roman
Catholic religion than any other.
This conversation made but little im
pression upon me at the time, but I have
since thought this officer, on account of
my youth, or because he had otherwise
conceived an interest for me, was desirous
of some excuse or pretext to save me from
the fate ho knew was in store for us. In
fact, several of our men were saved from
the massacre, for no reason that I am
aware of, except that they were members
of tho Roman Catholic church.
Although closely confined, and watched,
and half starved, no personal indignity
was ever offered us by the Mexicans, to
my knowledge, except upon two occa
sions.
Once a Mexican soldier pricked one of
our men with his bayonet, because he did
not go quite fast enough to suit him,
whereupon tho American turned and
knocked tho Mexican down with his fist
We fully expected that our comrade
would have been roughly handled for this
“overt act,” but the officer in command
of the guard complimented him upon his
courage, and told him he had treated tho
soldier as ho deserved.
At another time, one of our men was
complaining to the officer of the guard of
the scantiness of his rations ; he ordered
a soldier to collect a quantity of old bones
and offal that were lying around, and
casting them on tho ground before the
man, ho told him to eat —that such food
was good enough for a “ heretic.”
On the morning of the 27th of March,
a Mexican officer came into our quarters
and ordered us to get our knapsacks and
blankets and prepare for a march. He
told us we were to be liberated upon pa
role, and that arrangements had been
made to send us back to the United States
on board of some American vessels lately
arrived at Copano. This you may be
sure w T as joyful new T s to us, and we lost
no time in making preparations to leave
our uncomfortable quarters. When all
were ready, wo were told off into three
divisions and marched out under a strong
guard. As avc passed by some Mexican
women, who were standing near the main
entrance to the Fort, I heard several of
them exclaim “ Pobrecitos !” (poor fel
lows!) but at the time it made but little
impression upon my mind.
One of tho three divisions was taken
down the road towards the lower ford,
one upon the road leading to San Patricio,
and the division to which my company
was attached along the road leading to
San Antonio, with a guard in double file
on both sides of us. It occurred to mo
that this was a strange sort of manoeuvre,
but still I had no suspicion of the foul
play intended us. When we had gone
about half a mile from the Fort, a halt
was called, and the guard on the side
nearest the river filed around to tho op
posite side. Yv r e were also in double file.
Hardly had this manoeuvre been execu
ted when I heard a heavy firing of mus
ketry in the directions the other divisions
had taken. The next moment someone
near me exclaimed, “ Boys, they are go
ing to shoot us,” and at the same instant
I hoard the clicking of gun locks along
the Mexican line. As I turned to look,
the Mexicans fired, killing at least one
hundred out of the hundred and fifty
men that composed one division. The
man standing before me was shot dead,
and in falling bore me to the ground,
deluging me at tho same time with his
blood, which flowed profusely from his
wounds. When I rose, tho Mexicans, as