The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 5, July 1901 - April, 1902 Page: 187
370 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The Beginnings of Texas. 187
respect the institutions and practices of civilization and Christian-
ity without the constant assistance of the military to restrain the
native impulses of the savage. To be successful the mission must
advance with the presidio; this lesson the Spaniards had not yet
learned. Moreover, the physical position of the mission of San
Francisco was extremely unfavorable. Projected as it was a hun-
dred leagues into the wilderness, remote and isolated, it had no
natural source from which to renew its supplies of physical and
spiritual strength. Its survival depended solely upon the persist-
ence of a few priests and soldiers, sustained by the precarious favor
of their savage beneficiaries or the chance coming at long intervals
of relief expeditions from the far distant settlements of Mexico.
The insincerity of the friendship of the Indians, the weakness of
the guard left to protect the friars, and the remoteness of the
church of St. Francis from the outposts of civilization were suffi-
cient almost to foredoom the mission to failure.
On the 2nd of June the army set out on its return march, fol-
lowing the road by which it had come. On the way Captain Leon
learned that there were among the Indians of the coast three
French children, and he determined to go to rescue them. He
accordingly descended to La Bahia and without much difficulty
found the Indians with whom the children were. The savages had
become so much attached to the white children that at first they
refused to let them go, but at length they were induced to give
them up in exchange for horses. These children1 were the brothers
Robert and Lucien Talon and their sister Marie Madelaine. They
were taken to Mexico and later were sent to Spain.
Rejoining his company at the Guadalupe, Captain Leon contin-
ued his return march. The remaining days of the journey were
marked by no incident of importance. From the report of Father
Manzanet it appears that Captain Leon, upon setting out to return
to Mexico, relaxed his control of his subordinates, allowing each
one to do largely as he pleased. Thefts, quarrels, and fights were
of daily occurrence; the animals were so carelessly attended that
numbers of horses and mules were lost; the soldiers entered the
1Interrogations faites a Talons, etc., Margry, III 617. Pierre Talon says
that when he found that the Spaniards treated him kindly he told them that
he had three brothers and one sister in the country. His other brother,
Jean Baptiste, was not found until the next year, as will appear further
on in this narrative.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 5, July 1901 - April, 1902, periodical, 1902; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101021/m1/193/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.