The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 42, July 1938 - April, 1939 Page: 97
446 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Laredo During the Texas Republic
picture of the mournful scenes presented in this town. The
only substantial work that the inhabitants here did was cattle
raising; and now in the desolate fields are left only a few
horses and cows that for lack of care will soon die also. The
larger part of the town has only meat to eat, as flour and
corn have to be brought from other towns and it is very
dangerous to travel; besides, there are not enough horses left
to hitch to the wagons. The people have to live within the
city because of the dangers of the farms, and they are already
getting restless as they cannot venture out without a troop
to accompany them. If something is not done right away to
help them, I believe that they will start looking for other
places to live and abandon this village. This would greatly
endanger the towns in the interior, because the savages, eager
for more triumph, will start their plunder with renewed hope
on the towns farther from the border. Although there is a
general fear of battling with the savages, only those that have
really fought with them know the full meaning of such fear.
For these barbarians do not start out with the idea of finding
an army to fight, but . . . they find the lone cowboys,
laborers, and shepherds easy prey, and they naturally come
to the town.
He closed his appeal by begging his Excellency "to give these
people a compassionate glance so that he will save them from the
end that they now consider inevitable."36
This appeal of the fighting alcalde was printed in the Mercurio
del Puerto de Matamoros, and in his letter requesting the editors
to give it space in their publication he asked that it be done "in
the name of our beloved president, Don Antonio L6pez de Santa
Anna," that he may have a "clear impression of the terrible situ-
ation in which the people of this unfortunate village are found."
He concluded with these words:
I think that it is wise to publish this so that as soon as
the war in Texas ends, which in my opinion will not last
very long, he will turn his kind eyes on the poor Mexicans
that live along the frontier, so that he will liberate us from
a contemptible but cunning enemy that we may rejoice in peace
and for forget all the dangers and terrors of these past years.
In his efforts to secure some immediate relief, he little dreamed
of the turbulent days still ahead of his native city. And what
a6Mercurio del Puerto de Matcamoros, Friday, April 22, 1836, copy in
Laredo Archives.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 42, July 1938 - April, 1939, periodical, 1939; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101107/m1/111/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.