San Antonio de Bexar: A Guide and History Page: 114
vi, 166 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 27 cm.View a full description of this book.
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SAN ANTONIO DE BEXAR.
chosen lands, so Castro bought a league of land, paying the sum of $2000 for it,
which he gave to the colonists; but there were suits brought for the land,-
disputed title,-and finally the colonists had to pay for their lots at Castroville
twice over to two different claimants, to Illis and to another. Mrs. Cupples, my
wife, was a Miss Jaques. Mr. and Mrs. Jaques, her parents, were very old-timers
in Texas. They were intimate with Stephen F. Austin and many others of the
earlier settlers. My wife still possesses a watch which Austin gave Mr. Jaques as a
memento of his gratitude for aid rendered him in his escape from Mexico in 1835.
Mr. Jaques' house was burned by Vasquez in 1842, and again when Woll invested
the city he was placed under guard and would undoubtedly have been shot but for
the intervention of Colonel Carasco, of General Woll's staff, who pleaded for his
life. Colonel Carasco was friendly to Mr. Jaques because of some favor rendered.
" You spoke of the Recapitulation of the Indies," continued Dr. Cupples.
" Perhaps I can tell you something about that. It was a kind of code and record
of the Council of the Indies. This Council had its seat in Seville, I believe, and
its members were appointed by the Crown. It had control and direction of Spain's
Colonies in all parts of the world. Recognizing that water was a chief necessity
to the existence, not to say success, of a Colony, they devised exhaustive
regulations and laws concerning the preservation of water rights, the construction
of works of irrigation and the control of such water always to the best public
advantage and the division of Suertes of the Regadios to Regadors. The lot on
which this house stands" (the Doctor's residence on Soledad street) "is entitled
to so many hours of water daily from the San Pedro Acequia. It was formerly
considered to be an inalienable right of the property holder. How the city over-
ruled the privilege I cannot explain. The importance of land was formerly reck-
oned by the hours of water to which it was entitled. One of the rules in the Re-
capitulation was that navigable streams should have reserved for public needs, on
either bank, a strip of land twelve varas wide. The San Antonio River was con-
sidered to be in their sense a navigable stream, and the rule undoubtedly applied
to our River. Giraud was right as to this, but he lacked firmness. He was a
good man, and had he sufficiently insisted, perhaps the city would be able to-day
to boast of a remnant of a splendid possession. Giraud was one of the few who
saw the right of the matter clearly."
And now what a book might be written from the Doctor's recollection of
the know-nothing movement here, of the great war and of the famous Vigilance
Committee troubles. But as Mr. Kipling would say-that is another story.
.~b
. ~~i-114
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Corner, William. San Antonio de Bexar: A Guide and History, book, 1890; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143549/m1/168/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.