Shiner Gazette (Shiner, Tex.), Vol. 33, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 11, 1926 Page: 12 of 18
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Shiner Gazette and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Shiner Public Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
■
y§ki
m
i
ALAMO, a
Marks the Beginning of a
Struggle for Independence
From ^he Kansas City Star Magazine.
<$•
1 ‘A
N THE GLOW of the setting
sun of a spring-like day the
Alamo lay bare, yet golden, in
its simply splendor—a shrine
at the heart of a hustling city.
More than t^o hundred years old and
drawing quietly toward the ninetieth
anniversary of the famous massacre
which occurred there, it remains as a
simple tribute to bravery and to valor,
a landmark which commemorates an
epochal event in the history of the
United States.
San Antonio, Texas, of course, has
many landmarks. It has its missions,
which date back to -the times when the
French and Spanish were disputing each
other’s rights to this sup-
posedly gold-filled area. It
has its homes of ancient con-
tinental governors. It has,
finally, the Alamo—or per-
haps it might be better to
say that it has, first of all,
the Alamo.
The writer who goes to
San Antonio either on a
search for material or, per-
haps, merely on pleasure
bent, naturally determines
he will not write about the
Alamo.
“The story has been told
before,” he tells himself as
his train speeds southward
toward the Rio Grande
River and Mexico, “It is an extremely
trite part of American history.”
So he reasons as he enters the palm-
treed, mission-styled city of San An-
tonio and alights at any of its Spanish
type railroad stations. He still assures
himself of the fqct as he enters a most
matter-of-fact taxicab and is whisked
up to one of the large hotels the city
boasts. He goes to his room, leaves his
luggage and returns to the street, still
saying to himself, “Now, let me see
what new stuff I can find in town. I
must not write about the Alamo!”
Stories of Bravery Never Qld.
Then, turning a corner in the heart
of town, where traffic is rushing and
everyone seems busiest, .he comes face
to face with it. With a start, he takes
in the picture , of the little stone fortress
where one hundred and eighty brave
men withstood until their deaths a mur-
derous horde of hi3 country’s foes. And,
on that spot and at that moment, he
knows he is going to have to write about
the Alamo. Stories of brayeiy, after
all. never grow old. Within the walls
of that unassuming,, square structure, a
band of patriots, with hearts that knew
no fear, let themselves be trapped and
slain that the entire Southwest ulti-
mately should be free. That was devo-
tion to a cause on a part with, let us
say, the charge of the Light Brigade
at Balaklava.
San Antonio might have commemo-
rated the Alamo by building a statue
to its defenders or dedicating a park
in their honor, but the city had a far
better Idea. „
“We will preserve the old Alamo,
the city fathers said. “We will buy up
its former grounds and keep them eter-
nally green. We will build the Alamo
back into its shape of one hundred years
ago, and place in it every relic of the
men who laid down their lives there.
Wherefore, the San Antonio residents
and the people of Texas in general did
those things, and they were not easy
tasks. The Alamo was on valuable
property. It is doubtful whether there
is a foot frontage on San Antonio’s
downtown streets that would be more
in the center of things, or have a greater
desirability from a commercial point of
view, or would bring more dollars on
the real estate market. But, Texans
were sensible enough to realize that it
would be a sacrilege to let the Alamo
be torn down or, possibly, be moved
somewhere for the mere purpose of giv-
ing a clear sway to the inroads of com-
merce.
Temple Houston Espouses Alamo Cause.
In 1883 Temple Houston, son of
old Sam Houston, took the matter be-
fore the Legislature in Austin. Who
could have a better right than he, whose
father’s troops, shouting “Remember
the Alamo!” had conquered Santa Anna
at San Jacinto and saved Texas for the
Union?
“I have here an Alamo purchase bill,
said Senator Houston, “by which the
State can acquire the Alamo property
for 810,000. Who objects to it?”
Who woiuld dare to ?
In 1905 the Alamo grounds and the
annex were in danger. Once again the
State' of Texas .did its duty, obtaining
them for $75,000, of which 865,000 came
out of the treasury of the common-
wealth and 810,600 was i’aised by the
Daughters of the Republic.
>... The Alamo thus was saved forever.
Texas had preserved its shrine for all
lime.
The thing that is so outstanding about
the defense of the Alamo, the point that
makes this, chapter.in American history
50 distinctive, is the smiling/ sheer
nerve of the men who were, caught by
Santa Anna inside the little fortress and
church. There .is this to be said about
bravery in battle: The hero, no matter
how gallant he may be, always has the
I
$5
LIEUT. W. B. TRAVIS
idea that there is a chance for escape—
that he may come through his danger
unscathed and reap the rewards of his
fearlessness in the adulation of his fel-
low men.
The men in the Alamo saw.no such
possible silver lining to their cloud. They
knew the temper of Santa Anna, the be-
sieger. They knew he was a man of no
mercy. They knew that if they surren-
dered to him—although such a course
was last in their thoughts—they need
expect no mercy. They knew that their
only hope was in aid from- Colonel Fan-
nin. And that aid never came.
Besides, over on the church of Bejar
and from the' Mexicans’ camp a blood-
red banner waved. That
meant, in the Mexicans’
terms:
“We are warring against
rebels. -You men will sur-
render to us, if you do sur-
render, at your discretion.
There will be no quarter.
Santa Anna has said it,”
How did the Texans come
to be trapped in the Alamo?
The manner was this:
The government of Mex-
ico was despotic, and the
free-born Texans were re-
belling against it. Santa
Anna started marching
north from the Rio Grande
to put them in their place,
and the garrison in San Antonio, re-
duced to a Tew handfuls of men, was
totally unprepared.
“Get into the Alamo!” ordered Lieut.
Col. William Travis, leader of the' Tex-
ans. And his men fortified the mission
as best they could.
Sketch of David Crockett.
It might be interesting to pick up the
history of David Crockett at this point
and see how it dovetailed into the story
of the Alamo. David Crockett Was a
fighting Tennessee backwoodsman. The
son of improvident parents, Davy had
to rely upon his owm initiative to get
anywhere in the world. In his boyhood
he once ran away from home, but re-
turned. He worked
for six months to
pay a debt of $25
that his father
owed. When he was
18 he wooed and
won a pretty 16-
year-old Irish girl
in the dashing way
he did everything.
Davy fought his
way all over Ten-
nessee and the
western frontier
and began to at-
tract much atten-
tion. He liked a
good battle, no mat-
ter whether it was
with man or beast.
And if the former
was the case he al-
ways was on the
side of the right.
Big, blue-eyed,
sandy-haired,
always laughing,
trustworthy, a born leader of men, Davy
began to acquire a local reputation that
soon was to become national.
Known as one of the greatest hunters
of the Mississippi River country in those
days, Davy grew to such heights that
his idolizing neighbors sent him to
Washington as their representative in
Congress. He made his first trip to
Washington in frontier costume—moc-
casins, leather shirt and all the rest.
Crockett was so liked in Washington
that he won hundreds of friends. He
made speaking trips to Philadelphia,
New York and Boston, and the Phila-
delphia people gave him a silver mount-
ed rifle which'he christened “Betsy,”
and promptly tried out. He hit a quar-
ter at fifty yards on his first shot, and
then said: A
“I ought to be able to use Betsy when
I get accustomed to her.”
People—hero-worshipers mainly, and
others who were attracted by Crockett’s
glowing personality—began talking of
running Davy for the -presidency, and
he delightedly gave ear. It really was a
pitiful ' situation because, although he
had much native shrewdness, undoubted
courage and unquestionable integrity,
he did not know enough about govern-
ing or about national questions _ to be
considered seriously for the chair.
man—who tried patiently to lure Crock-
ett into throwing away his dollars in an
effort to find the elusive pea. Davy
never gambled. However, he became
interested in the man. •
“Why devote your life to an occupa-
tion like that,” he said, “and always be
considered worthless ?”
To this Crockett frankness the other
replied: -
“Because I have tried every other oc-
cupation and never made my salt at it.”
“Well, then, come to Texas with me,”
urged Crockett. “If you can’t live like
an honest man, at least you can die like
a brave one.”
And the “thimble rigger” agreed to
go.
On their way across the plains the
two adventurers met three other
strange companions, a ,bee hunter, an
Indian, and a pirate who had been with
Jean Lafitte’s crew. The five had many
exciting experiences.
They once got separated and had a
terrible time finding each other. Crocks
ett. the bee hunter, the pirate and the
,Indian finally met, and wondered what
had become of poor “Thimblerigg.” as
they had learned to call the man. They
retraced their steps to where the party
had broken off the day before, and
found the man sitting patiently, al-
though manifestly frightened; on the
ground, shuttling the elusive pea and
'the three shells back and forth.
“What have you been doing since yes-
terday ?”'they demanded.
“Practicing, mostly,” he answered,
meekly. ' .
The quintet journeyed on to San An-
tonio and arrived there February, 1836,
allying themselves immediately with
the forces in the Alamo. Bowie and
Travis and the other men in the garri-
son were indeed glad to see Crockett.
Davy was no ,afmy officer, whereas
Bowie was a colonel and Travis a lieu-
tenant colonel, but all America knew
of Davy Crockett’s ability as a fighter.
He soon became one of the leaders in
the Alamo.
On February 23 Santa Anna arrived
at San Antonio for the siege, and Bowie,
able. to
- V
Bpr?-£ I
Crockett Defeated for Re-election.
He went back to Tennessee first to
stand for re-election to Congress, and
everybody was saying: •
“What will Crockett’s majority be?”
The surprise of the world and Davy’s
consternation were great when he was
defeated in the race,by 230 votes. Crock-
ett was broken-hearted. He could not
bear to think of living in a district
where his friends had repudiated him.
Texas promised excitement and an op-
portunity to be a “man’s man” again.
Davy started for Texas, taking with
him his one true friend, his rifle,
“Betsy.” '■*
He had to take a river boat down to
Natchitoches, La., the start of the over-
land trail to Texas, and on the way he
met a “thimble rigger”—or shell game
An interior view of the Alamo. In this main room Travis drew his famous line.
Travis and Crockett and their men bar-
ricaded the Alamo. That night Travis
dispatched a messenger to Fannin, in
Goliad, asking that aid be sent to San
Antonio at once. The messenger was
none other than Lafitte’s pirate.
The next day- Santa Anna’s troops
began firing on the Alamo, and a stray
shot hit “Thimblerigg,” who, sitting
carelessly in an exposed position, was
practicing his ceaseless‘game with the
pea and the three shells. The wound
was a mere scratch, but “Thimblerigg”
dropped his shells and the pea, seized
a musket, and said the Mexicans ^were
going to pay him for his wound, and
with full interest, too. From that time
he was one of the fiercest fighters in
The Alamo, ancl never tired of watching,
hour upon hour, for a chance to take a
pot shot, at a Mexican. /
Bowie became dangerously ill, and
was confined to his cot in a little room
to the 16ft of the entrance of the Alamo.
In a room across the way lay a Mrs.
Dickinson, the only white woman in the
place, and her infant daughter, who aft-
erward TVas knoWn as “The Babe of the
Alamo.” / An old Mexican servant at-
tended Mrs. Dickinson.
The pirate came back from his niis-
sion to Fannin, but brought no aid with
him. There was not time to get together
enough rescuers to be of real service.
The pitiful band in the Alamo, which
at its start numbered only 180 men, was
trapped. U '
Travis called the soldiers together in
the main hall. • ' ’ •
Travis Draws the Famous Line.
“Within a few daya, or perhaps hours,
we must be in eternity,” he said calmly.
“Our business is not to make a further
effort to save our lives, but to choose
the manner of our death.
“.Three modes are presented to us;,
let us choose that by which we may
best serve our country. Shall we sur-
render and be deliberately shot, with-
out taking the life of a single enemy?
Shall we try to cut. our way out through
the Mexican ranks and be butchered be-
fore we can kill thirty adversaries?
“I am opposed to either method. Let
us resolve to withstand our enemies to
the last, and at each advance to kill
as many of them as possible. And when
at last they shall storm our fortress let
us kill them as they come. Kill them
as they scale our vyalls! Kill them as
they leap within! Kill them as they
raise their weapons and as they use
them! Kill them as they kill our com-
panions, and continue to kill .them as
long as any one of us shall remain alive.
“But I leave every man to his own
choice,” Travis concluded. “Should any
man prefer to surrerder or attempt to
escape he is at liberty to do so.”,
Then Travis took out his sword, drew
a line down the center of the rdom in
front of the men and said:
“I want every man who is determined
to stay here and die with me to come
across the line. Who will be the first ?”
The honor fell to a chap named Tapley
Holland, but only because he was the
most agile.
“I am ready to die for my country,”
he said as he Cleared the line with a
bound. *
Crockett, waving his cap and laugh-
ing, jumped over, and the others fol-
lowed.
Bowie Is Carried Over the Line.
A pitiful weak voice was heard from
the room where Bowie lay ill.
“Boys,” he said, “I am not
come with you, but I wish some one
would be so kind as to move my cot
over there.”
Two. men sprang into Bowie’s room
and with extreme tenderness carried
him to the side of his companions. *
Only one man, history say»s, refused
to cross the line; a soldier by the name
of Rose, who told his mates he wanted
to take his chance on escaping. They
were not bitter with him on the sub-
ject, but told him frankly that they
thought he had little hope of eluding
the Mexicans.
“Oh, come, Brother Rose,” Crockett
remarked laughingly; “you might as
well stay with us.”
. But Rose insisted he wanted to make
his dash, and the
other men, true to
Travis’ promise,
helped him all they
could. Whatever
fate befell this man
is not known.
Early oil the
morning of Sunday,
March 6, Santa An-
na started his ad-
vance on the Alamo,
and the Texans
made their final
stand. Travis was
killed early in the
action, shot
through the head
as he was firing a
cannon on the roof.
Even after his mor-
tal wound he had
strength enough to
slay a Mexican who
was about ‘ to stab
him.
Crockett, accord-
ing to Mrs. Dickinson, was killed
on the main floor, battling to the
end in the laughing, gallant way
he had fought all his life. He was
one of the last six to go, she said, and
his bodv was found in front of the room
where Bowie had lain ill. A half-dozen
Mexicans were strewn around Crockett,
their skulls crushed by the battle-ax
way he had swung the butt of his faith-
ful “Betsy” after the foe had got too
close to make reloading of the weapon
possible. Bowie was killed in his bed,
but, fever-wracked though he was, he
dispatched two Mexicans before he was
overpowered. •’
W fy • 'fit
:
% X •!:. . .; f . . • •
V. .
“Remember the Alamo!”
“Remember the Alamo!” Sam Hous-
ton’s troops shouted at the battle of
San Jacinto, six weeks
later, and they remembered
it indeed. Santa Anna was
captured. Crockett, Bowie
and Travis, and all of their
gallant followers, down to
the humble “Thimblerigg,”
were avenged. And the in-
dependence of Texas was
secured. ’
Today the Alamo is vis-
ited . by thousands of pil-
grims every year. From all
parts of the country they
come, and the registry of
the Alamo, which all visitors
to the place are supposed to
sign, shows the cosmopolitan
character of the interested
sightseers.
Entering the front door of the Alamo
one sees the long main room of the
building. Above the door of a smaller
room at the left is an oil painting,
splendidly done, of Davy Crockett, with
the usual Crockett smile. At the en-
trance of the room is this1 announce-
ment, framed in black: •
In this room'James Bowie lay ill
at the time of the siege; but, ask-
ing to, have his cot lifted across the
line drawn by Colonel Travis, is said
DAVY CROCKETT.
to have met his fate in the opposite
room. !?. ’
The place is-small, rude, high-ceiling-
ed, dark. One can picture the fever-
torn Bowie lying there, tossing on his
cot, knowing that certain death awaited
him, and writhing in the knowledge that
he could not aid his companions in
their last defense of the place. A niche
in the stone wall to the right of the
door had been carved there by. Spanish
monks years before for their vessels of
holy water and their candles.
Still farther to the right a small,
barred door leads into the old sacristy
of the Alamo, the monks’ ancient bury-
ing grounds. Here was stationed the
powder magazine when the Texans de-
fended the place. It had been agreed
that when their cause finally proved
hopeless and the Mexicans Were upon
them one of the Texans, a man by the
name of Evans, should blow up the
magazine. He was killed as he began
his task. ■
Interesting Relics.
Repairing to the main room again,
there are found interesting relics'by the
dozens. Here, for instance, are the old
chimes, used when the Alamo was the
peaceful church of San Antonio de
Valero. Here, at regular intervals on
the walls, are plaques to all the heroes
of the Alamo, with about twenty names,
taken alphabetically, on each tablet.
Here is ah old cannon the Americans
lost in the Rio Grande. in 1842, and
which was recovered only recently and
placed in the Alamo by the man who
found it. Here are poems almost be-
yond number dedicated to the cause of
the Alamo and the heroes who lost their
lives there.
An examination of the show cases
that stretch down the center of - the
room discloses pieces of Confederate
money, Bibles printed a hundred years
ago, arrow heads, tomahawks, battle-
axes, and a bison’s skull. There is a
cutlass used by a member of Pirate La-
fitte’s ghng._ However, it did not be-
long to the heroic pirate who went
. across the plains with Davy Crockett.
On the same side is the orignal Bowie
knife of James Bowie. It is the long-
handled, wide-bladed. heavy knife he
never was without. It was the father
of the wdiole race of “Bowie” knives.
Only a short distance away is Davy
Crockett’s hunting knife.
Last of all, one reaches the little room,
at the right of the entrance, and there
on the vrall is this black-bordered
legend: • \ .<
“The Babe of the Alamo;”
In this room Mrs. Dickinson and
the latter’s infant daughter, after-
ward known as “The Babe of the
Alamo,” took refuge during the
siege. The negro servant boy of
Colonel Travis also sought safety
here. After the siege General Saftta
Anna spared the life of Mrs. Dick-
inson and her child merely to send
her on horseback to General Hous-
ton as a msesenger to tell of the.
Alamo’s fall.
“What do visitors to the. Alamo first
ask to see?” Mrs. A. F. Small, the cus-
todian of the Alamo, was asked.
“You would be surprised.” she an-
swered. “The line.”
“What do you mean—‘the line?’ ”
“Just what I say—the line that Col-
onel Travis drew and the men jumped
over when thev decided to stay with him
in the Alamo.”
It will be ninety years in March since
Colonel Travis drew that line: Almost
immediately after he drew it there was
terrific fghting and the tramplilig of
many feet over the place. Then thirteen
years passed during which the Alamo
had no roof, and countless rains poured
into the building. Yet today persons
go into the Alamo and are indignant
at Mrs. Small because they can not see
Colonel Travis’s line.
So the Alamo goes day by
day down through the years,
retaining 'almost the exact
form it used to have, kept
With, scrupulous care by the
State of Texas, which real-
izes that it has one of the
greatest landmarks in Amer-
ica in the little, squat, stone
building in the heart of
downtown San Antonio. The
city is wise enough to see
that no monument or memo-
rial, however grand, built
by the hand of man, to'day
could approach in interest
the old church that looks
west on the busy scenes of
Alamo Plaza.
m
AUTO DEATH RATE 48 DAILY.
In the United States' the death rate
from automobile accidents is 48 every
24 hours, with 100 injured in that pe-
riod. The most peculiar fact associated
with these figures, according to statis-
ticians, who are studying them, is that
the people show little or no concern over
the large casualty rate, although if war
were taking that many every day there
could be great excitement about it.
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.
Matching Search Results
View four places within this issue that match your search.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 Newspaper.
Habermacher, Mrs. J. C. & Lane, Ella E. Shiner Gazette (Shiner, Tex.), Vol. 33, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 11, 1926, newspaper, March 11, 1926; Shiner, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1148023/m1/12/?q=wichita+falls: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Shiner Public Library.