103
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
knife in one hand and a dirk in the other, with the apparant inten- tion of assassinating the Genl. Capt. Fisk stepped before General Long, and drew his sword, 1:rt which instant the order was given to fire- the order was executed and Madella fell.- He was conveyed to-his quarters,· and received every attention that the confined means of the Garrison afforded, until the hour of his death.-·witness avers th1:rt he is conversant with the substance of all the orders which passer'l fr0m Genl. Long to Col. Modell1:r, and that they were universally dis- obeyed; that the Col. 1:rlways has used abusive and unofficerlike lan- guage tow1:rrds Genl. Long on receiving such orders and calling the Gf'nl. names derogatory to his character and standing." Many other offenses of the grossest nature were fully established against the unfortunate victim; while on the other hand, the mod- era-tion, forbearance, and indulgence of Genl. Long towards him was confirmed by the highest testimony; all of which, however, we omit for the sake of brevity; believing that the evidence of Capt. John Austin and Major Milam is quite sufficient for a fair comprehenson of the case. Preference has been given to the statements of these two individuals because their ch1:rracters are well known to the people of Texas and their names have an intimate connection with thf his- tory of the country. When they were severally; interrogated by the Committee-"did you think the life of Genl. Long in jeopardy at the time he gave the word to the guard to fire 1 "-they 1:rnswered sep- arately-' 'I did.''- A full report of the case was duly laid before the Commander in Chief, who, after a careful examination of the facts, could not do otherwise th1:rn approve the conduct of General Long, and was fully satisfied, that however much he might lament the occurrence, the unhappy sufferer had brought destruction upon himself. · , Let us now return to Trespelacios. As soon as General Long was apprised of his difficulties with Drennon 1:rnd others, he departed forthwith for New Orleans, leaving the Garrison in the Command of Major Milam. In his order dated the 24th. June, he uses the follow- ing language-"the embarrassments of His Excellency General Tres- palacios and the strange conduct of the officers who accompanied him to New Orleans, has made it important for me to proceed to the United States."- He left accordingly; taking with him only two sol- diers. H1:rving heard a short time previously that a small sloop had passed up the Sabine river, he went in pursuit of it, and, leaving his boat at the mouth of the river, travelled on foot about Seventy miles when he found the vessel 1:rnchored at a l\Ir. Selkirks. Here he pur- chased some provisions, and chartering the Sloop, placed it in charge of Selkirk with instructions to proceed with the supplies as speedily as possible to Bolivar Point. Returning then to the mouth of the Sabine, he set sail in his little boat and coasted to New Orleans. He found his friend and Coadajator at the mansion of Mulcado-a wealthy merchant of the city-t1:rking refuge against the persecutions of his- enemies. Over-powered with gratitude and joy, Trespalacios rushed to the arms of th!l General and embracing him affectionately, wept like a child. -A few moments only were spent in explanation. With
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