281
PAPERS OF :M:mABEAU BuoNAPARTE LAMAR
produced among the soldiers, Capt Gaines who was made familiar & knowig to all the causes which induced and led to it was commissioned to m.ake to the army the necessary explenation. 'l'he charges prefered against the 14 prisoners were their treachery to Hidalgo, l\Ionchack and others whom they entrapped by villiany & murdered most in- humanly without trial or cause. The prisoners nanes were Salcedo the Govr. of Bexar, and Govr.·A Herrero of the army, and Marcus and other officers Civil and military names not remenbrd. fonchack & Lieut Sice, gad gone to raise volunters for the patriotic army, the former to atchitoches and the latter to Nacogdoches. They had both succeeded in raising a large company, when the above criminals, Salcedo Herrero & others, induced them by bribery to aban- don the cause; they acco·rdigly let their men which they had raised & returned to St Antonio. On their arrival tliey were both taken up and publicly executed. Ionchack head was exhibited publicly on the gate posts. His treachery deserved the fate he recd. But his family was now sitting in judgemt on these very men who bad ordered the death of their relative--Their feeligs & their voice on the occasion may be easily known. This was one of the charges on which they were tried ; another Charge was their treachery & violence to Hidalgo -Hidalgo & Ryon the leadig patriots of the Revolution, had long been object's of terror & hatred. Salcedo, Herrera, and :Marcus now formed a plan to destroy them. There was at l\Ionclover a patriot by the name of Elesondo, who wa well known to Hidalgo & Ryon; he was bribed by Salcedo & his associats to write on to Hidalgo to come on to Texas; that his presence was wanted here. Hidalgo 's cause was pros-. perous in the Interior; every where he moved Crowdis flocked to his standard. Elesondo wrote to him, that the people in Texas were all ripe for Revolution; that they only waited his presence to unite them and form a government. Hidalgo was pleased with the intellegence and immediately ,mt about makig preparations to move on 1 to Texas. Ryon suspected treachery and withdrew his forces; but Hidalgo knowing Elisondo to be a zealous patriot, doubted not, and accordigly marched at the head of a large and wealthy concourse towards Texas; his followes came not as an army but rather a friends on a visit. As he was passing a gap in a mountain between Saltillo and Mon- clover, at the head of his cavalcade, he found himself way laid by a force of three hundred who had been placed there £or his apprehension by Salcedo; he was made prisoner, hurried on to 1\fonclover first how- ever being forced to issue orders to his followers to surrender, which they all did, not so much by virtue of the order as from the necessity of the case, for they came on peace & were not prepared .for war. Hidalgo & some of his princiP.le followers were tied to the tails of wild mules and on the open praries Kicked to Death-This was the second & I deem all sufficnt ground of the condmnatn and execution of the above prisoners. The expla,nation was satisfactory to the army & satisfaction restored. ' The Army remained now in St Antonio quiet & contented until 16 June 1813; but was much reduced owing to Kemper 's returnig to the US. together with may of the patriots.--leaving l\Iajor Ross commander in chief of the Americans This 1\fajor Ross became attached to a .lady,
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