The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume I

434

TE.\'..\S ST,\TE LIBRARY

burnt or roasted with the others. Five men were sa,·ed from the general ma sacre to attend upon the Texican sick: herlock, Smith, Bill Vos!J and eter Griffin; the latter, who happened to be in the hospital at the time, wa. saved by a ,,·ounded i\fo.·ican soldier, who hid. him beneath his blankets, Griffin having always attended him and dre.scd hi wounds- Bills died after- wards from a ickne s of twenty-four hours. Sphon wa here taken sick with the fever of the country, under which he uffered for seven weeks. After he recovered, he heard of the taking of anta .Ana, which wrought a visible cban"e on his jailo1· , who treated him with more leniency. Some time after they beard that anta Ana has escaped, or was rescued by the Indians, and demon- strated their joy by ringing of bells, the firing of cannon, and martial music, telling Sphon he had escaped, and would no,v return and put them all to death; but ome time afterwards, a part of the retreating army, amounting to nearly 1000 men, composed of the remnants of everal regiments, fatigued and worn out, fell on Goliad. Iajor Miller, with the Copano, wa then asked if he would go to l\Ietamoras, where his men would be allowed to work about the town, but they all chose to remain, ex:eepting Sphon, ·who thought a better chance of escape was to be found there; when he proceeded a far as San Patricio with Captain Al[v]arez, where General Urrea seeing him, asked him if be would drive one of his coaches to Matamoras, but Sphon seeming reluctant, he told l1un if he would do so, he no longer hould be con- sidered a prisoner. He went to 1\latamoras with the General, and had for his fellow driver, a young man who had been saved from Colonel John on' detachment. In :i\Iatamo:ras, the foreigner were particularly attentive, and General Urrea wa always kind. On reaching :Matamoras, he understood that about eighteen or twenty of Colonel Johnston's men were in clo e confinement, and had been twice near being shot, but were saved once by a prie t, and at ~mother time for the con ideration of a large sum of money, which was subscribed by foreigners, and by whom they were upported. Sphon wa here told that hi ca e was a de perate one, and fajor Miller, Capt. Israel, and a l\Ir. Burton, all cu the Copano detachment, which he left at Goliad, who had just arrived from Copano by ea, said they never .expected to get away, and thought any means he might deV'i e for c cape were justifiable. So, considering on the subject, be deter- mined to offier him elf for the Mexican ea service, which gave the be t hope of e cape. He then offered himself to Captain Thomp on, of the Correo, who took him, with the consent of General Urrea, who fumished him with a horse to Brns o Santiago, forty-five miles, where he entere'1 on board the cbooner, which et ail that ame day for Vera Cruz, where he wa appointed to the care and di~tribntion of the provi ions. On the ame night, the vcs cl sprung a leak, the weather being rough, and having struck in getting over the bar- minute guus were fired for two other arincd vc ls, which were in company. They came to their relief, and remained with them till next day, when the guns were thrown overboard, and the people divided between the two vessels, and she wns abnudoncd, being full of water and fast sinking. For the remainder of the voyage, Sphon

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