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Ou,· Catl1olic Heritage iu Texas
Presidio del Sacramento, came to a seemingly inglorious death m this pestilence-ridden presidio while performing an unwelcome task. Eca y Musquiz himself had narrowly missed joining his superior in death. Even now he was convalescing. Many soldiers and Indians had died, and the missionaries had all been on the point of death. The con- ditions were unbearable and he begged the viceroy to relieve the garrison from this inhuman suffering by allowing them to move to any other place where they could get fresh water to drink, or clean enough to wash their clothes.• 0 Fray Mariano ,proposes 1·emoval of San Xavier to tlee Guadalupe. In September, 1753, the pious friar interceded with the viceroy after his return from San Xavier. The river had dried up. Everybody could testify to this fact. The pools emitted a foul odor, the water was refused even by the stock. Heavy rains in the vicinity did not seem to affect the San Xavier River, which remained a source of infection. The vegetation had also changed, nothing but briars grew now in the fields. The situation was desperate. To the insuperable physical discomforts of sickness, pestilence, and want were added supernatural phenomena. Many declared they had seen at night a ball of fire appear in the sky that circled the area from the presidio to the mission, where the murders were committed and back again, exploding with a loud report over the presidio. The Indians, the soldiers, and the missionaries had been attacked by the epidemic and many had died. The afflicted survivors awaited only his Excellency's orders to move to another place. Since it was inevitable that the missions and presidio on the San Xavier River would be moved to a healthier place, and since it could not be farther east or north for lack of knowledge of suitable sites, they should be moved to the San Marcos or the Guadalupe. There was no time for prolonged investigations and explorations. The San Marcos was about twenty-four leagues from San Antonio. The Guadalupe was fifteen. On the latter, irrigation for the needs of one or two missions was possible. Near the site on the Guadalupe, there was a good spring called Comal, sufficient to water land for the planting of two fanegas (four bushels) of corn. If desired, a mission could be established there also. The removal of the San Xavier missions and their garrison to either ,ornforme de D. Jose Joaquin de Eca y M{1zq~iz al Virrey sobre 1~ muerte del juez . d August 30 1753. San Francisco el Grande Arcluve, Vol. 17, pp. comis1ona o . • · ' 140-147.
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