Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
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to turn over his command to Mateo Perez and retire one hundred leagues from the Province of Texas. The latter received his commission at San Juan Bautista. Father Gonzalez was the bearer of these orders from the viceroy in Mexico City.' 7 Upon his arrival he delivered the appointment and notified the vice- roy that he made the trip without guard from Saltillo to San Juan Bautista in the company of two-other missionaries and two Indians, because the escort was at the Rio Grande. The party was attacked at Los Hierros by a ban~ of Tobosos, who killed one of the Indians and badly wounded the other. One of the missionaries was shot in the backbone with an arrow, and although this had been pulled out, the tip, however, remained imbedded in the bone. Father Gonzalez lost all his baggage and four mules were killed in the encounter. From here he planned to make the journey to San Antonio in company with Mateo Perez, the captain-elect. The new officer dictated a letter to the viceroy when he obtained his commission and frankly admitt 7 d he had been honored far beyond his deserts. He could neither read nor write, but he had learned to make a ·crawl for his signature. After thanking His Excellency profusely for :he appointment, he made a strange request. He begged the viceroy that the place left vacant in the garrison of San Juan Bautista by his pro- motion be not filled so that he could r~turn to it in case it became neces- sary .'8 Aguayo remarked later that the poor judgment exercised by Father Gonzalez in recommending Perez as captain, was very evident when one considered the fact that he had been a private soldier for twenty years without ever having been promoted.' 9 On June 17, 1724, Perez presented his appointment to Flores and was duly placed in com- mand as ordered by the viceroy. 50 Vindication of Captain Flores. In obedience to the instructions received, Flores retired from San Antonio to Coahuila and from there wrote a long letter in justification of his actions while in charge of the presidio. He said that he had recovered the only horses stolen during his term of office and that for twenty-four years he had served the king in ,1viceroy's decree; Father Gonzalez to the Viceroy, June S, 1724. In A. G. N., PrM1incias lnternas, Vol. 32, Part 2. "Mateo Perez to the Viceroy, June 6, 1724, in Ibid. '9Aguayo to the Viceroy, February 26, 1725, in Ibid. 50Testimonial of Mateo Perez, Captain ad interim of San Antonio de Valero, in Ibid.
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