Ottr Catholic Heritage in Texas
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The following day, while the work on the captain's house went on, the missionaries busied themselves sorting out from the baggage, supplies and equipment that were intended for each one of the missions. On July 2 , while still waiting, the Padres undertook.to write notes on the language of the Asinai. Through St. Denis, who acted as interpreter, they reached an agreement with the Indians as to the proper location for all four missions. Taking advantage of an Indian woman who understood Spanish, having been brought up in Coahuila, the missionaries explained to the natives the purpose of their coming and gave them to understand they should congregate in pueblos and live near the missions. "From that moment, they told us they could not congregate until their crops were gathered."' 7 Fo,mding .Mission San Francisco de los Tejas. On July 3, all the missionaries, the captain, and the greater part of the Indians, crossed the river and went to the location chosen for the reestablishment of the first mission, which was about a league from the temporary camp. The Indians lost no time in building a house, while the missionaries fixed up a tem- porary shelter of leafy branches where they spent the day. Next morning they all said Mass, and the house having been finished, although poorly, "like a field shanty," they moved into it and made formal distribution of the equipment and supplies provided for each one of the four missions. Everything was now ready for the official reestablishment. On Sunday, July 5, Domingo Ramon formally appointed a Cabildo for the Indian pueblo and gave official possession of the mission to Father Fray Isidro Felix de Espinosa, President, in the name of His Majesty, the King. The happiest moment of his life now came at last for Father Fray 47This statement is significant in view of the subsequent difficulties experienced by the missionaries in trying to get these Indians to live in the missions. The woman referred to here by Father Espinosa is no other than the famous Angelina. Speaking of the river of this name, Morfi declares in his Memorias: "It took its name from an Indian maid of the Tejas nation who ha4 been bap- tized and reared in the Mission of San Juan Bautista, on the Rio Grande in Coa- huila, who, after having returned to her country, proved very useful to the Span- iards, because of her knowledge of the language and her good services in winning the good will of her people for the Spaniards." Morfi, Memorias, MSS. It is inter- esting to note that the association of this woman's name with that of the river, attributed to Bolton by Buckley ( op. cit., 42) was known to Morfi. St. Denis and his companions met this woman in 1 713, who proved helpful to them. Later in 1720, Bell-Isle who had deserted off the coast of Texas, was befriended by this same woman, who nursed him and sent her two sons to guide him back to Louisi- ana. Aguayo. also met Angelina during his expedition to· East Texas. Margry, o,p cit., JI, 262-263; Morfi, Historia, paragraph 54.
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