011r Catl1olic Heritage in Texas
present Monclova, they must have crossed into Texas in the vicinity of present Eagle Pass. From here, continuing in the same northeastern direction, they went twenty-two leagues, or approximately fifty-two miles. This would place them in the vicinity of present Brackettville. After his return to the presidio, Governor Leon proceeded to question the prisoner. The interrogation was conducted through an Indian inter- preter, who knew the tongue of the tribe ruled over by the Frenchman. It was learned that he was a native of St. Jean de Orleans, in France; that he had come from a large French settlement established on the big river; that he had been commissioned to win the friendship of the Indians, among whom he had lived for three years. He gave a fantastic description of the town, affirmed that he had been visited twice by his countrymen. the first time about a year before, when a group of sixteen Frenchmen came to find out how he was getting along. Might they not have been La Salle and his men during the second expedition ? 37 But the nature of his answers were confusing in the extreme and plainly showed that the man was out of his mind. Nevertheless, Alonso de Leon was convinced that he had found at last a definite clue to the long-sought- for French colony on the Gulf coast and decided to send the Frenchman on to Mexico for further investigation. He personally escorted him as far as Monterrey from where he sent him under guard to Mexico City, together with a detailed report of the circumstances that led to his arrest and an urgent appeal for an immediate attack upon the French settlement bv land and sea. He promised to send out spies to locate the colony and learn as much about its strength and condition as possible. Escorted by Captain Mendiondo, the prisoner arrived in Mexico on June 12. He was immediately taken to the viceroy and subjected to a new interrogation. His replies were greatly at variance with those he had made at San Francisco de los Tlaxcaltecas. In vain did the Spanish officials try to get some definite information concerning the settlement of La Salle. The Frenchman became more and more confused in his answers and the investigation was suspended until July 12, when he was again closely questioned but with no better success. Regardless of the contradictory nature of his replies, two things were evident. He was a Frenchman and he had been found among native tribes a long distance from any French post and clearly within the territories claimed by Spain. The viceroy was convinced in his own mind that there was a foreign settlement within the region of his jurisdiction that must be destroyed.
37Declarazi6n de! frances Frco. alias Yan Jarri, June 8, 1688, in Ibid., 11-1 5.
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