WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1847
529
of the State. They offered their services to command the militia in the approaching contest, which were accepted; and this devoted band of 5,000 men were placed under their command. Santa Ana was now apprized of the success of his stratagem, and advanced with a superior force, while his progress was concealed from the Zacatecans by the treacherous officers, until they were surrounded and attacked; and thus more than half their number were literally cut to pieces before they had an opportunity to make the least resistance; a few rallied to arms, and made a desperate attempt to check the advance of the invader, but they were driven before them into the city of Zacatecas, where the victors for several days indulged themselves in excesses too shocking for recital. Foreign- ers as well as natives, who had taken no part in public affairs, and who were quietly pursuing their avocations without inter- meddling in any manner with the political concerns of the country, were butchered without ceremony, and their property given up to the pillage of the soldiery, or confiscated to the use of the officers. When the tyrant had sufficiently glutted his vengeance, the inhabitants who had escaped the sword, submitted uncondi- tionally to his power." This was placed before the eyes of Texas; these acts were before the world. But in the year 1833-for he would recur to that period when Texas was roused to the most vigorous measures by acts of usurpation of the stipendiaries of Mexican Government, and by extortion, under pretence of giving titles to their lands, under the conditions of the grants and of the laws of the republic-after their money had been extorted from them, after commission after commission had been sent, and all the amount had been accumu- lated which was desired, their agents were put in arrest. Com- mission after commission was sent; the citizens of Texas con- tributed the required amount to obtain the titles to their lands, and as often as they sent were disappointed. 2 But, in 1833, when it was known that the despot was determined to exterminate the inhabitants of Texas, they organized a convention-each munici- pality was represented; they convened in October 3 [April]; and there they gave an example to the world to enable it to determine if they were a rebellious people. They were insulted. They acted. And how did they act? They formed a provisional constitution, assuming all the rights that a State separated from other States could do; and in their constitution they pledged their lives, their honor, and all that was sacred, to rally to the support of the con- stitution of 1824. They invited other States of the confederacy to
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