The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume VI

154

TEXAS STATE LIBRARY

On his way returning to 'Bexar, at the San '1\farks, he was killed in his tent by a Lieutenant Serrano who was supposed to be crazed- serrano. stabbed the priest Camacho and a Capt the priest recovered, but the capt died- Serrano, was sent into the interior & his fate not known.- Aradondo on ariving at Bexar made prisoners of every woman whose husbands were suspected of being friendly to the cause the Revolu- tion, and placed them in a place called Cuinta, where they were made to grind corn for the use of the army. The captives taken at Trinity were placed with them. They were treated with great brutality, whipped, ravished and maltreated in every possible form; and they con- stituted the best portion of the population- The brute who were placed as overseer over them was a sargent called Acosta, black fero- cious villian who violated some of the prisoners daily and whipped . others for their resistence. Aradondo had in Bexar, among the males about three hundred pris- oners, which he put in irons; and daily executed some of them in a manner most shocking ; first shooting them, then dragging them round the public square, and then cutting off their arms and heads and plac- ing them on public places- '1 1 hese scenes continued until he dis- [posed J of the most of the unfortunate fellows.- The few who were not executed were liberated on the birth day of Ferdinand.- The Battle of Madina was fought on the 18th August 1813. Aradondo left Bexar april 1814, leaving a strong garrison behind, and taking with him 13 or 15 american prisoner to monterey, where he set them at liberty; the narator of these events being one of them.- The [y J published a proclamation on the King's birth day, granting pardon to the Mexicans who had fled to Nacogdoches and to Louisiana, and permission to return to Bexar. But few returned; Ruis returned after the Independence of 1\Iexico; and it believed that Tarin, Capt.- He was in nearly all the battles- both were in Madina; a reward was offered for Ruis' head by Aradondo.- McGee died at Labahia; whilst he was being buried, the enemy fired upon the party with their cannon, and took off the head of a Mexican.- He was succeeded by Kemper.- Kemper went to the US and re- turned with Toledo-Ross returned to Bexar after his flight, and was in the Battle of :Madina. He was many years afterwards murdered by his mexican servant.- [Translation from the Spanish] Bernardo Gidierrez de Lara, citizen of Revilla "the same who about the middle of 1812 returned to Texas, took the presidido [sic] of Ba[h]ia de(l] Espiritu Santo, besieged by Spanish Troops, and de- feated them at once at Rosillo near Bexar, of which town he also took possession, forcing a surrender from the garrison, composed of more than 1000 good troops.''. D. Pablo de JJiendibil. of the battle of Rosillo, and of the taking of Bexar, where Col Her- rera, and D. 1lanuel Salzado, governor of Texas, were prisoners. These with the rest of the Royalist officer~, who capitulated, were inhumanly and perfidiously beheaded by the Americans, the conster_nation of the

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