101
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
all; and under this conviction he moved upon the ravine with his whole force; but when on arriving within good gun shot, Cameron rose up and fired upon the Drummer, who fell dead. This was a sig- nal for a general fight. The whole company rose, poured JI, destructive fire upon Parbone, and charged his entire line. (Americans 140 strong Parbone 700) Parbone was thrown into confusion, and in the midst of their retreat, the Americans availed themselves to fly back to their horses which they had hitched some distance from the ravine. By the time they were mounted, it was becoming too late in the evening to renew the fight; especially as the Americans were unsupported by Oanalis, whose men had been only idle spectators of the scene. Dur- ing the 4 hours Parbone was playing upon the Americans, Canalis moved not, nor took any part in the fight. The parties camped or rather remained under arms, during the night in close juxtaposition; but an hour or two before, day Parbone left; and was that length of time on his march before his movemts were known. He was actively pursued, and on being overtaken, surren- dered his whole force as prisoners of war. Canalis demanded of Par- . bone, his sword; who on delivering it up made this memorable re- mark-"! do not surrender, sir, to such a cowardly recreant as you, but I yield to those brave Americans." The loss on the part of Par- bone was 250 killed, and the capture of his whole force-on the part of the Americans, there was Jake Hendricks-Tonkaway Jones on the field, and 5 died after of thier wounds-Jno Aikins was one of the five.-Parbone was put on parole of honor; and 400 of his men, (pris- oners) united with the Federalists, and marched under the Banner of their conquer[or]s.- The priest at Mier, who pretended to be a Federalist, refused to allow the Americans killed in his own cause to be hurried in the church- yard. He said they were brave men but hereticks. Jake Hendicks, when shot at the Parbone fight, exlaimed-"boys I am killed, but go a head."- came to Texas 1836-lived on the Guadalupe a while 1837 at Gonzales-formed partnership with Neille Carnes & others for mer- chandizing- The partners went to San patricio-stole large drove of Cattle-the Mexicans came upon them-they all fled with the excep- tion of Hendicks, who, in trying to get off with the cattle, was taken prisoner, & carried to Matamoras where he remained 1 year and 1 month before he escaped.- Carnes, who was sick at Sanpatricio, W\lS also taken, and carried to l\Iatamoras with Hendicks-when they re- turned to Texas they resumed their old trade of driving off cattle.- ,Joi:J.es, called Tonkaway Jones because of his asociation with the Tonkaway Indians- He was a blacksmith by trade. Killed at Par- bone fight- · Carnes was a Scotchmen by birth, came to Texas in 1836.-Parbone, after his defeat, was disgraced and retired.- ~analis believed in divination or trying fortunes, and on all all [sic] hazardous occasions would have his horiscope cast. One mode of tryi,ng his fortune was this. He would paint a lion, an eagle, a sheep _and a dove on a paper, & then prick the same blindfolded with a pin if the warlike bird or animal was pricked, he augured favorably; if the lamb or dove, he augured otherwise. Canalis, as I have already
Powered by FlippingBook