Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
the same amount to Peter W. Gray. The claim is made that Muldoon was seen in Washington County, Texas, in 1842. 91 Unlike the other Rural Deans of Texas, he did not register his ap- pointment with the pastor in San Antonio and we have only his word that he was appointed vicar general for the colonies. He did little to advance religion in the colony because of his absorbing interest in politics. Many of his expressions reveal a philosophy of life which leads one to doubt he was even a Catholic much less a priest. It is strange that neither he nor anyone else mentioned his having said Mass while in Texas. Disposition of mission property in San Antbnio. Most of the lands belonging to the missions had been disposed of in 1794, but not the priests' quarters or the mission buildings or any of the stone in the massive walls. Political Chief Saucedo inquired of Governor Rafael Gonzalez in 1825 if the stone and rock in the walls and buildings could be sold. Saucedo also sent a detailed list of all the property left in missions Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan, and Espada as a supplement to his previous report on Valero. At about this same time the commander of the Alamo gar- rison requested that the quarters of the former Valero priests be assigned permanently as barracks for the Alamo soldiers. Governor Gonzalez replied, late in August, 1825, that the matter had been referred to the State Legislature. 92 Soon there came a strict order for the immediate sale of all the re- maining mission property except the mission buildings, the disposition of which still awaited the decision of the Legislature. In the meantime, civilians, soldiers, and even officers had taken up residence in the aban- doned missions. A fire, which started in the kitchen of a section occupied by a lieutenant of dragoons, spread and destroyed a good part of the buildings of Espada, but fortunately, the flames did not reach the chapel. Alcalde Tejada asked the Governor whether those living in Mission Espada could be required to help in the rebuilding, since most of them were former neophytes of the missions, and so might be con- sidered owners of the buildings, whereas the soldiers were only tempo- rary residents. Before receiving an answer, Saucedo forwarded another petition asking that the crumbling ruins of San Jose, San Juan, and Espada be given to settlers rather than be put up for auction. 93 9IWade, op. cit., 6. 92Gonzalez to Saucedo, August 25, 1825 ; Saucedo to Comisario Subalterno, December 7, 1825; Saucedo to Gonzalez, December 25, 1825; Gonzalez to Saucedo, January 11, 1826, Bexar Archives. UCJemente Tejada to Gonzalez, September 25, 1826; Saucedo to the Vice Governor, April 15, 1826; Saucedo lo Gonzalez, June 23, 1827, Bexar Archives.
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