Tlee Founding of Mission Nuestra Senora del Reft,gio
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A month later, in March, 1798, Father Garavito informed the author- ities that the Rosario Indians could not remain much longer as guests at Refugio. He related that when the regular neophytes of his mission were about to set out for a short vacation on the coast, their chief told him, "Let the Rosario Indians eat our cattle while we are gone to fish. We hope their children will have to go and hunt for food in the woods when the cattle are gone." The Padre complained that the unwelcome guests committed many abuses, were insolent, and refused to help the others. Their presence was demoralizing the neophytes of Refugio, who could not understand the reason that their visitors enjoyed so many privileges. He could not understand the insistence of the commandant general on this unnatural and prejudicial arrangement. It did not help the Rosario Indians very much and was completely ruining Refugio. He warned that he would not be responsible for the consequences. Elguezabal seems not to have understood the attitude of Father Garavito and attributed his objections to a lack of cooperation. Governor Munoz was puzzled by the contradictory reports of the missionary and the captain at La Bahia, and regretted that his continued illness prevented him from personally investigating the true state of affairs. 95 It was almost a year before the Rosario Indians were finally returned to their mission. Indian /1-ostilities and depredations at Re/11-gio. Let it not be thought that the Rosario-Refugio tilt was the only incident which disturbed the peace and harmony of Mission Refugio. The enmity between the neophytes of the two missions went back to the very reestablishment at Santa Gertrudis. Shortly before, a Coco named Chepillo, who was an apostate from Rosario living with the Guapites and the Copanos after killing a soldier, came to Refugio while the mission was still at its original location. He sent his squaw to talk to the Padre in his behalf, but became panicky and left without waiting for a reply. Two months later he returned, and Father Silva offered to forget the past if he would give up his evil ways and join the mission. He promised to reform, but three days later, in company with several other Rosario Indians, he killed the fattest cow of the Refugio herd and insolently brought the ill-gotten prize to the mission. When reprimanded by Father Silva, he flew into a rage and even threatened the Padre. Chepillo gave trouble to the mission and La Bahia for six years. He became the leader of a 95 Jose Antonio de Jesus Garavito to Juan Bautista Elguezabal. March 2 S, I 798; Elguezabal to Manuel Munoz, March 28, 1798; Munoz to Elguezabal, April 3, 1798. Bexar Archives.
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