CHAPTER Ill
AFTERMATH OF THE SAN SABA MASSACRE
Were one inclined to reflect on the consequences of a man's misconduct, Captain Felipe Rabago y Teran might be held responsible for a series of misfortunes that brought down upon the Spaniards the relentless enmity of the northern tribes, which resulted in the destruction of the Mission of San Saba, and occasioned the death of ten men, two missionaries among them. The failure of the San Xavier missions, as a consequence of his ill-advised conduct, caused the officials in Mexico to accede eventually to the removal of the original presidio to the San Saba River and the incrense of its garrison to one hundred men in order to afford greater protection to the persecuted Apaches. These Indians had requested and begged, impelled by fear and dire necessity, the establishment of missions for their people in their country. To befriend them proved a serious error, which resulted almost in the loss of Spanish power in Texas. Within a year after the establishment of the first mission and the new Presidio de San Luis de las Amarillas on the San Saba River, before the faithless Apaches had fulfilled their promise and entered the mission, the northern tribes swept down upon the two establishments, surprised the mission, killed its defenders, martyred two missionaries, and burned and pillaged the whole place. Panic seized the entire Spanish frontier. The daring of the Indians of the north was unparalleled in the annals of Spanish Texas. In fact in the annals of Spanish colonization subdued Indians had revolted, but never had a Spanish fort and mission been attacked by a force of natives bent upon revenge and conquest. Hurried appeals for help went unheeded. Every commander along the frontier felt that his post might be the next objective of the daring hordes, who embold- ened by their initial success might continue their sanguinary exploits. 1 Proposed removal to tlte San ill arcos or tire Guadalupe Rivers. The first impulse of those at San Saba, seeing that no aid came and still dreading a new attack, was to abandon the place. In fact not a few of the soldiers deserted leaving their families behind. The commander was truly perplexed. With about four hundred men. women, and children 1 For details of the massacre at San Saba and tht: frantic efforts to ~t:cure aid, :'ee C. E. Castaneda, The 1Uissio11s at Work (Our Cat/10/ic Herilc1g,: i11 T,:xas, \'olume Ill, Chapter VIII), [ 99]
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