The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912 Page: 12
382 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Texas Historical Association Quarterly
tember, 1719.-The lay brother fled back to Margil's mission, the
bearer of his own startling news and of more given him by the
friendly French soldiers. His was the first intimation the Texas
Spaniards had that their stronghold of Pensacola had been cap-
tured. The French soldiers had told him that a hundred men
were hourly expected from Xatchitoches to mete out a fate like
that of los Adaes to the rest of the Texas missions. Speeding the
lay brother on with the news to the other missions, Father Margil
buried his iron tools and implements, gathered together his orna-
ments, and retired to Concepci6n.1 The information had spread
terror to the other missions. The captain, who then was Domingo
Ram6n, and his few soldiers at the presidio of Nuestra Seniora de
los Dolores, adjacent to the mission of Concepci6n, were for im-
mediate flight; the eight women at the presidio clamored to be
allowed to retreat, willing to risk the Indians and the wilds alone
with two soldiers. On Father Margil's arrival, the religious held
council. According to the fathers, they tried to induce the cap-
tain to await further developments, since the Indians had offered
to put out spies and warn them of any French advance, and the
fathers urged that there could be no immediate danger, as they
were then more than a hundred leagues away from the French.
But persuasion was of no avail, we are told, and in spite of oppo-
sition, the families, soldiers, and some of the religious to whom
the spirit of fear had been communicated, began their withdrawal,
and camped half a league from the Mission of San Francisco
de los Texas, just east of the Neches River. Father Espinosa re-
mained in his mission of Concepci6n, trying to quiet the Indians
who rebelled at the Spaniards' leaving. In order to assure them
that the Spanish intended to return, he finally left some of the
fixings of the mission in their care. But when he retired to Mis-
sion San Francisco, the Indians followed, determined that the
Spaniards should not withdraw. Trhus it was decided that the rest
might retreat, but not beyond the farthest ranches of the T6xas
'A document recently acquired shows that when Aguayo departed from
Texas, at Father Espinosa's request he commissioned Lieutenant Juan
Antonio de Lara to make judicial inquiry into the circumstances of the
abandonment of eastern Texas in 1719; and the testimony given shows
that a soldier named Xavier Maldonado accompanied the lay brother
from Los Ais to the Presidio of Dolores, and that Capt. Ram6n sent
Alferez Marcial Saucedo with six men to escort Father Margil to the
presidio. (Informe sobre el Despuebla De las Miss's de Texas.)--H. E. B.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912, periodical, 1912; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101056/m1/16/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.