Show phe ets n a v V 3 Cradle of Libert Liberty ua w r. r af A AY Y tr 7 o Z x bi E Y l v r li y i r d t tr J no 4 ti bf 5 t yN r S ax t t j t t 1 Jl i 4 f 6 1 11 1 Jr f 4 r i k i i 1 r t j. j rr Y t f. f V rs i f I V 4 L f I m X t J d t tbt bt i J r tl i lt f I r v Y d 71 J w l I. I g. g i t t i 1 J- J tL t 5 t 0 x J. h v f tJ t- t fM Ja f. f l r iM a tir f t i f f qs j 1 fE j j J y r Ya Wm 7 2 tt r J o. o 1 X Hf u nas 1 C r s r J J S r ALAND s N S t aZ t ij t c 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON T IS doubtful If It the tile American Legion could have done a n more appropriate thing than It did when It selected San Antonio Te Texas hs for the scene of Its annual convention For Vor the tenth anniversary of their successful fight tight for human liberty will find them assembled In the city of the Alamo the cradle of Texas liberty and the shrine of all Americans AmE who cherish the memory of such valiant Tallant fighters in the defense of their country as were those heroes of the Lone Star state More than that the gathering of the Legion In n San Antonio on October 8 S to 12 will be a homecomIng homecoming home homecoming coming for many of its members More Clore than men were trained for World war sen servIce Ice at the the- military camps in or near San Antonio- Antonio Fort Sam Houston Camp Travis Camp Stanley Camp Bullis Camp Normo le the San Antonion arsenal the ol camp at Leon Springs and at Kelly FI Fields No 1 2 and 3 and 3 and some of them proved pro on the battlefields of France that Alamo stuff was more than Just a tradition Inspiring as Is the story of the Alamo It Is not the only interesting Incident In the romantic history his Ills history tory of San Antonio That history Jo goes s ba bark back k exactly ex four centuries Although the city itself dates from 1718 It was as long ago ngo ns as l 1028 1523 S that there were set In Jn motion the chain of events which hIed led to the estal establishment of a white settlement there A shipwreck brought the first white men to 0 the soil of of Texas A Spanish explorer Cabe Cabeza de deaca deVaca aca Vaca and his companions were stranded on its shores In that year They lived amon among the Indians for some time and although most of the company died during this time De Ie Vaca managed to make malte his way eventually to tl the Spanish settlements In Mexico Shipwreck again played a part In that history wh when n La Ia Salle the dauntless FI French explorer In his search for tor the mouth of the Mississippi was driven far from flOm his course by storms and finally landed at nt Lavaca La hay bay In 1635 There he lie founded Fort St. St Louis left a part of 01 his men to 0 found u u ti I colon colony and started out out In his search which ended when he was killed by hy one of hIs bis own men But nut the founding of this colony stirred th the Spanish toan to toan tonn an nn effort to colonize th the great Southwestern rn empire m em pare pire hl which l lay Iny as CIS a middle ground of content contention Ion between the Spanish h to th south Routh and l we west nest t Mexico Mex leo ico and Central America and the French and Ush lish In what Is now the United States to the en east 1 and north In their effort to hem In the French In Louisiana Louisi ana nna the Spaniards f established a fort tort and a mission mis mis- stun sion on the river and anel In the struggle lp with the French which followed they started a n lint line of ot otI I missions across Texas In 1710 1716 The year yeara a 8 Trench party on Its way to Mexico City to trade I with the Spaniards lied hod noticed the tho favorable fa site of the present city of San AntonIo Antonin and laid their plans to plant n R colony there But Hut Spain anticipated France Trance and find In 1718 1118 a n party purt of Spanish Spin Span ish soldiers E EI missionaries and arrived cd there established tire the Mission Alamo and built hullt a lIIa village e. e Later Inter four other missions wC were e I fished near by and these five ancient buildings s sare are landmarks which will speak most eloquently of ot San Sun Antonio's Antonios historic past to the visiting Le i Nearest to the city and best hest preserved is Mission Mis Ails sion elan Concepcion which was first established not far tar from the present site of ot Houston louston and removed to the vicinity of San Antonio In 1729 1720 It Is hullt built In the form of ot a 0 cro cross s with Its twIn towers ci crowned owned by hy a n Moorish dome which today as for tor forthe forthe the past paRt years echoes bark back the liturgy of th the church and it Is distinguished for the blurred remains remains re reo mains of th the brilliantly beautiful frescoes which once adorned It Plainer and Whore more simple In to Its Us construction than ConcepcIon Is Mission SanJuan San SanJuan Juan Junn de Capistrano which Is still used as os a chup- chup el by hy the people of the little near neur at hand ram who are arl said to hear In their faces and chara characteristics character ter more traces of their Indian ancestors than ore found elsewhere In Texas today Close to this mission Is the old aqueduct built hullt b by the InUrns In In- Urns llen 1 under tinder the direction of the friars I lied b by the ravages of ot years year the stones of Its Lc 0 o Alamo Stuff o J f Alamo tuff stuff was the comment of American sol 01 oJ- oJ 1 sc c diers on OD the heroic resistance of seven of their num- num c ber who were cut o of at a listening post pent in is a German j c S. S raid and who fought to the death 6 i sj Out at the listening post at night ss o It c Under the rockets rocket glow y The me shells hells are screaming in deadly flight i s. s They've curtained us u. here bere we knew i t c They're charging fast over No Mans Man's Land y oe And ADd were we're In to for a time tune that's rough y c But remember that li iris UtI Texas band band band- j j X We must show how em the Alamo stuff tuff of i o rt V 1 So 50 It Its It's Ibo shoot shoat t at the shadows nor nor watch men fan fall 1 V e They must pay say for or each Yank Vank they get Id p J 4 Well We'll make It a dashed ex expensive call i ic Pt c For these first real roal Huns Huna weve we've met s sy e 0 y So keep the lead ead going gorn then club your gun Iun y c And Hard bard out the farewell cuff V The Texas tr rit is I. ca' ca ed on on aD son can can- on- on it tt c Now show how em the Alsmo Ahmo stuff I j V y c i Out at the listening post at morn V j i Where Inn brave men meD chose chase to de die i Mere Here neath the flesh nuh of shells was born j tt t J t c The new worlds world battle Cl cry J Born of the West West our our o own frontier frontier- t J Where me men nc neer ne'er er cried elough c They died but Te Tet tan hosts aba ahat fear s That war call Al Alamo mo stuff I I V c Arthur Chapman Chipman c c low massive arches still supports one of If the first firM Irrigation systems of Its kind In the United States tnt s and rt still II carries Its waters over Piedra crock creek to the homes homs and ranches he beyond ond A road from fromm m in Juan Tuan leads to Mission San Francisco ro dp tle F. F rv n-rv n. n noted for tor the throe three hells bell s In It Its tower which still summon the faithful to worship But the gem em of the missions is San Jose Tole Jo P railed called by some architects the tile most beautiful of till nil tp the ti worlds world's missions lons famous for It Its v. v v carved ed facade and ond the rose window with Its wrought wrO Iron grill According to tn I legend e there carvings were made by hy n a sculptor named mined 1111 I c who feel from Spain to the wilds of Texas yi T ml to seek ppl of a n sweetheart who had proved pro un an faithful A Around these missions centered the life of San Ran Antonio the ancient with the friars their Indian charges s R In ways of pc pence and them the white mans man's a oR of 11 the soil II taut caring for their herds s and flocks That life WH I was ely comparatively untouched bv In outside o farces forcey c en even after the turning tinning point In the history of or that rp re glon glen came In 1803 when Thomas inn mode made do dohis his famous Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon on The only change p that came shout about whirl which affected affect ed cd San Antonio directly however howe was wh when l Mex Mexico Ico co won wart her Independence from Spain nod and M can troops occupied I to he be held heir In the and the A merle owed That s sti when the A Aind m me rose Jn in th the Mexican rut nil Gonzales and a of ot that year On December which continued d tonio was capt was expelled fro this assault that the army urmy of ot Tex there was some would he be Finally It was d dt made mude and n a cull call the attack At Benjamin R R. R M fi figure appeared d Who will go w tonio There which wj which of ot the city Go Co j tt r cTt cT f that time occupied the Old palace the restoration of which Is now being planned by the city of San Antonio and in the yard of this palace Milam was shot down as he was leading his Ms men mento mento mento to the attack With these events as ns preliminaries the stage was rapidly being set for the most glorious Incident foci Inci dent In San Antonios Antonio's history After occupying San Antonio the Texans fortified the buildings of ot the Mission 1 Alamo as strongly ns as possible und and waited the attack which they knew Santa Anna the dictator of Mexico was Vas preparing to launch against them The commander of ot the forces ps Inthis in inthis this tills Improvised fort was Cot Col Co William Barrett Barrett Bar Bar- rett Travis a young law lawyer er from North Carolina arolina Associated with him was Col James Tames Bowie Bowle of r Gc-r Georgia lo famous as fiS the originator of the Bowie le knife of sinister frontier fame and Col Cot David Crock Crockett tt the ramous famous amous hear hunter of Tennessee The fhe fora under these lenders leaders con consisted of ot only officers and men against t whom Santa Anna was soon 1 to hurl the power of more than f 0 Mexican re regulars On I February 21 21 1830 Santa Anna appeared before be hE fore the flee fort and demanded It Its surrender f r. r a n demaud de maud mand which Travis ls met by hy a shot from his hattI hat hat- tI and nel the displaying of hl his flag Santa Anna I cU displayed a red banner r sl signifying I tint no quarter cl would be he given and he began nn er erect erect- ct h hg batteries Although Travis lg and find his men mf might ht even p en th then n have hn escaped he lint no thought of do doIng Ing lag such uh n a thIn thing Instead lip hp sent out rup messengers wn to Ms his fellow citizens ens of Texas appealing nl for aid and nr declaring that he be would never surrender orrett or rett retreat Ert It TI The story of what happened thereafter is oo roo familiar to tn need detailed l retelling hC here Ie For all aU Americans ns now Know how ho Col III Tamps Butler r thin nun hunt ham n a young voting South Carolinian ar volunteered to break through the Mexican Ihl lines aril arid ride for far re rp- how he reached Colonel Fannin at nt I miles mlle awn away and how Itow when Tannins Tannin's relief force foice of O men through h a n series rl f-rl s of mt mK fortune wi nas unable to continue 1 rode rails on un nione to tn rejoin Travis Trl 1111 although hp hf knew that hp hO n was a ac rifling riding to his iris tenth death When h lit III- finally mad mad- hl his WD way Into the Alamo n again hp he found fourd that opt 1 J J. W W. Smith and a It little hand of nf ofa a 2 homes hor had cut their theli tw WI wiy iy through h Santa Sante Annas Anna's hosts to 0 die dIp with Travis Bowie Dowie Crockett and the others thew I The story tur of their thE death has often been told told told- an un 11 day siege Il p and then n a final assault I on March 0 Ii which s the walls of the fort and surrounds sur surrounds rounds the gallant I little It tiP hand band with n a ring of fire rind and steel 1 Travis and antl Bonham are killed while serving the guns Bowie Howle 1 lying ln on n a sickbed le lees leesa ives ivesa a trail of dead dEHl Me Mexicans lc-ans lc from flom the door of his j room to th the side of nf hl his bed before the they do hint tn to lentil and one of theta them lies sprawled across the then's I n's ns body with Ith that awful American knife I II cl cl deep eIt In his heart I Crockett stands stands' at ot hay boy j the churchyard swinging ln an nn lion Iron hall flail of nf death dEuth is his hla famous rifle Old Bets Betsy which h has hns fired I last shot hot The Th Mexicans le are arp plied piled before olin 1 heaps lint but numbers tell th they swarm about j I j I n u 11 they leap upon him like hounds upon n a great I I 1 IJ ig g. g they pull him down bury their hn bayonets ot ts II in j I j great t heart henrt spurn purn him trample upon him spit I I t on him hIm so so h he snakes makes a n fine ene end And thus J I Iy all died died ALL for the monument at Austin I j I e C state capital tells their story In this line liar lae has Its messenger of defeat the I lamo had none I A little more than a n month later an tin army 01 I led by hy grim old Sum Hum Houston swept the eld o of San with Ith the cr cry of or I lie to 10 Alamo I I and the Independence ce of Texas Witson Wits was t I Ion Ion on on Anti And that flint I Is why II San Antonio Is famous fl itS as I I pie re 10 ct city of the Alamo the rr cradle of ot Texas lit lib 13 Could there b be a II better hetter place for n a group If t f men who have e tou fought ht In II d defense of ot rt to teem lee and commune on ml among them themselves es el ns as ns' ns to It I- I low ow hp best hest t the liberties of or their country may muy be served reserved |