USA > Texas > Bexar County > San Antonio > San Antonio de Bexar; a guide and history > Part 15
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The temptation to quote is constant ; in 1841 we read about the society of San Antonio as follows :
"We began, now, to have a society and great sociability amongst ourselves, the Americans. During this summer, 1841, Mr. Wilson Riddle brought his bride and Mr. Moore his family. These gentlemen were both merchants on Commerce street. Mr. John Twohig (the present banker) started a small grocery on the cor- ner of Commerce street and Main Plaza. Mrs. Jaques had a boarding house at south west corner of Commerce and Yturri streets. She had a considerable place rented from Yturri, boarded all the nice young Americans, and was very hospitable and pleasant. She was a good nurse, very kind to the sick and wounded, and was very popular with the gentlemen. . President Lamar, with a very considerable suite, visited San Antonio in June. A grand ball was given him in Mrs. Yturri's 'long room,'-all considerable houses had a · long room ' for recep- tions-the room was decorated with flags and evergreens, flowers were not much cultivated then ; at the ball General Lamar wore very wide trousers which, at the same time, were short enough to show the tops of his shoes. The General and Mrs. Juan N. Seguin, wife of the Mayor, opened the ball with a waltz.
We were forced to smile, for the gallant President, although a poet and a first rate conversationalist, could not dance. At this ball Hays, Chevalier and Howard had but one dress-coat between them, and they agreed to use the coat and dance in turn ; the ones not dancing would stand at the door and watch the happy tenant of the garment disporting himself on the floor, at the same time continually making faces to remind him that his time was up. Their by-play and good humor furnished quite a diversion and amused us very much.
" During this summer the American ladies led a lazy life of ease. We had plenty of books, including novels. We were all young, healthy and happy, and were content with each other's society. We read, joked and laughed away the time and in those days there were no envyings and no backbiting. Now that merchants were establishing themselves on Commerce street, bathing at our place had become rather public, so we ladies got permission of old Señora Treviño to erect a bath house on her premises, some distance north on Soledad street, afterwards the homestead of the Jaques family. Thither we went in a crowd every afternoon at about four o'clock, taking the children and their nurses with us and a dainty lunch prepared by one of us in turn to eat after the bath."
* Then the Parish Church.
P.M. Knight
1
SKETCHES OF WESTERN TEXAS.
COWBOY LIFE.
REESE LIBRARY OF THE
TTATTUTTITV
105
MEMOIRS OF MRS. M. A. MAVERICK.
An eccentric character of those days was a Doctor Weidemann,-his memory is worth keeping green as showing that the present cosmopolitan characteristics of San Antonio are congenital, so to speak. . " He was a Russian scholar and naturalist, and an excellent physician and surgeon ; a highly cultivated man and spoke many languages, and he had been a great traveler. He lived on the old Chavez place on Acequia street. I remember that on the night of the Indian fight of March 19th, 1840, I visited Mrs. Higginbotham, as I have before stated. While I was there Dr. Weidemann came up to her grated front window and placed a severed Indian head upon the sill. The good Doctor bowed courteously, and saying : 'With your permission, Madam,' disappeared. Presently he returned with another bloody head, when he explained to us that he had exam- ined all the dead Indians and had selected these heads, male and female, for the skulls, besides two entire bodies, to preserve as skeletons. He said, 'I have been longing exceedingly to secure such specimens, and now, ladies, I must get a cart to take them home.' Dr. Weidemann had taken an active part in the fight, and done good service mounted on his fine horse, and now he was all begrimed, bloody and dirty, the result of his labors as a warrior, surgeon and scientist. He soon returned with the cart loaded with his magnificent speci- mens, took the two heads from the window and departed.
That night he stewed the bodies in a soap boiler, and when the flesh was com- pletely dessicated, emptied the cauldron into the Acequia. Now, this ditch furnished the drinking water generally for the town; it being understood that the River and the San Pedro were reserved for bathing and washing. There was a city ordinance to this effect coupled with a heavy fine. On the 21st it dawned upon the dwellers on the banks of the ditch that the Doctor had defiled the drinking water, and that probably they had taken in particles of Indian in their fluid. The people, very properly, gathered in indignation, a mob rushed to the Mayor's office, the men talked in loud and excited tones, the women shrieked and cried, they rolled up their eyes in horror, they vomited, and some of them were so frightened that they suffered mis-carriage. Many thought they were poisoned and would die. Dr. Weidemann was arrested and brought to trial ; they overwhelmed him with abuse, and called him 'diablo,' 'demonio,' 'sin verguenza,' and so forth. He took it calmly, assured them the Indians had all sailed by in the night, paid his fine, and went away laughing. Once the Doctor lost his watch. He suspected one of his servants-José ; and after waiting in vain for him to confess and give up the property, he determined to get his own again by magic. He invited a party to see the fun, and arraying himself in a figured gown and a conical hat, and preparing a fire and cauldron on the roof of his house, he summoned all his servants to his presence and announced that they were all to dip their hands into the pot ; at the same time informing them that the hand of the guilty one would turn black. The conscience-stricken José waited till the last, all the others had come through the ordeal with clean hands. He at last approached, plunged in his hand, and when he withdrew it, lo, it was black ! The wretched man confessed in terror, and immediately gave up the watch. Thereafter no Mexican passed Dr. Weidemann without crossing himself, for they all firmly believed he was in league with the Devil. The Doctor told them that the
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spirits of the boiled Indians were under his control and told him everything. He set their skeletons up in his summer house and defied any one to steal from him ; it is needless to say his property was not further molested. The Doctor was drowned in 1843 or 1844 in attempting to swim Peach Creek near Gonzales, during a rise."
Mrs. Maverick gives a graphic account of the flight from San Antonio in 1842 on the approach of Vasquez. She mentions the burying of valuables, the disposing of doubloons in bustles manufactured for the occasion, the turning over of furniture to Mexican friends and other incidents of what is known as the "Runaway of '42." Mr. Maverick and many gentlemen escorted the ladies as far as the Capote Farm, the Erskine place, on the Guadalupe. "On the way from Capote Farm to Gonzales we passed King's rancho, which had just been deserted by the owners. Here was desolation amidst plenty. The corn-crib was full, the smoke-house well supplied, and chickens and hogs were running around as usual. On the front door was pasted the following notice : 'To all refugees, welcome; help your- selves to what you need. Also to all marching to repel the invaders, take what you want but leave the remainder to the next comers.' Hays reoccupied San Antonio, but the fugitives continued their flight first to Gonzales and afterwards to La Grange .: Mr. Maverick made a trip to Alabama and returning to San Antonio to the fall term of Court, was taken prisoner in the raid by Woll after a gallant but ineffectual resistance to a complete surprise."
San Antonio was again reoccupied by the Texans after the battle of the Salado, but too late to rescue the prisoners, largely on account of the jealousy of the commanding officers of the Texan forces, Moore, Morehead and Caldwell. Caldwell was the hero of the Salado, but Moore was the ranking officer. Each division wanted its own commander to lead, leaving Hays, who had already captured the Mexican Artillery, to maintain himself unsupported. The troops returned disgusted, in small squads, to San Antonio, Woll getting off in safety, his prisoners being already far on their way. Mr. Maverick was liberated in the City of Mexico on March 30th, 1843, through the good offices of General Waddy Thompson, a connection of his, and then United States Minister to Mexico. The remainder of the prisoners were not released by Santa Anna until June 16th of the same year. Mr. Maverick started for home on April 2d, and on " May 4th he dismounted at cur cabin on the Colorado." The family afterward removed to Decrow's Point, on Matagorda bay, remaining until October 15th, 1847. They found the town on their return much changed since '42, " emigrants arriving daily." " We moved directly to our old home, the fence was nearly gone and everything dilapidated." In July, 1850, what is known as the Maverick Homestead, was begun on the corner of Alamno Plaza and Houston street, although that street then had no existence, and years after its opening, was known as Paseo.
This date brings our quotations to an appropriate end. but we close the MS., this mirror of by-gone days, with regret. Our extracts have been limited to matters of general interest, and we commend them to the reader who lives in calmer times, and who would learn somewhat of the struggles to which he owes his present comfort, with the admonition to profit by them, not only by informing himself of the facts of history, but also by observing some of the spirit of that society which has created his own,
107
INTERVIEW WITH MRS. CANTERBURY.
Interview with Mrs. Canterbury.
"The Republic of Texas!" Nowadays when "The State of Texas" is so co11- stantly in our ears we are apt to "disremember" that our wide, broad, giant Texas was a star "apart", "lone," by itself and not of the great and glorious constellation. Every year makes the fact of the Republic less familiar, less palpable to 11s. Every year thins the ranks of that remnant which can claim that they were citizens of the Republic of Texas. Soon this will be a coveted family tradition. To-day real old timers are accorded a certain respect, not more indeed than is their due. One cannot help being reminded of that exquisite touch of Canon Kingsley in his famous "Westward Ho" by which he illustrates the deference-almost filial- of a younger generation to the old pioneer "Pelicans" who had sailed the world abont with their revered and worshipful Master Drake. What had not the "Pelicans" not endured? Fire, battle, murder, sudden death, torture, all this and more, was the portion of these "wilder comrades sworn to seek." What was there then for the sons of such fathers to do, but to emulate as far as easier times would allow so high an example? Now and then in those annals-mention is made of noble women who dared to share these perils and hardships. And in the annals of Texas-of the Texas Republic-that sort of woman was not so very rare. Scientists have adopted an "irresistible impulse theory" with regard to the tendency of people and races to travel-to pioneer-ever Westward, the course of the sun. Not an altogether new theory if one may credit the verse maker.
HE "The sun goes West, Why should not I? ~ ~ I still deem best That old time cry Of 'Westward Ho! My love don't you think so?"
SHE "My sun goes West Why should not I?"
It was such impulses that built the best of the Texas of the new regime. It required no weak impulses to dare the dangers of those early days-war- Indians-and an almost untried future were no inconsiderable trifles. There is something "deeper than the lips" in such a simple communication as "I came to Texas a bride in 1841."
"On May 22d 1841," said Mrs. Canterbury, "I came to San Antonio, a bride, with my husband Wilson Irvine Riddle. He was one of the earliest American merchants on Main street. I was a native of Virginia, my maiden name was Elizabeth Menefee. There was a Menefee, one of the signers of the Declara- tion of Independence of Texas, of our family I believe. I was married however in Tennessee. Colonel Hays, the noted Indian fighter was a commection of mine by marriage, he married my first consin-a Miss Calvert of Seguin. My husband's store was that little quaint two-storied building that still stands next to Sullivan's shoe store, now one door east of the corner of St. Mary's and Commerce streets. At that date it was one of the most important buildings on Main or Commerce street, and altogether considered to be the finest house in the town. It was some years subsequently rented by General
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Harney for $60 per month, as his residence and for a while military headquarters, and still later Major Belger made use of it as a Quartermaster's Depot. It was here that my daughter Mrs. Eagar, was born, as also my son James Wilson Riddle, a merchant of Eagle Pass, Texas. Mrs. Eagar was a child only ten days old when the Mexicans came on March 7th 1842, I was the last American lady to leave the city. I went to Gonzales and remained there from March to October 1842. In my flight I stayed at Don Manuel Flores ranch, a stopping place between San Antonio and Seguin. Mrs. Maverick went afterwards to Decrow's Point on the coast and stayed there about five years. It was a terribly anxious time for the women. After all, these Mexicans under Vasquez, were little more than a band of marauders. And when in September of the same year, Woll was reported as advancing upon San Antonio with a large force, many of the citizens determined if possible to make some kind of defence, but so strong a force was very much of a surprise, and many of the citizens were made prisoners, even as the District Court was sitting. It was a much more serious affair than the investment of the city under Vasquez in the spring. Our store was robbed of all our goods- and a claim against Mexico for the damage done us, is still unsettled. The claim was made through the British government, for my husband was a British subject, but in the midst of the many important events that quickly followed each other at that epoch, the claim although acknowledged to be a just one was neglected. When it will be settled I know not. Fifty-three good citizens were taken and put in chains by Woll, and marched all the weary way to the City of Mexico. I knew most of them well. My husband was chained to Win. E. Jones. His. brother to John Twohig, the banker-at the time John Twohig had a general store at the corner of Main Plaza and Main street, where Deutsch's store is. He coolly blew up his store-declaring that no man should rob him of his goods. Sam A. Maverick had for a companion Major Colquhoun, I believe-then there were John Bradley the father of Mrs. Waelder, James Truehart, Judge Hutcheson, Dr. Hatch, Dr. Booker, Dr. Mackay, Duncan B. Ogden and many others. I have a list but don't know just where to find it now. Many men were killed a few days after in the fight on the Salado. It was a dreadful time. I also knew many of the Mier prisoners-that was a sad bit of history-you have heard all about that I expect.
Soon after I came, my husband gave me a piano-it was about the first in Texas. I was the only player in San Antonio then-I still play a little. I had that piano until a few months ago, when I sold it for $16; I am sorry now that I sold it. I still have my old music stool. When the Mexicans came I had my piano hastily boxed, and on my return, that, my music stool and a rocker were almost my only household possessions. Many of the prominent Mexican families were at first wealthy and well-to-do, but they had to live, and they were not mer- chants, and extensive farming was out of the question on account of the great danger of Indian raids-they did not dare trust themselves for long, out of town, so their great estates dwindled, and passed into the hands of others. I have seen many and vast changes in San Antonio."
Many other interesting matters were discussed by Mrs. Canterbury, and per- sonal recollections were given of events, the history of which will be learnt in school by the children of Texas for many future generations.
109
INTERVIEW WITH RT. REV. BISHOP NERAZ.
A Talk with the Rt. Rev. Bishop Neraz
About the Old Records of the Church and the Missions.
I shall not soon forget my interview with Bishop Neraz. The meeting at which much of the information herein written was obtained was one which im- pressed me much. It was an appointment.
The morning was a lovely one in June, warm outside but cool and airy in the high rooms of the plain but comfortable house on Dwyer Avenue. Would I please come up stairs, the Bishop was somewhat lame by reason of advancing years, and found it difficult to move about ? I found him busy in his rooms but he put aside his work upon my entrance and bid me draw a chair towards his desk. He received me with a direct kindliness of manner at which had there been any restraint it must have vanished at once. A mixture of quiet dignity and simplic- ity one does not wonder in his presence that he is Catholic Bishop of San Antonio.
Said the good Bishop "I have brought here the records that you wished to see, some of the old archives of our Church and the Missions, we will look them over together-there they are," said he, pointing to his bookshelf-"Will you please bring them to the desk here?" Taking up the top volume I found the leaves of the second one to be loose, and before I could secure them a gust of the breeze through the open windows had scattered them over the floor. The Bishop in spite of my remonstrance hastened to help me to gather them up and laughingly remarked " We must take great care of these, the wind is fresh this morning," and then we sat down to talk and write. I had written to the Bishop some few days previously, enclosing at his desire, a string of questions, so he knew just about what I wanted. "Your letter came to me," he said, "and I know what ,you require. I wish that you had come to me some years ago, for my memory is not so good as it used to be for these things. I used to have charge of the records and formerly made it my business to know all about them, but I will tell you what I remember. It is very much to be regretted that many of our church records were destroyed by the fire in the Priest House on March 23rd, 1869. Many of the older records were removed to Zacatecas by the Mexican military authorities in 1824. I do not know why they took them from here nor if they are still in existence at Zacatecas or elsewhere, but it is a fact that many were taken there. The volumes that I have here are very old and about the most interesting that we now possess, they are of various matters concerning the church." The books were in manuscript and bound in thick brown rudely tanned leather or hide, worn smooth by much use and stitched here and there with laces of hide, most of them were quarto shape, eight by ten inches or thereabout, varying a little. The character of the writing was mostly good, some of it, however, was difficult to decipher, many of the "ss" were made in the old fashioned way like "ff" and this made some of the Indian names at first sight a little doubtful, for instance. Tilosa read like Tilofa ; Pasala, like Pafala and there were other peculiarities of the times and style in which they were written, The Bishop made many running translations from the Spanish which I did my best to follow.
" Here is an old book," continued the Bishop, "It is the Record of Marriages of Mission Concepcion, I think it will interest you. There is the original record
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you see 'Mission Concepcion, Pueblo de Acuña, founded March 5th, 1731, on the border of the River of San Antonio.' Here follow 'Marriages of the same Mission 1733 to 1790,' let us make excerpts of the different Indian nations men- tioned in this record of marriages. The first marriage is Joseph Flores of the nation Patumaco with Efiegenia of the nation Pasalat. The second is Juachin Antonio, of the nation Patumaco, with Brigida of the nation Pachalque. The third is Christoval, of Nacion Grande de Patalca, with Beatriz, of the nation Tilosa, and so on, in 1736 there appear to have been no marriages. Other nations recorded here are Narame, Siquipil, Tilpocopal, Pusan, Pasalat, Pamache, Chayopina and the eighty-first marriage is that of Berndino Chaygoya of the nation Patumaco, with Antonia of the nation Apache."
"Here is a 'Book in which are entered the Baptismal Records which were made of the children of the Second Company of Volunteers de San Carlos de Parras which stayed (or remained) in the Alamo. The Chaplain of it being Brn. Don Manuel Saenz de Juan Corena, and it begins on March 1st, 1788.' The book is apparently opened however on February 6th 1788. The Alamo is also herein mentioned as 'The Pueblo of San José,' a style it bore at one short period of the Mission's History; this book runs on till after 1806 when there is a note to the effect that the Chaplain José Bravo having died then, one Clemente de Arocha took the place of him. It is in the beginning of this book that we find the mnemo- randum that 'On May 8th, 1744 the first (or corner stone) of the new Church of San Antonio (de Valero) was blessed, being at the time Clergymen of the Mission, Diego Martin Garcia, Mariano Francisco de los Dolores and Friar Juan de los Angeles. In proof of which I sign my name in the Mission of San Antonio September 29th, 1745'-here follow the three signatures-this however is appar- ently a copy of an original entry, made at the date of the opening of this book.
"The next volume is a book of Episcopal orders, the first signed August 6th 1761 concerning various matters of Church Government, these orders were brought by courier in advance of the visitation of the Bishop, we shall see men- tion of this later. The first lengthy order in this book refers to previous general orders from Rome dated 1681, this is in October 1761. Very likely if we went through all this we should find many interesting references to doings of the times. "This book," said the Bishop, taking up another, "is of similar intention to the last, it is the record of "The Bishop of the 2nd Mitre, begining 1795'-it is styled Book 2. Number 1 was probably lost in the fire. It contains copies of 'Letters Pastoral and orders which belong to the town of San Fernando, Royal Province of San Antonio de Bexar,' they seem to have been sent in advance of the Bishop of New Leon (Nueva Leone) by courier and in order that there shall be no miscar- riage of the document, note that the instructions to the recipients are 'and you will hold this until the Bishop makes his visitation, when it is to be signed by him,' afterwards it is sent to the next church and so on and here is a list of the parishes to which this letter was sent : Cordillera, (Hills), Cerrio, Santiago, San Cantez(?) San Nicholas, Croizer(?) Cruallay, Burgos, San Fernando,* Reynosa, Camargo, Mier, Bahia, Bexar, Nacogdoches. (Some names are difficult to decipher) "and see the careful way," said the Bishop, turning to the end of the volume, "in
*Probably the San Fernando a Mexican border town, i. e. Rio Grande border.
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which any interpolations or additions to the letters were avoided or inade imposible, "This book has 752 pages used but there could be used 757,' and here are the five blank pages at the end."
"The next book we come to is a book of the Baptisms, etc., of the Mission of San José-the Second Mission as we call it-here is a memorandum of its contents :
Baptisms of the Mission of San Jose 1777 to 1823, and one of 1824.
Marriages "
- 1778 to 1824.
Burials 66
1781 to 1824.
This same book also contains the same records for San Juan and San Francisco de la Espada Missions from 1818 to 1824 which is evidence perhaps that the Missions were already becoming of less importance.
"This last is a 'Book of the Government (or Administration) and Visitation of the Foreign Vicar of the Province of Texas, being Don Juan Nepomuceno de la Peña. Ano de 1825.' It opens with a circular letter sent by courier, dated December, 1824, entitled 'Orders of the Church concerning Civil and Eclesiastical administration together,' and signed Sor. Col. Cont. Citizen Estevan de Ostin. It also contains the orders of the Bishop to the Priest.
"We have other Records but this is a representative lot and perhaps these are as interesting as any.
"I am not sure whether Don Juan Nepomuceno de la Peña, the Foreign Vicar (Vicario foraneo) of 1825 was the last President of the Missions, or more likely perhaps Francisco Maynes who was named Foreign Vicar by Señor Dn. D. Leon Lobo Guerrero, Vicar __ Capitular and administrator of the Diocese of Mon- terey, on September 30th 1825. Ah-I remember-certainly F. Maynes for he was the Reverend President at the time when the Superior of the Franciscans came and passed, or delivered to the Bishop of Monterey all the Missions and their lands. Most of the lands of the Missions had been divided among the Indians be- longing to each, with the exception of, it appears, fifteen acres which the Mexican Government attached to and granted to each Mission. The lands were I believe given or distributed to the Indians by suertes or lots. Bishop Odin bought back some of the suertes and the taxes of this land have been paid by the Church ever since. The Church has been in possession of the Mission properties since 1824 or January 1825. Some of these facts may be seen in the deeds to Bishop Odin. The state never excluded the rights of the occupants as has been averred, on the contrary, it recognized their rights as is proved by the result of the law suits gained by Bishop Odin in 1856. Mr. Altgelt knows a good deal about these matters. He has in his possession a book which gives the history and laws re- garding these lands and transactions.
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