JOHN HENRY BROWN

Before narrating the painful scenes attending the attempt to form a colony of Europeans and Americans on the Rio Grande, about thirty miles above the present town of Eagle Pass, begun, in New York in November, 1833, and terminated in bitter failure and the slaughter of a portion of the colonists on the 2nd of April, 1836, a few precedent facts are condensed for the intelligent and comprehensive understanding of the subject. 

Dr. John Charles Beales, born in Aldborough, Suffolk county, England, May 20, 1804, went to Mexico, and in 1830 married the widow of Richard Exter, an English merchant in that country. She was a Mexican lady, her maiden name having been Maria Dolores Soto. Prior to her death Mr. Exter had become associated in certain empresario contracts for introducing colonists into the northern or rather New Mexico, with Stephen Julian Wilson, an English naturalized citizen of Mexico. 

In 1832 Dr. Beales and Jose Manuel Roquella obtained from the State of Coahuila and Texas the right to settle colonists in the following described limits: 

Beginning at the intersection of latitude 32 degrees north with longitude 102 degrees west from London, the same beginning the southwest corner of a tract petitioned for by Col. Reuben Ross; thence west on the parallel of latitude 32 to the eastern limit of New Mexico and the provinces (the State) of Coahuila and Texas, to a point twenty leagues (52 2-3 miles) south of the Arkansas river; thence east to longitude 102 on the west boundary (really the northwest corner) of the tract petitioned for by Col. Ross; thence south to the place of beginning. Beales and Roquella employed Mr. A. LeGrand, an American, to survey and mark the boundaries of this territory and divide it into twelve or more blocks. LeGrand, with an escort and proper outfit, arrived on the ground from Santa Fe, and established the initial point, after a series of observations, on the 27th day of June, 1833. From that date until the 30th of October he was actively engaged in the work of running lines north, south and west over most of the territory. In the night eight inches of snow fell, and on the 30th, after several days' examination of its topography, he was at the base of the mountain called by the Mexicans "La Sierra Oscura." Here, for the time being, he abandoned the work and proceeded to Santa Fe to report to his employers. Extracts from that report form the base for these statements: 

Neither Beales and Roquella nor Col. Reuben Ross ever proceeded further in these enterprises; but it is worthy of note that LeGrand preceded Capt. R. B. Marcy, U. S. A. twenty-six years in the exploration and survey of the upper waters of the Colorado, Red, Canadian and Washita rivers, a field in which Capt. Marcy has worn the honors of first explorer from the dates of his two expeditions, respectively, 1849 and 1853. LeGrand's notes are quite full, noting the crossing of every stream in all of his 1800 to 2000 miles in his subdivision of that large territory into districts or blocks number 1 to 12. 

LeGrand, in his diary, states that on the 14th of August: "We fell in with a party of Riana Indians, who informed us they were on their way to Santa Fe for the purpose of treating with the government. We sent by them a copy of our journal to this date." 

On the 20th of August they visited a large encampment of Comanche Indians, who were friendly and traded with them. 

On the night of September 10th, in the country between the Arkansas and the Canadian, five of the party, Kimble, Bois, Baseboth, Boring and Ryan, deserted, taking with them all but four of LeGrand's horses. 

On the 21st of September, near the northeast corner of the tract they saw to the west, a large body of Indians. This was probably in "No Man's Land," now near the northeast corner of Sherman county, Texas. 

On the night of September 27th, twenty miles west of the northeast corner of Sherman county, they were attacked by a body of Snake Indians. The action was short but furious. The Indians evidently expecting to surprise and slaughter the party while asleep, left nine warriors dead on the ground. But the victors paid dearly for their triumph; they lost three killed, McCrummins, Weathers and Jones, and Thompson was slightly wounded. They buried the dead on the 28th and remained on the ground until the 29th. The country over which this party carried the compass and chain, between June 27th and October 30th, 1833, measured about 1.900 miles, covers about the western half of the present misnamed Texas Panhandle, the western portion (or strip thereof) of the present New Mexico, the western portion of "No Man's Land," and south of the Panhandle to latitude 32. The initial or southeast corner (the intersection of longitude 102 with latitude 32), judging by our present maps, was in the vicinity of the present town of Midland, on the Texas and Pacific Railway, but LeGrand's observation must necessarily have been imperfect and fixed the point erroneously. It was, however, sixteen miles south of what he called throughout the "Red River of Texas," meaning the Colorado or Pasigono, while he designates as "Red River" the stream still so called. 

Dr. Beales secured in his own name a right to settle a colony extending from the Nueces to the Rio Grande and lying above the road from San Antonio to Laredo. Next above, extending north to latitude 32, was a similar privilege granted to John L. Woodbury, which extended, as did a similar concession to Dr. James Grant, a Scotchman, naturalized and married in Mexico (the same who was killed by the Mexican army on its march to Texas in February, 1836, in what is known as the Johnson and Grant expedition, beyond the Nueces river), and various others. Dr. Beales entered into some kind of partnership with Grant for settling colonists on the Rio Grande and the Nueces tract, and then, with Grant's approval, while retaining his official position as empresario, or contractor with the State, formed in New York an association styled the "Rio Grande and 'Texas Lane Company," for the purpose of raising means to encourage immigration to the colony from France, Ireland, England and Germany, including also Americans. Mr. Eggerton, an English surveyor, was sent out first to examine the lands and select a site for locating a town, and the first immigrants. He performed that service and returned to New York in the summer of 1833. 

The Rio Grande Land Company organized on a basis of capital "divided into 800 shares, each containing ten thousand acres, besides surplus land." Certificate No. 407, issued in New York, July 11, 1834, signed Isaac A. Johnson, trustee; Samuel Sawyer, secretary, and J. C. Beales, empresario, with a miniature map of the lands, was transmitted to me as a present or memento, as the case might be, in the year 1874, by my relative, Hon. Wm. Jessop Ward, of Baltimore, and now lies before me. As a matter of fact, Beales, like all other empresarios under the Mexican colonization laws, contracted or got permission to introduce a specified number of immigrants (800 in this case) and was to receive a given amount of premium land in fee simple to himself for each hundred families so introduced. Otherwise he had no right to or interest in the lands, and all lands not taken up by immigrants as headrights, or awarded him as premiums within a certain term of years from the date of the contract, remained, as before, public domain of the State. Hence the habit generally adopted by writers and mapmakers of styling these districts of country "grants" to A, B, or C, was and ever has been a misnomer. They were in reality only permits. 

The first, and so far as known or believed, the only body of immigrants introduced by Dr. Beales, sailed with him from New York, in the schooner Amos Wright, Captain Moore, November 11, 1833. The party consisted of fifty-nine souls, men, women and children, but how many of each class cannot be stated. 

On the 6th of December, 1833, the Amos Wright entered Aransas Bay, finding nine feet of water on the bar; on the 12th they disembarked and pitched their tents on the beach at Copano and there remained until January 3, 1834, finding there only a Mexican coast guard consisting of a corporal and two men. On the 15th of December Don Jose Maria Cosio, collector of customs, came down from Goliad (the ancient La Bahia) and passed their papers and goods as correct and was both courteous and kind. Throughout the remainder of December, January and February there were rapidly succeeding wet and cold northers, indicating one of the most inclement winters known to the inhabitants, flooding the coast prairies and causing great discomfort to the strangers, who, however, feasted abundantly on wild game, fish and waterfowl. 

On the 20th Dr. Beales, his servant, Marcelino, and Mr. Power started to Goliad to see the Alcalde, Don Miguel Aldrete, and procure teams for transportation, the roads being so flooded that, although the distance was only about forty miles, they did not arrive till the 22nd. Returning with animals to draw their vehicles, they arrived at Copano late on the 31st of December, having halted both in going and returning at the Irish village of Power's and Hewetson's infant colony, at the old mission of Refugio. 

The party left Copano on the 3rd of January, 1834, and after numerous vexations and minor incidents, arrived at Goliad, crossed and encamped on the east bank of the San Antonio river on the 16th, having thus left behind them the level and flooded coast lands. Dr. Beales notes that, while at Goliad, "some of the foreigners in the town, the lowest class of the Americans, behaved exceedingly ill, endeavoring by all means in their power to seduce my families away." But only one man left, and he secured his old mayordomo (overseer or manager), John Quinn, and a Mexican with his wife and four children, to accompany the party. He also notes that on Sunday (19) a Carancahua Indian child was baptized by the priest at Goliad, for which the collector's wife, Senora Cosio, stood godmother. 

On the 20th of January, with freshly purchased oxen, they left for San Antonio and after much trouble and cold weather, arrived there on the 6th of February. A few miles below that place (a fact stated by Mrs. Horn, but not found in Beales' diary), they found Mr. Smith, a stranger from the United States lying by the roadside terribly wounded, and with him a dead Mexican, while two others of his Mexican escort had escaped severely wounded. They had had a desperate fight with a small party of Indians who had left Mr. Smith as dead. Dr. Beales, both as a physician and good samaritan, gave him every possible attention and conveyed him to San Antonio, where he lingered for a time and died after the colonists left that place. While there a young German couple in the party married, but their names are not given.

On the 18th of February, with fifteen carts and wagons, the colonists left San Antonio for the Rio Grande. On the 28th they crossed the Nueces and for the first time entered the lands designated as Bears' Colony. Mr. Little carved upon a large tree on the west bank, Los Primeros colonos de la Dolores pasaron el dia 28 Febrero, 1834," which being rendered into English is; "The first colonists of the village of Dolores passed here on the 28th of February, 1834," many of them, alas, never to pass again. 

On the 2nd of March Mr. Eggerton went forward to Presidio de Rio Grande to examine the route, and returned to report that the best route was to cross the river at that point, travel up on the west side and recross to the proposed locality of Dolores, on Las Moras Creek, which is below the present town of Del Rio and ten or twelve miles from the northeast side of the Rio Grande. They crossed the river on the 5th and on the 6th entered the Presidio, about five miles from it. Slowly moving up on the west side, by a somewhat circuitous route and crossing a little river called by Dr. Beales "Rio Escondido," the same sometimes called Rio Chico, or Little River, which enters the Rio Grande a few miles below Eagle Pass, they recrossed to the east side of the Rio Grande on the 12th and were again on the colony lands. Here they fell in with five Shawnee Indian trappers, two of whom spoke English and were not only very friendly, but became of service for some time in killing game. Other Shawnee trappers frequently visited them. Here Beales left a portion of the freight, guarded by Addicks and two Mexicans, and on the 14th traveled up the country about fifteen miles to a creek called "El Sancillo," or "El Sanz." On the 16th of March, a few miles above the latter stream, they arrived at the site of the purposed village of Dolores, on the Las Moras creek, as before said to be ten or twelve miles from the Rio Grande. The name "Dolores" was doubtless bestowed by Dr. Beales in honor of his absent wife. 

Preparations were at once undertaken to form tents, huts and cabins by cleaning out a thicket and building a brush wall around it as a fortification against the wild Indians who then, as for generations before and fifty years afterwards, were a terror to the Mexican frontier. On the 30th, Dr. Beales was unexpectedly compelled to go to Matamoras, three or four hundred miles, to cash his drafts, having failed to do so in Monclova. It was a grave disappointment, as money was essential to meet the wants of the people. Beyond this date his notes are inaccessible and subsequent events are gleaned dimly from other sources. It must suffice to say that without irrigation the colonists, in the remainder of 1834 and all of 1835, failed to raise crops, and though guarded part of the time by a company of Mexicans, employed for that purpose, were ever uneasy lest they should be attacked by the savages. As time passed dissatisfaction arose and the colonists in small parties left the settlement, at one time four families leaving, all probably to the Mexican towns of Monclova, Santa Rosa and San Fernando, but of their ultimate fate no information is at hand. From Mrs. Horn's narrative it is learned that after many had left and some time in the winter of 1835-6, a new settlement of seven men and a boy (their nationality not given), some thirty or forty miles distant, while two of the men were absent for a few hours, were attacked. Four of the men and the boy were killed, the fifth man left for dead and all of them scalped. The wounded man, much mutilated, was conveyed to San Fernando, about twenty miles distant, one arm amputated and scalpless, only to exist as an object of pity and charity. 

This last calamity determined all the remainder excepting Mr. Power and seven others, to abandon the country and return to the gulf and their native lands. Power and party went to San Fernando, in vain to await the arrival of other immigrants. What became of them is not known. 

This brings us to the sad story of the murder of the twelve colonists and the captivity of Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Horn and two children. Mrs. Horn has been several times mentioned in this narrative and before proceeding with it, her history previous to leaving New York, on the Amos Wright, November 11, 1833, may be briefly stated from her own notes. The youngest of ten children of Mr. Newton, she was born in 1809 in Huntingdon, sixty miles north of London, her parents being respectable and sincerely pious people. When three years old she was left fatherless. Her mother successfully fulfilled her double mission and trained all her children in the strictest principles of virtue and religion. At the age of 18 this baby daughter, on the 14th of October, 1827, in St. James Church, Clerkenwell, London, married Mr. John Horn, who proved to be all, as husband and father, that her heart desired. They settled in Arlington, No. 2 Moon Street, Giles Square, London. Her mother resided with her till her death in 1830. Mr. Horn was well established in the mercantile business in a small establishment. After this many English people of small means were migrating to America to improve their condition. Mr. Horn was seized with the same desire and, after due deliberation, they sailed from London July 30, 1833, in the ship Samuel Robinson, and arrived in New York on the 27th of August. They took lodgings at 237 Madison Street, and Mr. Horn procured a satisfactory clerkship with Mr. John McKibben. About this time Dr. Beales, from Mexico was in New York preparing for the colonization trip to the Rio Grande, already described. Omitting many strange incidents and forebodings of evil—presentiments, as generally expressed on the part of Mrs. Horn, they sailed on the voyage as has been narrated, November 11, 1833. 

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On the 10th of March, 1836, the disconsolate party which we are now to follow, left Dolores with the intention of reaching the coast by way of San Patricio, on the lower Nueces. It consisted of eleven men, including Mr. Horn, his wife and two little sons, John and Joseph, and Mr. Harris, his wife and baby girl about three months old, probably the only child born at Dolores—in all fifteen souls. To the Nueces, by slow marches, they traveled without a road. Santa Anna's invading hosts had but recently passed from the Rio Grande on the Laredo and Matamoras routes to San Antonio and Goliad. The Alamo had fallen four days before this journey began, and Fannin surrendered near Goliad nine days after their departure, but these ill fated colonists knew of neither event. They only knew that the Mexicans were invading Texas under the banner of extermination of the Americans, and they dreaded falling into their hands almost as much as they dreaded the wild savages. They remained on the Nueces near a road supposed to lead to San Patricio several days, protected by thickets, and while there they saw the trains and heard the guns of detachments of Mexican soldiers, doubtless guarding supply trains following Santa Anna to San Antonio. 

They resumed their march from the Nueces on the San Patricio trail on April 2nd. Early in the afternoon of the 4th they encamped at a large lake, containing fine fish. Not long afterwards, while the men were occupied in various ways and none on guard, they were suddenly attacked by fifty or sixty mounted Indians, who, meeting no resistance, instantly murdered nine of the men, seized the two ladies and three children, plundered the wagons, and then proceeded to their main camp, the entire party numbering about 400, in an extensive chaparral two or three miles distant. Here they remained until the next morning, tying the ladies' hands, feet and arms so tight as to be extremely painful. Next morning before starting, a savage brute amused his fellows by tossing the infant of Mrs. Harris into the air and letting it fall to the ground until it was killed. Next they brought into the presence of the ladies, Mr. Harris and a young German whom they supposed to be dead, but were only wounded. Compelling the heartbroken wife and the already widowed Mrs. Horn to look on, they shot arrows and plunged lances into the two men until they were dead, all the while yelling horrid shouts of exultation. The mind directing the pen recording this atrocious exercise of savage demonism, as it has been recorded, and has yet to record innumerable others, involuntarily turns with inexpressible disgust to the sickening twaddle of that school of self-righteous American humanitarians who utter eloquent nonsense about the noble savage and moral suasion, and dainty food at public expense, as the only things needful to render him a lamb-like Christian.

(To read PART TWO, click here)

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