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Show 82. LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY THE had made. The Mexicans and Armijo have been the subjects of great abuse for their conduct and treatment of the Texans, but generally speaking, all fair-minded people must admit that the invaders were simply out of luck and received the same sort of treatment that would have been accorded by their own people had Texan territory been invaded by a hostile force or one acting and moving under pretenses acknowledged and proven to be false. The people of Texas were loud in their threats of vengeance for what they called the treachery and barbarous conduct of Armijo. No sooner had the captive Texans returned RAIDS BY THE TEXANS from Mexico than retaliatory enterprises IN 1843 were openly discussed. The newspapers teemed with editorials denouncing the Mexicans and calling upon the people of the single-star republic to rise for purposes of invasion and revenge. Not content with invading New Mexico they proposed to plant their banners in the city of Chihuahua; all of northern Mexico must be revolutionized and above everything General Armijo, Captain Salazar, and the traitor, Captain Lewis, must be taken dead or alive. There was great popular enthusiasm. The project shortly became known at Santa Fé, and at the seat of government in Mexico there was considerable apprehension, because it was believed that the United States would in some way foster the Texan enterprise. The Texans, for the pul pose of this invasion, contemplated the raising of a force of eight hundred men, under the command of Colonel Jacob Snively, and such enthusiasm prevailed that it was with difficulty that that num ber was kept down, so many applications were made for joining the enterprise. The Mexican sovernment took immediate steps to meet the contemplated invasion and sent a large force into New Mexic0, under General José M. Monterde, to support General Armijo, but, as results proved, the latter had small need for assistance. The grand army of invasion and vengeance, the revolutionizing oe of all of northern Mexico, finally resolved itself _ Seas Were ‘epee plundering of caravans ue sine. Chikinet, ag ua trade, Wanah, at this time, was to a very. 2 im the hands of citizens of Mexico, Santa F e, “anua particularly. The first attack occurred in the territory TEXAS-SANTA FE EXPEDITION 83 of the United States and this fact had much to do with the undoing of all the great plans of the Texans. It was currently reported in New Mexico, as early as November, 1842, that a party of Texans was out upon the plains, prepared to attack any Mexican traders who should MURDER OF attempt to cross to the Missouri river the DON ANTONIO JOSE CHAVEZ succeeding spring. Some of the Americans living at Santa Fé and other portions of New Mexico were accused of being spies and in collusion with the Texans. This rumor caused a great deal of trouble for a number of innocent people who were ordered into Santa Fé by Armijo for examination and subjected to the strictest surveillance.°” So little apprehension, says Gregg, seemed to exist, however, that in February, 1848, Don Antonio José Chavez, of New Mexico, left Santa Fé for Independence, with but five servant s, two wagons, and fifty-five mules. He had with him some ten or twelve thousand dollars in specie and gold bullion, besides a small lot of furs. As the month of March wag extremely inclement, the party suffered in- conceivably from cold and privations. Most of the party were frost-bitten and all of the animals, except five, perished from the extreme severity of the weather. On this account Chavez was comPelled to leave one of the wagons on the plains. Continuing with his single wagon and his valuables, on the 10th of April he reached the Little Arkansas, about a hundred miles within the territo ry of the United States. Here he was met by fifteen men from the Missourl border, professing to be Texan troops, under the command of John McDaniel. This band of ruffians had been collected for the most part on the frontier, by McDaniel, who had come from Texas and from the government of which he claimed to have a cap- tain’s commission. Intention of joining They had started from the Missouri with the Colonel Warfield, also said to be holding a Texan commission, who had been upon the plains near the mountains for several months, with a small party, avowed ly intending ‘0 attack the Mexican traders. , B. D. Wilson, in his Observations, Ms., says that two men, Rowland and orkman, and about twenty others left for California on account of Texan “omplications, as they did not think it safe to remain in New Mexico. Workman and Rowland were under suspicion of having been instrumental in sending Information to the Texans prior to the Texas-Santa Fé expedition. |