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Show 424 WESTERN WILDS. fused to the last. To this stage of Texan history belong the establish-ments on the coast by pirates and smugglers, such as that of La Fitte at Barataria. Early in 1812, Lieutenant A. W. Magee, left his post in the United States territory, and with a mixed force of adventurers from the States, volunteers from the neutral ground, and natives of Texas of Spanish blood, marched westward to redeem that region from the rule of Spain. There had been a sort of civil war in Mexico between the popular party and the aristocrats ; the Anglo- Texans had taken the popular side, and Magee came in to assist them. It would have been money in his pocket and in theirs had he stayed away. He was steadily victorious till he reached La Bahia, west of the Guadaloupe. There he was confronted by a large force under Salado, and agreed to retire. This his men refused to accede to, and at once attacked the Spaniards, and gained a bloody victory. Overcome with shame, Magee died by his own hand. After various successes this army fell into an ambuscade, and were nearly all killed or captured. The prisoners were brutally murdered by the Spaniards. Bonaparte's wars were now stirring up devilment and wholesale < murder in every corner of the civilized world. He had invaded Spain, deposed the feeble king, banished the royal family, then at war with itself, and put his brother Joseph on the throne. Two Spanish parties at once arose : for accepting Joseph and for opposing him. Blood flowed on all sides. The divisions extended to all Spanish America. In Mexico the ruling classes favored Joseph Bonaparte ; the common people supported the juntas, or revolutionary bodies which resisted him. On all sides the standard of revolt was raised. The Indians burned to avenge the wrongs of three centuries ; the common Mex-icans were greedy for spoil ; the Church labored for aggrandizement. There were murders and riots in every section ; towns were sacked and prisoners massacred by thousands, and Mexico entered upon that ca-reer of bloody anarchy which has continued with only occasional in-termissions to this day. When this condition was at its worst, war broke out between England and the United States. La Fitte and other pirates and smugglers received a general pardon for serving under General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans, and after the peace re-turned and took possession of Galveston Island. There they set up an independent government the most ridiculous little sovereignty that ever existed which flourished greatly until broken up by the Amer-ican authorities. Mexico obtained her independence, and established the celebrated |
