Sheriff's Report Number 427- Deputy Rick Howerton to Cotton Gin area on a UFO. Yep, you read that right, cylindrical shaped, traveling in a big circle. When he gets back, maybe I can add a little more…… Former Fairfield resident Barry Moore stopped by for a visit, now lives near Lake Limestone….A little grayer but the same old Barry. Enjoyed his visit.

Oakwood VFD to grassfire, FCR-331. Gray Hoss loose, south 75. Disturbance on parking lot at D&R Private Club. TPD Reed to call that reports gal's Ex-Boyfriend just rear-ended her vehicle, followed her to the house, threatening she and her brother. Also to report of woman trying to break a door down on Whippoorwill (Hope it's spelled right, you got what the dictionary says is correct!). She was screaming and appeared to be drunk. Arrested by TPD Reed so the rest of the neighborhood could settle back down and get back to sleep.

*Okay, Billy Jim and Phillip, this one's for you…..We'll go back in time…..Texas…..1836. Last year at this same time I wrote on the Texas Revolution, week by week, just as it had occurred. I touched briefly on several events, the mood of the time, and what in general had transpired. We today who have Texas in our roots well know the people, the places and many of the causative factors that figured prominently in our State History during those few months of Revolution. In last year's writing, I placed no more emphasis as I recall on the events at the Alamo than I did Goliad or San Jacinto…..We Texans know of all three…..but those from other areas know little or nothing about anything other than the famous battle at the crumbling mission in present day San Antonio. Though a complete military defeat in every way, it set the tone and spoke the very essence of our fiber in Texas. That tone and essence of which I speak are both still with us this day…..And forever may they remain and continue.

DPS Warren arrests passenger in car just stopped for speeding on Interstate 45. You might be wondering, exactly what the passenger did wrong…..Basically nothing….. It was just the clear baggie of Marijuana sitting on his lap in plain view…..That got him a trip to Jail. Report of kids on 4-Wheelers making lots of noise, raising lots of dust, Loop 255. Streetman VFD to grassfire, Mile 211. Leon County has girl who took parent's car without permission….. Okay, they found her.

Puppy Troubles on Pine. Butler VFD and FEMS to shortness of breath problem. Man calls from Louisiana, wants his kids removed from the house, says wife has left them home alone while she went to the bars. Deputy Clayton Aldrich involved with same, his wife says he was drunk when he called, she's at home and been there. Southern Oaks VFD Chief Terry Bumpass called to advise they grossed $8,700.00 from their Chili/Cake Auction Fund Raiser…..Way….To….Go!!! Who said there was a recession?

*Our history books drill into us deeply three names that define the Alamo. Most certainly, I speak of Travis, Bowie and Crockett…..But did you know that the actual commander of the Alamo was a Colonel by the last name of Neill? J. C. Neill, to be precise. I didn't know that until just one year ago after one of the weekly installments when a reader called to advise me of Col Neill's existence. Had it not been for his taking furlough from his post to attend to other matters, his name would have been immortalized at the Alamo, rather than those three previously named, but history waits for no man…..His furlough removed him from the command temporarily….. and guaranteed that his number of days on this earth were lengthened. You see, his furlough took him away from San Antonio before Santa Anna marched in with his troops, laying siege and ultimately doing battle. It was Neill who engineered the rebuilding and strengthening of the Alamo's crumbling walls, well before the arrival of Santa Anna's army. It was not Neill's fault that he was not present, no, merely a quirk of fate, no different than drawing a white or black bean from a jug to determine whether you lived or died. You may recall that prior to the appearance of Santa Anna's forces, orders had been sent to blow up the fortress Alamo and pull all personnel back to the East. It was Col. Neill who received these orders. He could not comply for lack of draft animals with which to withdraw the cannon. There were very few artillery pieces in all of Texas…..Why blow them up?

BURN BAN BACK IN EFFECT EFFECTIVE 3-2-09. Please do not violate. Our Firemen don't like to respond to Fire Calls and our Deputies don't like to write Burn Ban Citations…..And nobody likes to receive those appearance dates before a Judge…..Do us a favor, and you, too, at the same time….NO FIRES!

*Today, we know the appearance of the Alamo. We have walked the grounds of this shrine, fixed in our minds the tragedy that befell it's defenders……Why, there is even a bronze marker inlaid in stone, near the front of the old Chapel doors, proclaiming that here is where Crockett fell…..The area covers a small City block, well-shaded and immaculately groomed…..But in 1836 it was very much different…..

I failed to mention last week a visit from "The Old Welder." I wasn't here at the time but he dropped off the niftiest little piece of Welder's Art you ever saw. A Little Frog decked out as a Lawman, made from washers, nuts and welding rod. He sits proudly on my desk as I write this.

*The Alamo fortress of 1836 was very much larger than what we today see and know….It was more than a dozen times larger than the area we now know in its preservation glory. The outside perimeter measured approximately 1,700 feet. With 181 defenders, this meant that each defender had to maintain and control 9 feet of perimeter. With the first 30 casualties, this footage of individual responsibility grew to over 11 feet. As can well be imagined, one defender armed with a muzzle loading, single shot weapon, would have an enormous problem attempting to turn back any number of attackers, once that single gun was discharged.

Runaway 17 year old girl in Teague from Foster Care Home. When we tried to enter as a Runaway in the computer, found to already be listed out of San Marcos. Guess she'd be considered a Frequent Flyer! Dew VFD to pasture fire, PR-440. Dep. Aldrich assists Lady with flat tire, IH-45…..She forces him to carry a box of Russell Stover Chocolate back to the Jail as a Thank You…..Yes, I imagine there was much "force" involved. Maybe she had to throw him down on the ground and put her foot on the side of his head…..Maybe.

*William B. Travis, Jim Bowie and Davey Crockett are the three universally recognized as the leaders in the defense of the Alamo. An attorney, a frontier knife fighter and a recently defeated United States Congressman. Crockett bowed out fast, declining any prestige of rank, preferring to allude to himself as a 'high Private'. Bowie was a much feared and respected man. Nearly all in that day and time in Early Texas knew his past record, the sort of man you didn't cross, known for bravery, a natural leader of men. Mr. Travis had the desire to command, a man of ambition, a newcomer from Alabama, following a failed marriage. All of the others were men from various States and Countries, a broad cross section….A few were well-educated, most were not. A bold, determined group of men.

FEMS to man ill, FCR-536. Butler VFD, FEMS, DPS Warren and Deputies to accident, River Bottom. Lady calls to complain of another IH-45 driver staying on her bumper. Dispatcher advises take next exit, let him pass, then continue her journey…..Apparently this was not the right answer for her….She allowed she had to be in Houston in exactly two hours, didn't have time to wait, so she'd just speed up! 'Atta girl! We admire your boldness. On the track to being a traffic statistic, fatality, injury or citation. If lucky, it'll be the latter.

*Santa Anna's arrival ushered in the appearance of Mexican troops numbering in the thousands. Santa Anna immediately set about stationing his men around the periphery of the Alamo at a distance. I stress at a distance because these Norte Americanos could all shoot. And shoot they did. They were armed with a motley collection of various types of rifles….The opposing force was armed with a weapon nearly identical in appearance, but called a musket. The only difference was the musket had an unrifled barrel, smooth as the inside of a present day water pipe. The rifled barrels in the Texan's long arms made a tremendous difference…… Accuracy at 300 yards for the rifled Texans…..Less than 100 yards for the musketed Mexicans.

A little more on the UFO in Cotton Gin…..A huge dark colored cylinder. Was on the ground, then back into the air. Dep. Rick Howerton to same but advised he didn't see anything but sky. Said he suddenly had a strange feeling in his body… Possibly X-rays loaded with Krypton?.....But then realized that he had strained his neck muscles peering and craning…..Just a crick in his neck. Have a feeling this was a weather balloon lofted from Palestine.

Controlled Burn getting rambunctiously large, East 84, Fairfield and Butler VFD's to same. County Church missing amplifier, microphone and flower pots. Deputy Howerton arrests man on McLennan County Warrant. TPD Cox to person receiving threatening calls. FPD Bass to fight on parking lot at Fred's. Bull shot, FCR-709. Large hog in middle of US-84 by Boyd Unit. Dep. House to loud music, FCR-536.

*One of Santa Anna's first moves was an attempt at surrender…. No, not he to they, but rather, he called upon the Texans to lay down their arms in unconditional surrender. Travis, not being of the same accord, responded with one cannon shot in defiance, a most definite and resounding no, thus, the beginning of the siege. It was not a tight siege or we would not have known Travis's pleadings for assistance, nor those immortal 32 volunteers from Gonzales who responded by returning with Bonham to nearly certain doom. Travis was able to get his writings and pleadings out, through the Mexican encirclement, or his words would probably have been lost for all time.

DPS Thornton and Crais, Dew VFD to accident, IH-45 at Hwy 179. Deputy Hendrix arrests man on Probation Warrant. Seismograph/property owner dispute, FCR-441. FEMS to N. 75 on abdominal pain. THDEMS to FM-80, man confused. TPD Reed jails young man for Possession of Marijuana. 911 Call advises Maroon PT Cruiser running others off road at Tucker, Anderson Co. SO advised. Another advises of unwanted guest at Apple Hill Apts., Leon Co. SO advised. TPD Reed to report man trying to gain entry into a house, S. 9th, owner outside, saw him trying to get in window of her house, she hollered, he took off toward Luna Road in high gear, shoe soles hot.

*For ten days Santa Anna carried on a cannonade of the besieged Texas force. The Texans had plenty of cannon within, but such was not the case for gunpowder. Though not lacking, it was in short supply. They answered the Mexican cannons, but at a much slower rate of fire. The Texans chief occupation during these days of siege was strengthening their position with earthworks….That, and occasionally picking off the occasional Mexican soldier with their rifles. Of course the Mexican Army was not sitting idly by…No indeed, General Santa Anna spent his time moving his cannon forward at every opportunity…Send out troops to throw up earthworks under cover of darkness, inch the cannon forward by manpower. At present, he was only in possession of small, light projectile weapons. He had been in a hurry when he initially left Mexico. With light cannon he could move quicker, travel more hours in a day. Thus, his arrival in San Antonio earlier than the Texans had initially thought possible. But, larger cannon were being brought up…..It would be just a few more days….

911 Call from Teague on Oak Street. A major disagreement between Mother and Son…..The son called 911, said nothing then hung up. We called back immediately, this time got Mother…..She told her side of the story….Son upset because he didn't want to go to bed, so he called 911…..He's five years old!

FPD Bass checking on Lady motorist in front of Ace. DPS Thornton arrests driver, FM-1365, McLennan County Warrant. Report of suspicious acting men in vehicle on Cowart St., Donie. Nope, two men working for a neighbor. FEMS to FCR-927, man coughing up blood. Two dogs get loose, 4th and Spruce, acting aggressive toward Lady, TPD Cox to same. Dep. Diana Willis to Teen Problems, FCR- 911.

*Mexican artillery was daily chipping away at defensive enclosure surrounding the Texans. Part of the east wall by the tenth day had crumbled and fell. General Santa Anna grew impatient awaiting the arrival of his larger siege cannons. He set his men to work building wooden ladders with which to scale walls. He called a meeting of his senior Officers and polled them for their estimates of the military situation. A few desired immediate attack….Most however deferred to the arrival of the siege guns. Their hope was to knock the bulk of the walls down prior to an attack, use gun power rather than manpower.

Fiber optic line cut by contractor on Thursday, knocks out cell phones, all 911 and most of the land-line telephones located in County. Lasted several hours. I guess Kevin Benedict is still wondering about me…I was on the phone with him when it suddenly went dead, end of conversation. Found out later what the problem was. Phone people just called……Hopefully will have the County up and running in about an hour. Incidentally, our Thanks to Kevin Benedict for his countless hours of voluntary service to his fellow citizens while serving as Emergency Management Coordinator for our County. A thankless task behind the scenes that is always taken for granted, consuming many, many hours.

*Santa Anna had little patience apparently on the day he met with his Officers and advisers. After hearing out his group, he made the decision to begin the attack during the very early morning hours of the next day, March 6th, 1836, a Sunday. This attack began before daylight with the Texans tumbling from sleep at the first shout. Members of the Mexican Army numbering in the thousands attacked on all four sides, were beaten back by the deadly outpouring from the Texan's rifles. They stalled, some fell back, but then were pushed forward by their Officers. Many, many fell this March morning prior to reaching the walls. More would drop, attempting to scale the ladders, but at last they were able to gain the wall and from there merely dropped down inside the Texan's fortified earthwork enclosure. Slowly at first, but relentlessly steady, in came the Mexican Army, through the blasted openings, over the walls…..resembling a disturbed colony of ants…..their goal to ferret out these Texans, put them to death as the General had commanded…. No Quarter.

Strong smell of natural gas by Cornerstone Church, East 84, company man enroute. FEMS to local school, possible broken ankle. TPD Cox to report of threat made between Railroaders. THDEMS to man with heart problems, US-84, Doctor Chopper involved also. Abandoned Jeep Cherokee causing concern near Greenwood Cemetery, owner contacted, yep, he knows where it's at.

*The fighting was fierce inside the Alamo on March 6th. The Texans used knives, tomahawks and gun butts….The Mexicans used the long bayonets affixed to the ends of their muskets. We all know the outcome…..No Texan survived, no quarter was given. The fighting lasted about one hour. We can only imagine what either side went through. One large grave was dug for the Texan defenders, after being burned, to be thrown into….Not much better for the fallen Mexican soldiers, with many being dumped into the nearby San Antonio River. We can only imagine today that the buzzards feasted well along this small river winding its way to the Gulf. It was a very costly victory for both sides….To the Mexicans went the tactical victory, to the Texans went the spiritual victory. The Mexicans won the battle and lost the war…..The Texans lost the battle but won the war…..As is evidenced to this very day.

*Now we bring to a close this saga of our immortal Texan forefathers. For people throughout the world, when they hear the word "Texas", it is only natural that they conjure up an immediate picture in their mind of cowboys, Longhorn cattle and the Alamo…..Most likely, the latter is always first to come to mind. It is sad that so many brave men had to die, but it is a fact that it is known worldwide….. Recall if you will at the very beginning of this tale, I said the Alamo set the very tone and essence of modern day Texas and its citizens…..And indeed, it most certainly does. Their actions during those February and March days in 1836 played a large part in laying the foundations for that tone and essence. Let us never forget. I do hope that each of you has enjoyed stepping back in time with me.

FPD Officers to local Eatery that serves mixed drinks, drunk man trying to pick a fight, refusing to leave. 15 cattle out, Mile 205. Deputy Travis Robertson to/from McLennan County, prisoner transport. Deputies Elom and House to report young man assaulted by another with a knife. Deputy Rick Howerton to south 75, 4 rifles and one pistol stolen out of locked, but key still in door, gun safe.

TPD Noll arrests drunk man laying in the street by Post Office, said he'd been in an altercation with his 'boyfriend' who had beat him up, THDEMS summoned, said no reason not to incarcerate….. so he was. TPD Sykora gets two more, Marijuana in vehicle. DPS Thornton and Crais, Dep. Elom, FEMS, Butler and Fairfield VFD's to accident East 84. Deputies Barrentine and Elom, assisted by new Oakwood Chief Ivy, recover stolen car of few days previous, culprit later arrested. DPS Thornton arrests DWI, US-84.

THDEMS, Teague VFD and TPD Howard to Go-Kart accident, Doctor Chopper summoned. Game Warden to uninvited fishermen on private property….Finds their vehicle, but oddly can't find them…. For all appearance, they seemed to have fled afoot….So, their vehicle was towed from the scene….At owner's expense, of course! WPD Peters to West Trinity, man with missing car. DPS warren arrests motorist with Marijuana, Mile 202.

Dep. Cory House arrests man, FCR-969, Criminal Non- Support Warrant. Dew VFD to small grassfire, Mile 189. FEMS to local Football Field, Asthma troubles. DPS Putz arrests DWI, Mile 210, more than double drunk. Motorcycle flips, West FM=489, DPS, THDEMS, Teague and Donie VFD's to same. Dep. D. Willis arrests young man for False Statement to Police Officer and Disorderly Conduct. Dew VFD and FEMS to East FM- 489, 80 year old can't move, much pain. You know, this is getting lengthy….Those newspapers down in Buffalo may decide not to print it if they're again running low on paper….Guess I'd better shut it off…..

Until Next week…..RALPH BILLINGS