Juan Seguin Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Juan Seguin by Robert E. Hollmann

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Juan Seguin

  By Robert E. Hollmann

  Copyright 2012 by Robert E. Hollmann

  Cover Copyright 2012 by Ginny Glass and Untreed Reads Publishing

  The author is hereby established as the sole holder of the copyright. Either the publisher (Untreed Reads) or author may enforce copyrights to the fullest extent.

  Previously published in print 2007.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold, reproduced or transmitted by any means in any form or given away to other people without specific permission from the author and/or publisher. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to the living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  This electronic book has been produced from the print edition. Untreed Reads has retained punctuation from the original edition per the author’s request.

  Other Titles in the Lone Star Legends Series and Untreed Reads Publishing

  The Alamo

  Davy Crockett

  Jim Bowie

  Susannah Dickinson

  William B. Travis

  http://www.untreedreads.com

  Lone Star Legends Series

  Juan Seguin

  By Robert E. Hollmann

  To Rob, Kasey, and Kristina

  Good Kids

  Acknowledgments

  As with all my books, I had the assistance of many people in writing this book. Tammy Sanchez and Frieda Redd read the transcript and gave me input. Ben Ellison of Benjamin’s Photography provided the photograph for the cover of the book. Jerri Gandy of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas gave me encouragement and support for this project. My children, Rob, Kasey, and Kristina, are always supportive. And last but not least, my wife, Kathy, always gives me good insight into my writings. Thanks to you all.

  Robert E. Hollmann

  Odessa, Texas

  May 2006

  Heroes come from everywhere. During the fight for Texas independence many people sacrificed for Texas freedom. No one did more than Juan Seguin. A member of a prominent Texas family, Juan Seguin served Texas well during its uncertain beginnings.

  Join Juan and his friend Pablo Gomez as they live through one of the most exciting times in Texas history. Follow the adventures of Juan and Pablo from their childhood to the battles of the Texas revolution. Ride with them from the Alamo as they carry a message from Colonel William Travis through enemy lines to the people of Texas. Be with them as they follow General Sam Houston on the trail to San Jacinto. Fight with Juan as the Texas army destroys Santa Anna’s army and brings freedom to Texas. Return with Juan to the Alamo as he buries the ashes of the fallen defenders. Get to know one of the true heroes of Texas independence…Juan Seguin.

  * * *

  This is the third book in the Lone Star Legends series by Robert Hollmann, the author of Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Robert Hollmann was selected Best West Texas Author for 2005 for Davy Crockett. Be sure to visit our website at www.lonestarlegends.org.

  Chapter One

  The young man walked carefully through the dusty yard. He stopped in front of the old wooden door and wiped the dust from his shoes. He knocked on the door and waited for someone to let him in. Finally the door opened and a small boy looked up at him.

  “Hello,” the man said. “My name is Charles Edwards. I’m a reporter with the newspaper. I’d like to speak to Mr. Pablo Gomez.”

  The small boy opened the door wider and motioned the man inside. It took a few minutes for the man’s eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the home. The thick adobe walls made the inside of the house feel cool. The young man removed his hat and followed the boy into another room. An old man sat in a rocking chair staring into an empty fireplace. The boy stopped in front of the old man.

  “Grandfather. There’s a man here who wants to talk to you.”

  The old man raised his head. He blinked his eyes as he looked at the visitor. The reporter held his hand toward the old man.

  “Mr. Gomez? I’m Charles Edwards. I work for the newspaper. I’d like to talk to you.”

  The old man took the reporter’s hand. His hand was old and wrinkled, but the reporter noticed that the grip was firm.

  “Why would you want to talk to me?” he asked.

  “Mr. Gomez, I’ve heard that you are one of the last living members of the army that fought for Texas independence. I’m writing a story on the fight for independence, and I believe you can give me some information that I can’t find anywhere else. I want to tell about things that happened that no one has written about before. Will you talk with me?”

  The old man motioned toward a chair. The reporter sat down facing the old man.

  “You want to talk to me about the fight for independence?” The old man leaned back in his chair. “That was a long time ago. I was young then. Like you are now. There were many of us who were young then. There aren’t too many left now. I don’t know if I can remember what happened back then. My mind isn’t as clear as it used to be.”

  “Mr. Gomez, I think that people will be interested in the story you can tell. You knew the great heroes of Texas. You can tell everyone what really happened. It will let the children of Texas, like your grandson, know what these men did for them. How they gave them the chance to enjoy the freedoms they have today. I believe that people need to know the story of their past. What better place to hear that story than from a man who was there? A man who lived the story with all the great men, like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis, and Sam Houston. You can provide a great service to the children of Texas by telling your story.”

  The old man leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes and rocked slowly back and forth. He was quiet for several moments. The reporter thought he had fallen asleep. He started to get out of his chair and wake the old man. Suddenly the old man’s eyes opened. The reporter noticed a light in his eyes that had not been present earlier. A smile formed on the old man’s lips. He looked at the reporter and nodded his head.

  “Yes. I was there, and I knew the great men you spoke of. I knew Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie and William Travis and Sam Houston. I knew others too. All of them brave men. All of them willing to fight—and if necessary, to die—so that Texas could be free from the harsh rule of Santa Anna. I shared many hardships with these men. I’ll tell you about those days and the men you mentioned. But there is one man I knew
that had much to lose by fighting for Texas. One man who did all he could to see that Texas would be a free land. I want to tell you about this man. This was my good friend…Juan Seguin.”

  Chapter Two

  I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I MET Juan Seguin. I was ten years old and my father had been hired to work on the rancho of Juan’s father, Don Erasmo Seguin. Don Erasmo was an important man. He was the postmaster of San Antonio, and he owned many acres of land. My parents and I and my brothers and sisters walked up the dusty road toward the Seguins’ house. It was called Casa Blanca, the White House, because the walls of the house were made of white adobe bricks.

  My mother and the rest of us waited in the front yard while my father knocked on the door. Soon Don Erasmo and Juan came out. As my father and Don Erasmo talked together, Juan walked up to me. He was the same age as I was, but he was a little taller than me.

  “What is your name?” he asked.

  “My name is Pablo. What is yours?”

  “My name is Juan. I bet I can ride a horse better than you.”

  I hung my head. “I have never ridden a horse.”

  Juan looked at me with disbelief. “You have never ridden a horse?”

  I shook my head.

  “Then I’ll teach you. Then we can have races to see who rides best.”

  “I don’t have a horse.”

  Juan laughed. “Don’t worry. We have many horses. It’ll be fun. Come on. I’ll show you where we keep our horses.”

  I looked at my mother. She shook her head. “I think you should stay here, Pablo.”

  Juan smiled at my mother. “It’s all right.” He turned to his father. “Father, is he going to work for you?” Juan pointed to my father.

  “Yes, son. He starts tomorrow.”

  Juan looked at my mother. “See. It’ll be all right. You live here now.”

  I looked at my mother. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded. “I guess it’ll be all right. Don’t be too long. We need to get moved in.”

  I followed Juan to a large corral. There were many horses in the corral. Juan pointed to a small black horse that was eating some hay.

  “That’s the horse you’ll ride. He’s real tame. His name is Black Star. When you get to be a better rider, you can have another horse.”

  I looked at the horse. “Are you giving him to me?”

  “Just until you learn how to ride. Then we’ll find you another. We have plenty of horses.”

  “Why are you giving me a horse?”

  Juan looked at me. “I want you to be my friend. I want us to do things together. Do you want to do that to?”

  I nodded my head. “Yes. I do.”

  A large smile crossed Juan’s face. “Good. Now let’s go find a saddle and start teaching you to ride.”

  The next few years went by quickly. Juan and I became best friends as we grew into men. We spent a lot of time riding on the prairies of his rancho. We knew everything about the country. We knew where the water was good to drink, we knew the best places to hunt for food, and we knew all of the roads and trails for miles around.

  Don Erasmo became more and more important. Many government officials stopped by the Casa Blanca. They would discuss the affairs of the government with Don Erasmo. One day a large group of riders came to the rancho. Juan and I watched as they walked into the house with Don Erasmo. Juan’s mother, Maria Josefa Becerra, came outside and began to work in her flower garden. Juan and I walked over to her.

  “Who are those men, Mother?” Juan asked.

  Mrs. Seguin looked at the house.

  “That is the governor and his staff.”

  “What do they want with Father?”

  Mrs. Seguin looked worried as she shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t think your father knew they were coming.”

  Juan and I sat under a tree and watched the door to the house. Finally the door opened and Don Erasmo and the governor walked out side-by-side, smiling and shaking hands. Soon the governor and his party were riding away. Juan and I walked into the house. Don Erasmo was sitting at his desk writing. He looked up as we entered.

  “Hello, boys. Been riding?”

  Juan nodded.”Yes. We finished just as the governor arrived. What did he want?”

  Don Erasmo leaned back in his chair. “It seems that a group of Americans are wanting to come to Texas and start some colonies. The governor has appointed me to tell the leader of the group that his grant has been approved. He can begin to bring his colonists to Texas right away.”

  Juan looked at the letter his father was writing. “What’s the leader’s name?”

  Don Erasmo looked at the paper the Governor had left with him. “His name is Moses Austin.”

  Chapter Three

  “Father, why are you letting these Americans come to Texas?” Juan looked across the desk at his father.

  Don Erasmo set his pen on his desk. “Juan, Texas is a big land. There’s enough room here for many people. The governor has had trouble convincing people in Mexico to come live here. We need settlers. These Americans will help to settle the land. They’ll make it a good place to raise families.”

  “How do you know these people will be the kind of people we’ll want to have as neighbors?”

  Don Erasmo stood up and walked over to a window. He looked out at a pasture where cattle were grazing.

  “How did you know you would become friends with Pablo?” Don Erasmo pointed at me as I stood in a corner of the room. “You gave him a chance, and he proved to you that he was your friend. We need to give these Americans a chance. I believe they’ll prove to be our friends.”

  “When are they coming?” Juan asked.

  Don Erasmo picked up a piece of paper from his desk. “This is a letter from Stephen Austin. He should be arriving here this afternoon.”

  “Stephen Austin? I thought his name was Moses.”

  “That was Stephen’s father. He passed away a short time ago. Stephen is taking his place.”

  Juan got up to leave. I started to open the door when Don Erasmo spoke once again. “When Mr. Austin gets here, I want you to be polite to him. We should never judge others until we give them a chance to prove themselves to us.”

  “Yes, Father,” Juan said. I opened the door and we walked outside.

  We walked over to the corral and watched the horses eating hay. After a few moments of silence, Juan looked at me.

  “What do you think about these Americans, Pablo?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, Juan. I’ve never met an American. The governor and your father seem to approve of them, so I think we should give them a chance, as your father said.”

  Juan turned and looked out over the vast prairies. He watched a hawk circling slowly overhead.

  “They’re probably right. It’s just that I love this land. This Texas. I want people who come here to love it too. Someday I’ll have a family, and I want them to be able to be as happy as I’ve been. I understand that we need people living in this land. So I’ll do as my father says. I’ll give them a chance. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like this Stephen Austin better than you.”

  Juan pushed me, then ran across the yard. I chased after him throwing dirt clods at him as he ran.

  * * *

  Later that day, Juan and I were sitting under a tree when we saw a rider coming slowly toward the house. We got up and walked into the middle of the yard. The rider stopped his horse next to us. He was a rather tall, slender man. His brown hair blew in the breeze.

  “Hello,” he said. “My name’s Stephen Austin. I’m looking for Mr. Erasmo Seguin. Can you tell me where I can find him?”

  Juan pointed toward the house. “My father’s in the house. I’m Juan Seguin. This is my friend, Pablo. Follow me and I’ll take you to him.”

  “Thank you,” Austin said as he dismounted and tied his horse to a hitching post.

  I followed Juan as he led Austin into the house. Don Erasmo looked up from his desk as we walked into the room.

 
“Father, this is Mr. Stephen Austin. Mr. Austin, this is my father, Don Erasmo Seguin.”

  I watched as the two men shook hands. Don Erasmo pointed to a chair and Austin sat down.

  “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Austin. Did you have a good trip? Would you like some cool water?”

  “Thank you. That would be good. It wasn’t too bad. It’s a long way from Missouri to Texas. The people who came with me are resting a few miles down the road.”

  “How many came with you?” Don Erasmo asked.

  “Three hundred. I believe they’re all good people. You’ll like having them as neighbors.”

  “I hope so. There have been others who have received permission to come here and start a colony.” Don Erasmo pointed to some papers on his desk. “You are the first of many who are coming to Texas. I want to welcome you on behalf of the governor.”

  “Thank you, sir. We’re happy to be in this beautiful land. Now if you will tell me where my colony will be, I’ll get the people moved to their new home.”

  Don Erasmo turned to Juan and me. We had been standing by the door listening to the two men talk.

  “Juan, you and Pablo take Mr. Austin and his friends to the land we picked out for them.”

  “Yes, Father.” Juan turned to Austin. “Follow me, Mr. Austin.”

  We got our horses as Austin climbed into his saddle.

  “That is a fine-looking horse, Mr. Austin. Would you like to race?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Juan galloped his horse down the road. I followed him as quickly as I could while Stephen Austin tried to keep up.

  Chapter Four

  It was dark before we got Austin’s settlers to their new lands. After making sure they were settled in, Juan and I started back for Casa Blanca. The sky was filled with stars, and the full moon bathed the land with a soft light. After riding in silence for a few miles, I looked at Juan.

  “Juan, why do you always have to be so competitive with everyone?”

  “What do you mean, Pablo?”

  “The first time I saw you, you said you could ride better than me. You’re always saying things like that to people. Today you raced Mr. Austin. You had just met him. Why do you do those things?”