1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: I'm sarah Daddy and I'm de bleating a chuck rewarding 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: to lead us back. I'm back. It's very exciting to 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: have you here. I know, I'm glad to be here. 6 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: It's good to see you against Sarah in the studio. 7 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: We saw each other, Yes, we've seen each other while 8 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: I was on leave, but it's good to see you 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: in the studio, not in this official capacity. Correct, So 10 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: tell everybody a little bit about your exciting news. Well, 11 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: I had a baby. It's a girl. Her name is Sarah, 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: and she is crazy but wonderful and we're just getting 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,279 Speaker 1: to know her. I he that, Well, you can say that, 14 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:50,919 Speaker 1: I guess. I mean, if I say it, no one 15 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: will believe it because you know, I'm kind of biased. 16 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: But yeah, we're just trying to learn how to be parents. 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: We have no idea what we're doing, but you know, 18 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: taking one step bit of time. You were prose when 19 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: I visited, So oh yeah, we did a lot of 20 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: holding and acting like we knew what we were doing. 21 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: I'm sure lots of lots of snoozing. While I was 22 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: there too. She was she was on her best behavior. 23 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: She was very sleepy at that time. You saw her 24 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: pretty early on. She's a little more awake now, well 25 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: much louder. Check in with her again then. But in 26 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: honor of Dablina's return, we do all know how much 27 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: he loved Western history, how much he liked talking about 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: the frontier. How many times you have discussed Indian territory 29 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: on the podcast. We thought that this would be a 30 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: really cool topic to to discuss. It's on Jim Booie, 31 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 1: and it's actually a suggestion from listener ron in l A. 32 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: But Jim Bowie is really the epitome of that sort 33 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: of frontier legend. He pretty much moved with the American 34 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: frontier from the day he was born, not too long 35 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: after at least. And of course he's best known too 36 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: as being a knife fighter, being a folk hero, being 37 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: an alum legend who died with guys like William B. Travis, 38 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: Davy Crockett, and really, even though he was living in 39 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: the in the early eighteen hundreds, it's the twentieth century 40 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: that kind of built on that legend. The fifties and 41 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: sixties just saw an explosion of Booie and pop culture, 42 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: just as they did with with Davy Crockett. You think 43 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: about kids in in that time running around in coonskin 44 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: Davy Crockett hats. But there's all sorts of things. John 45 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: Wayne's the Alamo. There's a movie called The Iron Mistress, 46 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: which I found a few clips were on YouTube. And 47 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: there is a nineteen fifties Western TV show called The 48 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: Adventures of Jim Booey. And if we only could always 49 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: play crazy theme songs like this, it would be pretty fun. 50 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: But we've we've got to go ahead and play it 51 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: for this episode. Let's let's listen to the Adventures of 52 00:02:49,360 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: Jim Booie. But the more recent scholarship on Bouie, well, 53 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: it doesn't exactly downplay the bold and adventurous man angle. 54 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: It does draw more attention to his hot temper, the 55 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: slave smuggling, and the more complicated situation in pre Alamo, 56 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: Texas between the Texians, the Teano's and the Mexican government. 57 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: So we'll be talking about both sides of Booie here, 58 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: the forger and the slave trader and the gator wrestling 59 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: knife fighter. And I do have to say before we 60 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: go further too this is the only subject that has 61 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: ever led me to Blade Magazine before research confession. It's 62 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: a pretty great one, I think. And and another point 63 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: to mention not related to Blade Magazine is the pronunciation 64 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: of Booie because some of or probably thinking booie because 65 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: before this I always said Bowie knife. And while Mary 66 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: and Webster does say both pronunciations are correct, the Booie 67 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: family themselves pronounced it that way Booie rhyming with louise, 68 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:16,919 Speaker 1: so we'll go with that. Yeah. And and that's a 69 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: that's a good place to pick up because the first 70 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: Booie ancestor came to Maryland from Scotland back in seventeen 71 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: oh five, and they really did start moving right away 72 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: from there. Over the generations, they they wound their way 73 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: down to Georgia, and that's where Jim's father, Reason served 74 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: with Colonel Francis Marion, who is the Swamp Fox, another 75 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: former podcast subject, during the Revolutionary War, and while recuperating 76 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: from a saber slash, Reason met his Welsh bride, a nurse, 77 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 1: and from then on the Booie started moving west and 78 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: they had plenty of kids along the way. James, who 79 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: was on the younger end of reasons brewed of ten total. 80 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: He was born in seventeen nine in Kentucky, after the 81 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: family had already passed through Tennessee and before they made 82 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: it to Missouri. They'd clear land to sell timber, or 83 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 1: to farm turnips or just still whiskey. So they did 84 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: a job. It was a mix. By the time the 85 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: family got to Louisiana, they were posing as Catholics to 86 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: meet the territories requirements, and they'd become modest planters. And 87 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: that's where Jim ended up growing up. He was especially 88 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: close to his brother's reason Junior and Stephen, and they 89 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 1: had plenty of adventures on the Bayou hunting and fishing. 90 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: Jim grew to be six ft tall and one d 91 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: eighty pounds, a manly, fine looking person according to his 92 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,799 Speaker 1: brother John. That's pretty complimentary from a brother, uh. And 93 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: they would hunt bears and apparently wrestle and rope alligators 94 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: for fun. Well that was that was Jim's territory. Apparently 95 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: wrestling the alegro I thought John was into that as well. 96 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: I don't know how the how the other Buoie brothers 97 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: felt about gator wrestling. That Bullie's first real taste of 98 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: adventure away from home. I mean, all that sounds pretty adventurous. 99 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: Came a few years into the War of eighteen twelve, 100 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: and as New Orleans was repairing for a British attack, 101 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: James and Reason Junior enlisted as privates in the militia. 102 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: They were really gung ho to to go there and fight. 103 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: You know, these are these are sons of a revolutionary 104 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: war veteran. But unfortunately for them, they arrived after the 105 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: battle had already happened, after the British had been repelled, which, ironically, 106 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: and we discussed this on the Bombardment of Baltimore episode 107 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: happened after the British and Americans had already made peace. 108 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: Word just didn't get out quite yet. So the Booie 109 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: boys missed that opportunity. But they did get a chance 110 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: to to stay in New Orleans a little bit and 111 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: experience high society there, or at least whatever they could 112 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: afford at the time. Uh. And they ultimately returned to 113 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: the timber business, you know, clearing land, floating the timber 114 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: down the bayou. But New Orleans and that really exciting 115 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: kind of life probably made them ready to look for 116 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: some other form of enterprise. Some way to to rise 117 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: beyond their their father's modest planters status, some kind of 118 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: get rich quick scheme. Yeah, so just a little background here. 119 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: The African slave trade had been abolished in eighteen o eight, 120 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 1: but there was a high demand for slaves still in 121 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: Louisiana and Mississippi. They needed labor for all the new 122 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: plantations and what was at that time the West, So 123 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: slave smuggling became a big business since African slaves were 124 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: still arriving on ships that were bound for South America 125 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: and the Caribbean, and they could be smuggled into the US. Sometimes, 126 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: of course, the smugglers would be caught and the contraband 127 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: seized instead of sending the people back to Africa, though, 128 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: some states would then sell them at auction to fund 129 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: the treasury, and they would pay the person who turned 130 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: them in half of the purchase price as a reward. Yeah, 131 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: so there's there's a possible loophole there. Um and the 132 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: buoy boys decided that this loophole would be a good 133 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: way to essentially launder contraband slaves. I know that sounds 134 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: like a terrible word to apply to human beings, but 135 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: that's what they were doing. So they hooked up with 136 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: the pirate Jean Lafitte, who is another former podcast subject 137 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: on Galveston Island. And Lafitte he, you know, as as 138 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: a pirate seizing all sorts of contraband from from ships, 139 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: had all kinds of things on Galveston Island, but he 140 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: also did have this large slave population. He would sell 141 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: them at a dollar a pound, but he wouldn't himself 142 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: handle the transport or sales, you know, the process of 143 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: moving these people into the interior of Louisiana to the plantations, 144 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: because that's where things got really risky because for one thing, 145 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: you're you're conducting people. For another thing, the planters might 146 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: not be willing to buy because they would be buying 147 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 1: stolen property, which of course could be confiscated from them ultimately. 148 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: So this is where the Bowie brothers came in. They 149 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: would buy slaves from Lafitte, and Jim would trek groups 150 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: of them, groups of forty actually, into the Louisiana interior, 151 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: and then one of the brothers would turn them in 152 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,079 Speaker 1: his contraband and then turn around and bid on them 153 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 1: at auction, So they would end up getting back half 154 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: the purchase price as their reward. No matter how much 155 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,959 Speaker 1: the auction price was, they were really only paying half 156 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,840 Speaker 1: of it. So they got these these deals and then 157 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: they owned what we're considered legal slaves, you know, not 158 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: ones that we're pirate contraband anymore so. William C. Davis, 159 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 1: who wrote Three Roads to the Alamo, estimates that each 160 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: brother made about twenty one dollars apiece. Uh. And they 161 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: could have kept this game up a little longer too, 162 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: since Lafitte's operation did stay in business for a bit longer. 163 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: But they did decide to get out of it because 164 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 1: it was clearly risky smuggling. It was pretty unsavory even 165 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:55,359 Speaker 1: at the time, and some of the brothers had political aspiration, 166 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: so they were kind of thinking of their future. That 167 00:09:57,520 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: doesn't mean they decided to to take the straight and 168 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: narrow from from there on out, though they still maintained 169 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: this very loosey goofy idea of the law. Yeah. Their 170 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 1: next scheme was in land fraud, though, so they kind 171 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: of got away from smuggling people around. Before becoming part 172 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: of the United States, Louisiana had been passed between Spain 173 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: and France. But if you bought Louisiana land back in 174 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:24,080 Speaker 1: the Spanish days, your grant could still be honored. The 175 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: only problem was no one really knew how much had 176 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: been given away, where it was, who owned it, any 177 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 1: of those things. All you had to do was to 178 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: make a claim was come forward with two witnesses who 179 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 1: would swear that they had seen you buy it. Yeah, 180 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:41,199 Speaker 1: And and the brothers figured this out the hard way. 181 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: They bought property, or Jim did, specifically under a bad title. 182 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,439 Speaker 1: And in eight twenty, you know, after a period of 183 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: being furious about this, UH, they decided that that this 184 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: was going to be their game. They were going to 185 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 1: try this land speculation. And UH Congress had given grant holders, 186 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,599 Speaker 1: Spanish grant holders until the end of eighteen twenty to 187 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: file all their claims because they were ready to to 188 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,559 Speaker 1: stop having to deal with this antiquated paperwork. And so 189 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: Buoy and his brothers started faking Spanish documents. They would 190 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: make up the names of fake French Spanish settlers like 191 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: Jacques Dupuis or one de Lyon, and they would fake 192 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: documents from Spanish governors that granted these made up men 193 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: Bayou frontage. And then they'd also forged deeds of sale, 194 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: you know, so for instance, it would be Jim Booie 195 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: buying from de Leon or something. And all they really 196 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: needed to deal at that point with those two documents 197 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: in hand was bribe witnesses who would swear to have 198 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: seen Booye signed the deed. And it only took a 199 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: hundred dollars for each of these two witnesses. And once 200 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,680 Speaker 1: the land was legally in a buoy's name, he could 201 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: of course sell it to to squatter. Sometimes he'd even 202 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: get the squatter us to be your witnesses, because you'd 203 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: make them a deal on land they had been working 204 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,719 Speaker 1: and living on illegally. Once it's in my name, I'll 205 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: sell it to you at a reduced price. Over the years, 206 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: Booie expanded this enterprise to Arkansas to the brothers. They 207 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: weren't careful either. They used the same handwriting, they made 208 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: errors and spelling or logistics. Sometimes the officials would wise 209 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: up to this, as you would imagine that they would, 210 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 1: But the sheer number of claims that they made, which 211 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: incidentally came to be known as Booie claims false claim 212 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 1: made it hard for much to happen there. It really did, 213 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: and Davis believes that Booie participated in more of this 214 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: land fraud, which a lot of people were doing at 215 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 1: the time, but he participated in more of it than 216 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: anybody else. And it really is because of the the 217 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: extent of the surviving documents, it is unclear how how 218 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 1: much Booie did, how much was successful. It's one of 219 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,200 Speaker 1: the one of the mysteries. But it's something that even 220 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 1: mine through the rest of the podcast too, because he 221 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 1: pretty much always has these deals going on through his life, 222 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: or until near the end, some some degree of land 223 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: fraud going on. But during this time, Bouie wasn't just 224 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: managing these land deals. He was doing all manner of 225 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,839 Speaker 1: other activities, sometimes living with his brother at his bio 226 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: buff plantation, sometimes heading down to New Orleans and enjoying 227 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: high society there because even though he was this frontiersman, 228 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: he was by all accounts quite charming to in in 229 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: society and could really impress people. But in eighteen four 230 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 1: he officially moved near Alexandria, at the center of what's 231 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: now the state of Louisiana, and there he became friends 232 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 1: with two prominent families, the Wells and their cousins, the Cuney's, 233 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: even courting Aquney cousin Cecilia Wells, but the Wells and 234 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 1: a Quney's, most of whom had political offices or political aspirations, 235 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: were feuding with some of the other men in town. 236 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: The Blanchard brother is Dr Thomas Maddox, Colonel Robert Alexander Crane, 237 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: and Major Norris Right, so several people. Booye got wrapped 238 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: up in his friend's political and personal disputes and soon 239 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: heard Major Right was slandering him around town. A confrontation 240 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: between the two in a hotel ended with Right shooting 241 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: Buoy in the chest and an injured Buoy pummeling Right 242 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 1: to the ground, Which is just amazing to me when 243 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: you hear stories like that, people get shot and then 244 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: still somehow have the wherewithal to pick themselves up and 245 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: attack back. He sounded furious. I mean, that's how I 246 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: read it, and and he he really did seem like 247 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: he was in the process of beating Right to death 248 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: and in the process of trying to unclasp his knife. 249 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: By the time Rights friends finally pulled Bullie off of him, 250 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,120 Speaker 1: they it took so much force though, to pull Bully 251 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: off of Right that he left behind a tooth in 252 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 1: Right's hand that could like rose comfortable to this episode, 253 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: or at least I hope so that could not have 254 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: been comfortable for either. Now well that they did. Um, 255 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: there was so much blood coming from Booie because of 256 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: that lost tooth, not from the gun shot, that rights 257 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: Camp assumed he was going to go die. Fortunately for 258 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: Booie the shot was not serious that it might have 259 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: not even penetrated the skin. It was just a bruise, 260 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: and he might have had a broken rib um. But 261 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: it did shake him up, I mean, as you can imagine. 262 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: And one of the reasons was he had been too 263 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 1: slow on the drawid had to fumble with his knife, 264 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: which was clasped to his belt, and so according to 265 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: the legend, this is the point where his brother gave 266 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: him this long butcher type knife that he could just 267 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: wear in a leather sheath instead of some kind of 268 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: clasped device, something he could really quickly take out and 269 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: do some serious damage with. So clearly Booie and Wright 270 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: would have to meet again, but it took a while, 271 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: and plenty of other Alexandria then found time to schedule 272 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: their duels with him in the meantime. But by summer 273 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: of eight seven, after a few failed or canceled duels 274 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: between various parties. One was finally set for September ninety 275 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: seven near Natchez, Mississippi, on a sand bar in the river. 276 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: The combatants for this particular duel would be Booie's friend 277 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: Samuel Wells and Dr Tallumas Mattox. But each guy, in 278 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: addition to bringing his second and his doctor, brought along 279 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: a bunch of friends who were relegated to watch all 280 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: this go down from because they knew there was going 281 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: to be trouble. They knew they were essentially bringing two 282 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: gangs to this isolated sandbar, and they didn't want the 283 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: honorable duel to be interfered with. So after two rounds 284 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: and no hits on either side, the former friends we 285 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: were satisfied with the outcome of the duel. They shook hands, 286 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: they made up. They were actually in the process of 287 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: suggesting everybody go out and celebrate their renewed friendship with 288 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: a glass of mine, when Sam Cuney, who was one 289 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: of Booie's friends, challenged Colonel Robert Crane to duel then 290 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: and there. They had had a pre existing feud. Crane 291 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: had said he would kill Kenney on site so Kenney 292 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 1: was just trying to get that over with, I guess. 293 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: But most of the guys realized that this was not 294 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: the It was neither the time nor the place, you know, 295 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: to be challenging yet another duel. But it was too 296 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 1: late because most of these guys already had guns out. 297 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 1: Even though Quney quickly lowered his own gun after the challenge, 298 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: after realizing no, this is a bad idea, Booie had 299 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 1: already raised his gun and when Crane saw Booie's gun 300 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 1: pointed at him, he shot and that just kicked off 301 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: this gang war essentially on a sandbar. Yeah, there was 302 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 1: another shot from Crane hit Keuney and he bled to death. 303 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,400 Speaker 1: Booie began chasing Crane and clawbort him on the head 304 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: with an empty pistol. By this point, Booie's arch and 305 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: me right also got in on the action and he 306 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 1: shot Bouie through the lung. And this is where it 307 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: gets kind of crazy, because that's where it gets crazy. 308 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: I think it takes it up a notch at this 309 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,680 Speaker 1: point because the Blanchard brothers join in too, and they 310 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: start aiming at Buie and they hit him in the thigh, 311 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: which it's not the gunshot wound to the to the 312 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,440 Speaker 1: chest that knocks him down, it's this one to the thigh. 313 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 1: And once he's on the ground, one of the Blanchard 314 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,919 Speaker 1: brothers and right pull out their sword canes which I 315 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: had to google sword canes too, but it is a 316 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:34,360 Speaker 1: sword disguised in a cane. They start stabbing him and 317 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: beating him with their sword canes, and so somehow Booie 318 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: managed to force himself up grab right. He's gotten out 319 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: his knife by this point, and stabbed right through the 320 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:52,840 Speaker 1: heart with his knife, saying now major, you die. And 321 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: even then, after such a horrifying conclusion to this fight, 322 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 1: Booie was still being dabbed by one of the Blanchard's 323 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:06,639 Speaker 1: before everybody just realizes chaos had happened calms down a 324 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: little bit. It took only nineties seconds for all of 325 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: this to go down too, but it left cuney and 326 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: right dead. Boy was shot through the lungs and the thigh. 327 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:19,639 Speaker 1: He had been stabbed in seven places and was not 328 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 1: expected to survive, but the story became national news. So 329 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: it wasn't long before the guy who was best known 330 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 1: as a shady land speculator is a frontier legend with 331 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: a reputation as a skilled knife fighter. So everyone wants 332 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: a blade like Bullie's at this point, and I think 333 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: we know where that's headed. We do, although we should 334 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: say too. There is a lot of controversy over what 335 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: Bouie's knife actually looked like. Um, you know, if you 336 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: if you look up a Booie knife today, it is 337 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 1: a distinctive shape with a distinctive handle. But according to 338 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: James L. Batson, who is the past president of the 339 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 1: American Bladesmith Society, quote no, but he knows who the 340 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: hell made it and what it looked like. There's all 341 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,200 Speaker 1: sorts of legends tied up around this this knife. Apparently, 342 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 1: use your imagination. I guess what do you think it 343 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,919 Speaker 1: looks like? It's it's a long butcher knife essentially, but 344 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,120 Speaker 1: but traditionally they have a little hooked tip that makes 345 00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: it look extra scary. But clearly it did some damage. 346 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: And and after a fight like that, and after all 347 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: of the the shadiness of these land dealings, it seemed 348 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: like Jim Booie needed some new opportunities. Yeah, so at 349 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 1: this point, Texas is beckoning Booie, and it's no wonder 350 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 1: because there was land to be had there, and we 351 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 1: know how he was land. Mexico, which had gained its 352 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: independence from Spain nearly two decades before this, had installed 353 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: a constitution in four which gave Mexican states a lot 354 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 1: of independent power over things like immigration policies. So unsurprisingly, 355 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: the more frontier ish combined states of Texas and ko 356 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: Ohila were really welcoming to settlers from the US. You 357 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 1: just had to accept Catholicism and the laws of Mexico 358 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: which did forbid slavery, and you could be granted large 359 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: amounts of grazing and farming land. Marry a Mexican woman 360 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 1: and your share was even larger. And they had things 361 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:23,719 Speaker 1: like deferred taxes, lower prices with the frontiersman's dream essentially, 362 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,959 Speaker 1: and and uh yeah, Booie was interested. It sounded like 363 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,920 Speaker 1: the perfect opportunity for him, and and on his first trip, 364 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: most of which was spent in San Antonio, the charming side, 365 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,680 Speaker 1: that New Orleans side of Booie really came out. He 366 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: played up all his business interests at home, made him 367 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: self out to to seem like kind of a grand man, 368 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: and befriended some of the towns leading Mexican families to 369 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 1: including the very wealthy Mexican Vice governor of the area, 370 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,360 Speaker 1: Juan Martin de Vera Mendi. He did still have all 371 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,680 Speaker 1: of those business interests in Louisiana, though, so he had 372 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,680 Speaker 1: to head home for a little bit. But he left 373 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: for Texas for real in January eighteen thirty with his 374 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:10,320 Speaker 1: friend kay off as Ham, and by late summer he 375 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,400 Speaker 1: had pretty much insinuated himself into into San Antonio society 376 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,840 Speaker 1: had really charmed everybody. Yeah, he was granted Mexican citizenship, 377 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,159 Speaker 1: which was conditional on him building a mill, and he 378 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:26,199 Speaker 1: also became engaged to Vera Mendy's beautiful daughter, Ursula. But 379 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:30,120 Speaker 1: before allowing his daughter to marry Bouie, Vera Mendy made 380 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: his future son in law compile a document of his 381 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: property and assets. Booie apparently lied outrageously here made himself 382 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: younger and richer than he actually was. So maybe in 383 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 1: interests of living up to this supposed wealth, or maybe 384 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,639 Speaker 1: it was just Bouie's get rich quick obsession, and he 385 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: started to settle on a new scheme just a few 386 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: months after his April eighteen thirty one marriage to Ursula. 387 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 1: He wanted to find the lost legendary silver Minds of 388 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: San Saba. Okay, so this really does sound like the 389 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: craziest of his his get rich quick schemes, but also uh, 390 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 1: maybe the most romantic. It's not quite forging Spanish documents, 391 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 1: but uh, we gotta fill people in on the legend 392 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: a little bit. So Supposedly, nearly a century before this, 393 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 1: Spanish missionaries had found silver or in this area, and 394 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: they'd mind it. They had hidden it in caves all 395 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 1: before the Commanche destroyed the mission in the seventeen fifties, 396 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 1: and it was supposed to all still be there waiting 397 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: for for somebody like Booie to come and find it. Essentially, 398 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: but the supposed minds were in very dangerous territory, so 399 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,120 Speaker 1: not too many people were interested in in venturing out 400 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:49,640 Speaker 1: that way, but Buoy organized a small group of men 401 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: to to locate the treasure in November eighteen thirty one. 402 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,879 Speaker 1: On the way there, though, Buoy's group, which included his 403 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: brother Reason and his friend, ham met up with this 404 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 1: small party of Comanche and their Mexican captive. And one 405 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: of the Commanche men knew him and they were friendly, 406 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: and so the two parties stopped and talked for a 407 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: little bit before parting ways. Seemed normal enough. The next morning, 408 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: at dawn, though, the Mexican captive came racing up to 409 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: the Buoy camp all all in a fuss, telling them 410 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 1: that the previous day, after the two parties had had 411 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: parted ways, the Comanche group had run into a party 412 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: of Teliconi, Waco and Catto who said they were stalking 413 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 1: Booye's men and planned on killing them and stealing their 414 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: horses and supplies. So the Commanche couldn't do much about this, 415 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: but they did send their captive out to Warren Buoy 416 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:52,120 Speaker 1: about this group stalking him, but also to advise him 417 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 1: to take cover immediately. Now even gives some advice about 418 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 1: where a good place to go would be. Booie, though, 419 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,280 Speaker 1: decided he wasn't going to do that. He he was 420 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: close enough to feel that silver, you know, and he 421 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,679 Speaker 1: was going to push ahead to San Salva instead. It 422 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 1: ended up being a really, really bad move. So the 423 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,959 Speaker 1: next morning, the large party of Native Americans approached and reason. 424 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: At this point attempts to parlay in their own language 425 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 1: before the Catto began shooting, and the Catto, we're hoping 426 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,920 Speaker 1: to kill the small group of men, and they probably 427 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,880 Speaker 1: would have succeeded. They probably would have quickly swarmed them 428 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: had Booie not spotted a chief by noticing his buffalo horns. 429 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:34,679 Speaker 1: So ham shot at the chief and unhorsed him. The 430 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: chief fell to the ground and was soon shot dead there, 431 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:40,879 Speaker 1: and this unnerved and disturbed the war party enough to 432 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 1: give the Booey party time to dig in. There was 433 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 1: heavy fighting that went on for hours, and by late afternoon, 434 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: the Native Americans had set fire to burnout Booey's men, 435 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,160 Speaker 1: but they only used it to collect their own dead 436 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,680 Speaker 1: and wounded. Ultimately, about fifty of the Native American warriors 437 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,239 Speaker 1: had been killed. Only one man of Buie's party had 438 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: been shot dead, even though every single guy had been 439 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: hit either by an arrow or by a bullet, and 440 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: only six of them were well enough to care for 441 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: the other, so it still looked pretty bleak for them, 442 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: even though they had survived this attack, partly because their 443 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 1: animals were wounded too, and they were stuck far from 444 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: far from home and uh I didn't know where to go, 445 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: so it took a whole week for for them to recover, 446 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: for the animals to recover enough to head back to 447 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,199 Speaker 1: San Antonio, where, of course word from the Comanche about 448 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: this war party had also gotten back. Everybody in San Antonio, 449 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: including Bowie's wife Ursula, had given them up for dead. 450 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: So meanwhile, while Booie had been establishing himself and nearly 451 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 1: getting killed in the process, in Texas, the situation and 452 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,399 Speaker 1: the rest of Mexico was changing. The same year that 453 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: Booie had moved to Mexico's president closed the borders of 454 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 1: Texas to U S citizens, but not to Europeans. He 455 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: was a free aid that Americans were flooding the state. 456 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,959 Speaker 1: He was also trying to start collecting customs. Many Texans 457 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: were not okay with these new rules and limitations, nor 458 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: were some Tano's or Hispanic Texans. During this time, there 459 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: was also conflict between federalists and centralists in Mexico. Federalists 460 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: who wanted a state sort of government state and national government, 461 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,399 Speaker 1: and centralists who wanted more of a dictatorship for the 462 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 1: Mexican government. So this had been spreading across Mexico gradually, 463 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: and it finally reached Texas by eighteen thirty two of 464 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,440 Speaker 1: one of the outer provinces and most of the Texians 465 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:41,439 Speaker 1: supported General Antonio Lopez to Santa Anna, who led the 466 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,199 Speaker 1: federalists in this revolution and buoy This man of action 467 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: of course backed up his support and action too. He 468 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: was able to bluff with just a very small group 469 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,239 Speaker 1: of men, a Mexican colonel and his army who had 470 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 1: been sent into disarm the region. You know, boy had 471 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: had good practice by this point with with bluffing a 472 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: larger group of men. And he also helped his father 473 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,199 Speaker 1: in law, governor of Vera Mendy, relocated the Texas and 474 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:11,199 Speaker 1: Coheela capital away from centralist territory. But Booie's relationship with 475 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,640 Speaker 1: the Vera Mendy's was unfortunately about to end tragically. It's 476 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,439 Speaker 1: probably the saddest part of Booie's story. While he was 477 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:23,040 Speaker 1: away on business and Natchez, he caught malaria, he almost died, 478 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,000 Speaker 1: worked on his will all of that. He didn't get 479 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,600 Speaker 1: word though, until November eighteen thirty two, that while he 480 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:34,880 Speaker 1: had been sick, his wife, child, mother in law, and 481 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: father in law had all died of cholera two months earlier. 482 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: So he was devastated by this late news rushed back 483 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:46,959 Speaker 1: to San Antonio, but um no real family ties anymore 484 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: in Texas. Meanwhile, Mexico's political situation was getting even crazier. 485 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: Santa Anna led an insurrection against the president and switched 486 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: government ideals from federalists to centralist. The situation in Texas 487 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: became even more unsettled, with some Texians still wanting to 488 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: be a part of Mexico but fighting to restore some 489 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,000 Speaker 1: of the old, more liberal ways. Others wanted Texas to 490 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:15,320 Speaker 1: become its own republic with its own laws, including legalized slavery. 491 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: Booie was in the latter camp. So it's all of 492 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: these different goals, different people trying to accomplish different things. 493 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: A skirmish between Mexican troops sent into Texas and some 494 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: of these rebels finally kicked off the Texas Revolution on 495 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: October eight thirty five. That fall, the Texians also laid 496 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: siege to San Antonio, and after this and after the 497 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: success there, a lot of the revolutionaries thought that maybe 498 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: the fight was over and one they went home to 499 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:51,480 Speaker 1: their their farms, their ranches. But Santa Anna, back in 500 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 1: Mexico proper was busy building up a massive army to 501 00:29:55,840 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: fight both the Texians and the opposing Tanno's also lee 502 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: the small Texians garrison uh that included Booie, Colonel William Travis, 503 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:11,520 Speaker 1: and folk hero Davy Crockett, plus some Tahano slaves, women 504 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 1: and children wound up at this old mission settlement and 505 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: fort called the Alamo, and Candath and Jane did an 506 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: earlier episode on the Battle at the Alamo. They went 507 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 1: into a lot more details, both about the political situation 508 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: leading up to it and the fight. But from Buoye's perspective, 509 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 1: it was kind of a bust. You know, he was 510 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: this renowned fighter. He was somebody who, as I mentioned 511 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,719 Speaker 1: a minute ago, a minute ago, had really thrived in 512 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: underdog situations. He was really sick of like deathbed sick 513 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: almost maybe with typhoid, maybe pneumonia or tuberculosis. So this 514 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,480 Speaker 1: was not his moment to to fight, even though he 515 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 1: was with these men who were willing to take a 516 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:56,080 Speaker 1: stand here. So by the time Santa Anna and his 517 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,480 Speaker 1: vastly superior forces laid siege to the Alamo, Booie was 518 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:03,080 Speaker 1: in bed after thirteen days. The Mexican storm the Old 519 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 1: Church slash fourth on March six, eighteen thirty six, and 520 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: the fighting inside was particularly gruesome. It was very close quarters. 521 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,800 Speaker 1: Bowie was killed inside along with the rest of the garrison, 522 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: and this defeat inspired other Texas forces. However, and when 523 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:23,360 Speaker 1: General Sam Houston met with Santa Ana's larger forces six 524 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: weeks later, the Texians called quote, remember the Alamo, that's 525 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:33,400 Speaker 1: why people today, and apparently brought their bowie knives to 526 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: battle with them, ready to to fight again in close quarters. Um. 527 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:41,840 Speaker 1: Of course, victory at that battle eventually led to Texas independent, 528 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: and of course the Alamo legacy has shifted a lot 529 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: in the intervening years too. I saw so many articles 530 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: on this just trying to look at the Alamo from 531 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: different angles. And one of the biggest shifts came in 532 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties when all of this Davy Crockett, Jim 533 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 1: Booie sort of pop culture was really picking up u. 534 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: Instead of presenting the story of the Alamo as a 535 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: complete last stand by Anglo Texians only, the narrative really 536 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: shifted to include more the role of the Tehanas too 537 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 1: in the defense. Uh that started to be emphasized more, 538 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: although some people also say it might be a little 539 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 1: over emphasized. People were trying to play it up too 540 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: much since there were also as many black Americans present, 541 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,920 Speaker 1: as there were Teanos. But also while the the battle 542 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:31,600 Speaker 1: and while the discussion about it continued to be about 543 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,720 Speaker 1: freedom and liberties, there were new elements that came into 544 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: land grab, racial elements, that sort of thing. It became 545 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:45,160 Speaker 1: a more complicated, uh complicated story really. Meanwhile, the heroes 546 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 1: of the Alamo became these pop culture sensations. A Wild 547 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 1: West article by Paul Andrew Hutton called Davy Crockett the 548 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: first baby boomer fad and I mean, I can see that. 549 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,280 Speaker 1: I guess if it's the fifties. We we started the 550 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 1: episode by talking about kids in a and and Jim 551 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: Bowie plays into that too. I imagine probably a lot 552 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,800 Speaker 1: of kids during that time pretended to be these frontiers men. 553 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 1: But a fun fat to close all of this out 554 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,160 Speaker 1: on this episode that has included gruesome knife fights and 555 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 1: the tooth stuck in the hand and the bloody Battle 556 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 1: of the Alamo, David Bowie actually chose his name for 557 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 1: both the knife and the man um throws in our 558 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:32,120 Speaker 1: pronunciation wrench against. Certainly David Bowie isn't it, But it 559 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 1: does make sense to David Bowie would have been a 560 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: child of the fifties. Um and I could have. I 561 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 1: could see the the appeal, especially for um. I don't 562 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,479 Speaker 1: know somebody who's trying to to make a career too 563 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 1: in the United States to choose this all Americans sort 564 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 1: of frontiersman for for his stage name. That's true. I 565 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,240 Speaker 1: wonder what he would think of some of the shadier 566 00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 1: sides of it. Just sort of adds to the cache 567 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:04,920 Speaker 1: on this. So okay, So now that we've gotten this 568 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:08,440 Speaker 1: full circle from Bowie to Bowie, Okay, Glen, are you 569 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:12,200 Speaker 1: ready to get to some real male listener mail? Yes? Man, 570 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:18,600 Speaker 1: all right, so you ready to do some listener mail 571 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: to Blena. I am. It's my first listener mail since returning. 572 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:25,680 Speaker 1: We've gotten such a stack of postcards and and I 573 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: did one with Kristin recently. It was from a listener 574 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: who had sent us postcards from all over her family's 575 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:35,440 Speaker 1: trip to South Dakota. That would have been one that 576 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:37,839 Speaker 1: would maybe kind of make sense with this, But we've 577 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:40,400 Speaker 1: gotten a few other series and we should just give 578 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:43,359 Speaker 1: a shout out to those people. Christina, the Traveling One, 579 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,479 Speaker 1: has sent us postcards from all over the world from 580 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 1: the spring and summer she's been really she's the traveling One. 581 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 1: It's a good name, Christina. Also Kyle. Listener Kyle has 582 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: sent us these really pretty postcards. A lot of them 583 00:34:56,560 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 1: have been illustrations of places in Berlin or Austria. It 584 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,359 Speaker 1: seems like he's had a great trip there and seen 585 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,239 Speaker 1: a lot of sights, and especially like this one of 586 00:35:08,719 --> 00:35:13,800 Speaker 1: Berlin from it's more historic looking than or historical looking 587 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,439 Speaker 1: than a lot of the postcards we get. It's pretty cool. 588 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:21,440 Speaker 1: But one special one to mention in this episode is 589 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 1: not just a postcard, it's a three D model. So 590 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:27,520 Speaker 1: I don't know, Deeplina, maybe we should get out our 591 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 1: scissors after this. It's from listener Colleen and it is 592 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:35,680 Speaker 1: of c KS Memorial Hall, which is in Taiwan. And uh, 593 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: I don't know if I have the motor skills, and 594 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:42,680 Speaker 1: I don't think we should attempt this. It is small. 595 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:44,719 Speaker 1: Maybe we should just leave it in tact. Question will 596 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,160 Speaker 1: ruin the note? That's true. We don't want to lose 597 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:50,080 Speaker 1: the message and the cool scamp in the back, so um, 598 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,080 Speaker 1: maybe I'll take a picture of it and put it 599 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: on Facebook instead. That seems like the better plan, so 600 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 1: you can have lots of fun, I guess pouring over 601 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: some of these these postcards. I have a lot to 602 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:02,920 Speaker 1: catch up on both with I just sort of skimmed 603 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 1: through the Listener male emails, but I have to go 604 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 1: back and sort of read through those, especially the suggestions 605 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,879 Speaker 1: because I saw there were some great Listeners suggestions while 606 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,800 Speaker 1: I was gone. And the postcards. Yeah, postcards and letters. 607 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:15,359 Speaker 1: I have a lot of catching and you got a 608 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,239 Speaker 1: lot of stuffed animal too. We also need to thank 609 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:20,280 Speaker 1: Sarah in Northern Ireland. Yes, she sent me a cool 610 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 1: beanie baby sort of a memento from the London Olympics. Yeah, 611 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:30,920 Speaker 1: so Aara can make friends with this little it's a 612 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 1: London Guard slash beanie baby slash Hello Kitty. Yes, and 613 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:39,760 Speaker 1: it is currently in her room along with the elephant 614 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:41,719 Speaker 1: that you gave her. Oh yeah, I did give her 615 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:43,759 Speaker 1: room and I thought it was it was kind of 616 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:48,879 Speaker 1: history appropriate, right I think? So you also gave her 617 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:54,600 Speaker 1: the three Bears right, yes for my book choice um 618 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:58,319 Speaker 1: so gives the bound it seems. And lots of fun 619 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:01,799 Speaker 1: postcards and will be definitely getting back to Listener mail 620 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:05,240 Speaker 1: too now that Debolina has return. I felt funny including 621 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,440 Speaker 1: emails and things on on some of my guest host episodes, 622 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 1: but now that you're back, we will be reading you 623 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,440 Speaker 1: guys's messages again on the show. So write us. We're 624 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:18,920 Speaker 1: at History Podcast at Discovery dot Com. We're also on Twitter, 625 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,839 Speaker 1: We're at missed in History. Uh, let us know if 626 00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:25,719 Speaker 1: you had your own I don't know, I almost said, 627 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: David Bowie, Jim Bowie, Uh, costume as a kid or 628 00:37:29,719 --> 00:37:32,799 Speaker 1: Davy Crockett or I don't know, David Bowie. Sure, why not? 629 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,280 Speaker 1: Let us know and we'll we'd love to see pictures 630 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: of that too. And if you want to learn a 631 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,680 Speaker 1: little bit more about some of the topics we talked 632 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:43,440 Speaker 1: about on today's podcast, we have an article called why 633 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 1: do we Remember the Alamo on our website and you 634 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,839 Speaker 1: can look that up by visiting our homepage at www 635 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 1: dot how stuff works dot com for more on this 636 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:57,879 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Because at how stuff works 637 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:08,800 Speaker 1: dot com they had happen named the name has named 638 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:10,719 Speaker 1: the name be