Post by Hollowhorn on Nov 18, 2011 19:58:05 GMT -5
By Wallace O. Chariton.
A very interesting read, Mr. Chariton’s premise is that there are two sides to every story, his purpose is to present both sides and then leave it to the reader to decide what is the correct version of events. He uses phrases like “It is you, the jury, who must decide’ & “Hopefully enough information has been provided to allow you to draw your own conclusion”
Sadly though, he cannot resist presenting his own version of the truth at the end of many chapters:
On the question of defender suicides:
“We will never know the exact location of the burial of the Alamo victims. Howerver, it seems prudent to accept the probability that wherever the remains lay, there are no ashes of any suicide victims included”
On the Line in the Sand:
“I believe that what little evidence we have, coupled with logical adjustments to the Rose story, produces sufficient reason to accept the essence of the ‘Zuber’ tale and, consequently, the line incident. Without proof that Travis did not draw the line, believing the story would seem to be requisite to being a loyal Texan.”
On the Mexican casualties:
A cost which prompted some Mexicans to claim the victory was not much different from defeat in terms of troops lost. That fact alone should provide sufficient cause for pride for any Texan”
On the death of Crockett:
“Unless conclusive proof is located, it would appear consistent with the memory of Crockett to believe a quotation attributed to Reuben Potter, “David Crockett never surrendered to bear or tiger, Indian or Mexican” Without better proof than Dan Kilgore, Richard Santos, et al., could muster, let the record show Davy Crockett won his last fight and died fighting like a tiger. Nothing else seems fitting or proper”
That sort of annoyance (to me) aside it really is well worth taking the time to read this book, In particular, the chapter on ‘Moses’ Rose & the one on the death of Crockett are a joy to read, the pros and cons of each mystery are very well presented, if only Mr. Chariton had remained silent after the full stop.
My only real bugbear regarding this book is the chapter on Phillip Dimitt (the Alamo Mystery Letter)
I will contain my ire regarding this particular chapter until such time as I post on the ‘Alamo Defenders’ thread.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
A very interesting read, Mr. Chariton’s premise is that there are two sides to every story, his purpose is to present both sides and then leave it to the reader to decide what is the correct version of events. He uses phrases like “It is you, the jury, who must decide’ & “Hopefully enough information has been provided to allow you to draw your own conclusion”
Sadly though, he cannot resist presenting his own version of the truth at the end of many chapters:
On the question of defender suicides:
“We will never know the exact location of the burial of the Alamo victims. Howerver, it seems prudent to accept the probability that wherever the remains lay, there are no ashes of any suicide victims included”
On the Line in the Sand:
“I believe that what little evidence we have, coupled with logical adjustments to the Rose story, produces sufficient reason to accept the essence of the ‘Zuber’ tale and, consequently, the line incident. Without proof that Travis did not draw the line, believing the story would seem to be requisite to being a loyal Texan.”
On the Mexican casualties:
A cost which prompted some Mexicans to claim the victory was not much different from defeat in terms of troops lost. That fact alone should provide sufficient cause for pride for any Texan”
On the death of Crockett:
“Unless conclusive proof is located, it would appear consistent with the memory of Crockett to believe a quotation attributed to Reuben Potter, “David Crockett never surrendered to bear or tiger, Indian or Mexican” Without better proof than Dan Kilgore, Richard Santos, et al., could muster, let the record show Davy Crockett won his last fight and died fighting like a tiger. Nothing else seems fitting or proper”
That sort of annoyance (to me) aside it really is well worth taking the time to read this book, In particular, the chapter on ‘Moses’ Rose & the one on the death of Crockett are a joy to read, the pros and cons of each mystery are very well presented, if only Mr. Chariton had remained silent after the full stop.
My only real bugbear regarding this book is the chapter on Phillip Dimitt (the Alamo Mystery Letter)
I will contain my ire regarding this particular chapter until such time as I post on the ‘Alamo Defenders’ thread.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
