132 DISTRIBUTION OF SPOILS. 



men of tlie obnoxious party, whose bodies lay 

 for several days exposed to the beasts and 

 birds of prey. 



On the 9th of August "about two thousand 

 of the insurgent mob, including the Pueblo 

 Indians, pitched their camp in the suburbs of 

 the capital. The horrors of a saqueo (or plun- 

 dering of the city) were now anticipated by 

 every one. The American traders were par- 

 ticularly uneasy, expecting every instant that 

 their hves and property would fall a sacrifice 

 to the ferocity of the rabble. Bdt to the great 

 and most agreeable surprise of all, no outrage 

 of any importance was committed upon 

 either inhabitant or trader. A great portion 

 of the insurgents remained in the city for 

 about two days, during which one of their 

 boldest leaders, Jose Gonzalez of Taos, a good 

 honest hunter but a very ignorant man, was 

 elected for governor. 



The first step of the revolutionists was to 

 seize all the property of then proscribed or 

 murdered victims, which was afterwards dis- 

 tributed among the victors by a decree of the 



' -that being the title by which 

 a council summoned together by Governor 

 Gonzalez, and composed of all the alcaldes 

 and principal characters of the territory, was 

 dignified. The families of the unfortunate 

 victims of this revolutionary movement were 

 thus left destitute of everything ; and the for- 

 eign merchants who had given the oflicers 

 credit to a large amount upon the stiength of 

 tlieir reputed property and salaries, remained 



Asamblea general- 



