TO SAN ANTONIO. 
35 
ing it from him. No sooner was this done, than 
Turner drew his long bowie-knife and rushed upon him, 
plunging it into the side of Tennant, and causing his 
death in half an hour. The murderer sheathed his 
knife, and hastened to a horse which stood near. In 
another moment he was mounted, and, riding at full 
speed, he disappeared in the thick chapporal, or thorny 
bushes, near the camp. 
This transaction took place in the very midst of 
the camp; but as broils and altercations were not 
uncommon among the teamsters, and as no one antici- 
pated what was to follow, Tennant being a very ath- 
letic man, they did not interfere. In fact, from the 
statements made to me, the affair was so sudden that it 
scarcely admitted of any interference. But the blow 
of the murderer, and his subsequent escape, were wit- 
nessed by many. The whole camp was immediately 
in motion ; horses were saddled, and several started 
in pursuit. The chapporal was high and thick ; yet the 
pursuers, regardless of the difficulty and danger of rid- 
ing through its thorny recesses, dashed on, and soon 
caught sight of the object of their pursuit. In a 
short time the two foremost of the party, Mr. Eobert 
E. Matthews, and Mr. J. E. Weems, assistants in the 
engineer corps, succeeded in overtaking Turner, when, 
presenting their pistols, they compelled him to sur- 
render. Having been disarmed, and others of the pur- 
suers coming up, the prisoner was carried in safety to 
the camp. Great credit is due to Messrs. Matthews 
and Weems for their activity and courage in captur- 
ing this desperate man. 
A detachment from the engineer corps brought 
