CAREER BUSTERS: WINE, WOMEN AND GUNS

Many cops have been brought down by wine, women and guns, but ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas’ brought down a whole nation

Recently I wrote about a Florida police chief who got fired after he was caught in a prostitution sting. That was just one example of a cop getting brought down over women. Wine, women and guns or any combination thereof, can be career busters for anyone, but especially for cops. We know that alcohol and guns can be a deadly mixture. And we know that a lot of off-duty cops get boozed up while carrying a gun, a prescription for getting into serious trouble.

While hanky panky with women can bring down a cop, one woman brought down a whole nation. No, it wasn’t Monica Lewinsky. Monica nearly brought down the Clinton presidency. Emily West brought down the nation of Mexico.

March 2 is Texas Independence Day because on that date in 1836, sixty delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico. That led to a war which is best known for the Battle of the Alamo. But the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836 was the decisive battle that ended the war and forced Mexico to recognize an independent Republic of Texas. And legend has it that a mulatto woman, Emily West, brought down the Mexican army under the command of President/General Santa Anna.

Emily West worked as an indentured servant for Col. James Morgan, a wealthy land owner. Morgan’s plantation sat aside the grounds of the Battle of San Jacinto. Legend has it that Morgan sent West to seduce Santa Anna so that she could spy on him for the Texans. Another version claims that West was captured when the Mexicans overran Morgan’s plantation and that Santa Anna singled her out for some hanky panky.

With their leader busy banging West, his soldiers also partied the night away. The Mexicans were disorganized when Sam Houston’s 900-man militia struck their encampment in a broad-daylight surprise attack. It took the Texans only 20 minutes to defeat the 1,400-man Mexican army. The Texans killed around 700 Mexican soldiers, wounded 208 and took 730 prisoners while suffering only nine killed and 30 wounded. The surprise attack interrupted Santa Anna’s sexual escapade with West. He fled in just a shirt and his long johns, but was captured the next day,.

At first Santa Anna’s captors believed he was just an ordinary soldier, but when other prisoners kept addressing him as "El Presidente," the Texans realized they had captured the president of Mexico. And on May 14, 1836, Santa Anna signed a treaty in which he promised to persuade the Mexican congress to recognize Texas as an independent republic in return for his safe passage back to Mexico City.

So, where a couple of Sheriff’s deputies posing as prostitutes brought down a Florida police chief, Emily West brought down a whole nation. Santa Anna learned too late that wine, women and guns could be career busters. And whether the legend is true or not, Emily West had a song composed in her honor. That song is “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” Here are the lyrics of the original version:

There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see,
No other darky knows her, no darky only me
She cryed so when I left her it like to broke my heart,
And if I ever find her, we nevermore will part.

[Chorus] She's the sweetest rose of color this darky ever knew,
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;
You may talk about your Dearest May, and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

When the Rio Grande is flowing, the starry skies are bright,
She walks along the river in the quite [sic] summer night:
She thinks if I remember, when we parted long ago,
I promised to come back again, and not to leave her so.

[Chorus] She's the sweetest rose of color this darky ever knew,
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;
You may talk about your Dearest May, and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

Oh now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,
And we'll sing the songs togeather [sic], that we sung so long ago
We'll play the bango gaily, and we'll sing the songs of yore,
And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore.

[Chorus] She's the sweetest rose of color this darky ever knew,
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;
You may talk about your Dearest May, and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

The descriptive term “yellow” was in keeping with the historical use by Southerners of the term "high yellow" to describe Blacks who had a light skin. Eventually political correctness changed some of the wording. “Darky” was replaced by “soldier” and "She's the sweetest rose of color” was changed to "She's the sweetest little rosebud.”

Now, when you take that first drink, especially if you're a cop, be sure to remember that wine, women and guns can be career busters!