Before becoming a martyr of the Alamo, William Barret Travis was a young attorney in San Felipe who ran a law office on lot 50. His law practice flourished as he represented neighbors in a variety of disputes, including successfully defending Celia, a free woman of colour, in the matter of her freedom. He also served as secretary of the town council, using his management and Spanish-language skills to record, translate, and organize government documents. As tensions with Mexico rose, Travis became a strong voice for war and an early enlistee in the Texian army. Assigned to the defense of San Antonio, he left for his post in late January 1836 and never returned to San Felipe. With Mexican forces threatening to overrun the Alamo, he sent back to San Felipe an impassioned call to arms ending with the words "Victory or Death." He died when the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836.