USA > Texas > A new history of Texas; being a narration of the adventures of the author in Texas, and a description of the soil, climate, productions, minerals, tons [!], bays, harbours, rivers, institutions, and manners and customs of the inhabitants of that country; together with the principal incidents of fifteen years revolution in Mexico; and embracing a condensed statement of interesting events in Texas, from the first European settlement in 1692, down to the present time: and a history of the Mexican war > Part 3
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24
To those who are fond of a retired and quiet life, and would prefer the business of rearing stock, to the planting of cotton and sugar, would choose too, to be located among romantic hills and vales, such as are familiar to every wes- tern Virginian, and to drink from the cool running foun- tains, rather than the frequently turbid river, or stagnant
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pond, these second and third rate lands would prove more valuable than much that is considered of the first quality. For as has always proved true elsewhere, so it will be here-rich lands are mighty allurements to those who esti- mate every thing by dollars and cents, and the rich and level lands of Texas will in a few brief years be thickly settled; the solemn grandeur of the wilderness and the quiet stillness of a secluded farm will be lost, and will have given place to the busy hum of business, and the inconveniences and annoyances, as well as the advantages to be derived" from a residence among a dense, and too frequently, a licentious, population.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
CHAPTER III.
Now, gentle reader, having conducted you from the western boundary to near the centre of the country, from whence we shall shortly approximate more considerable settlements, you are invited to take post with your guide, and humble servant, upon one of the lofty spires of the Col- orado mountains, from whence we can enjoy an extend- ed view of the surrounding country and the wilds we have, as most travelers, hastily passed, who have ever pene- trated these solitudes. Here, my friend, we will com- mune a while, and, like Moses of old, view the promised land.
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In the company of two valued friends, one of whom now sleeps with his fathers, I once ascended this eminence. And,
Down looked the sun of a summer's morn, From a blue and laughing sky ; The wild bee wound his merry horn, And the rill camo dancing by.
And the flowers-Oh ! there was the wild primrose ! And the violet sweet and fair, . And every radiant bud that blows, In suinmer's taliny air.
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With a pleasant song, like the first sweet words, Of a cherub child at play, My friend who is cone to the world above, Breathed a melodious mountain lay.
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Arrived at the summit, by common consent of our par- ty, I christened the promontory the Peak of Otter, in memory of the Peak of Otter in Bedford County, Va., in sight of which I drew my first breath, and the first moun- tain that greeted my youthful eyes; here my infant years were watched over by a kind and affectionate mother, and the best of fathers, and the venerable mountain is associated in my mind with the happiest days of my life; with the tender kindness of brothers and sisters, and all that indescribable something that has in after years fur- nished subjects of a sweet-a melancholy pleasure.
Reader, call this what you please: weakness-folly-idol- atry-superstition, what ever you will; yet I own its sway, and declare that the dim outline of this noble mountain can never fade from my memory, and in filial gratitude, this Peak of Otter, in Texas, shall inherit the name, and may it hereafter be surrounded by as noble a race of men as its sire in the good old Dominion.
There first budded passion-there burst into bloom, The flower of young hope-through it may droop to the tomb; But that brief life of love-though whole ages may roll Over my heart in dispondence-'tis fresh in my soul !
Sweet clime of my kindred, blest land of my birth ! The fairest, the dearest, the brightest on earth ! Oh ! where e'er I may roam-however blest I may be, My spirit instinctively turns unto thee !
In taking an extended view of the surrounding country, from this spot, which is about 150 miles from Colorado city, nature is seen reposing in all its lovely sublimity and grandeur; to the north lie the high, dry and verdant prai- ries, dotted over with islands of timber, and wearing, in the distance, the appearance of a mighty arm of the sea; and like the sea too, these plains are inhabited, differing though in kind and appearance from those of the briny deep; but
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perhaps not more in habit, thought, or virtue, than exists among some of our own species.
To the west is seen, dashing through the defiles, a bold little stream, much resembling Jones's falls, near Baltimore; and beyond the heights columns rising, presenting ima- ges to the eye not unlike the noble monuments which grace that famous city.
My friend, I experience mingled sensations of sorrow and peace in contemplating such familiar objects, though they remind me of the bitterest dregs I have drank, and recall misfortunes which I never deserved; they also, call to mind that it was in view of such objects that I have spent many happy days with my prattling little boys, and the chosen partner of my bosom, the last of whom now sleeps the sleep of death and whose remains repose in their vicinity, and is yet the abode of the tender pledges of her love, on whom she doted with all the hopeful fondness of a most affectionate mother.
In casting our eyes over the extended plain which stretches far to the north, and is finally lost in the distance, herds of Buffalo are seen quietly feeding on the bounties of nature; droves of wild horses are seen gamboling over the swells, and ever and anon herds of noble bucks are bounding over the prairies; net that they deserve to be thus chased and hunted down by their neighbors, but for the same reasons that sometimes operate on the minds of the best and bravest of civilized men, who are compelled to retreat for a time, or fall victims, to ruthless plum- derers of lucre and reputation, who often possess sufficient hypocracy to conceal the most envious malignity and grossest acts of turpitude, under a show of justice and law. Such are cowardly, dasterdly and ignoble, villains, without one redeeming quality, and are more dangerous, but unworthy to be compared to the bold outlaw who robs
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without disguise, when he is in need, and seeks redress for wrongs in the face of day.
There are many other animals, and many of the feath- ered tribe, who occupy a vast extent of country to the north and west from here, extending to the 42nd degree of north latitude, parallel with the State of Massachusetts: here and there the plains and forests are sprinkled with the villages and wigwams of the red men and rightful owners of the country, who subsist principally by the chase, and who display remarkable dexterity in kidnapping and subduing wild horses, buffalo, &c.
The laso is the harbinger of misery and servitude, in the republic of Horses, and exercises as pernicious an in- fluence there, as the stratagems of wily demagogues, or, the heartless devices of money worshipers, often do in the republics of men.
This instrument, the lazo, is a long, strong, cord, made of raw hide, with a noose at one end; and while the fated animals are trotting around, and gazing at, and per- haps admiring the painted face and nodding plume of the enemy, the lazo is suddenly thrown at the best within reach, and with all the certainty of a rifle ball, fastens itself around the head and throat of the victim; the noble animal is enraged and makes desperate efforts to escape, but it is now too late, and all his energies only serve the more firm- ly to rivet his chains and deprive him of breath; the wily Indian now approaches by slow degrees, his countenance indicating the fiendish malignity sometimes seen in paler faces, when winding their invisible cords around, and se- i curing their superiors who have confided where there was no honor, and at one bound he leaps upon the back of the captured horse, loosens the cord, and off dashes the noble steed with the swiftness of the wind. Like every thing else, he is at length exhausted and submits with apparent
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resignation to be led by the pirate, and is most generally so completely subdued, that he resists no more.
Some few of these horses are noble animals indeed, but among them there is a great variety, embracing every grade, from first rate down to the little scrub of Mustang, scarcely worth possessing. They are all of noble ances- try, their forefathers, having been reared in Arabia and brought to these wilds by Spaniards, in early times: but much like other noble ancestor's posterity, they have degenerated in proportion to the increase. To the south west, the river San Bernard is distinctly traced by the rolling highlands, covered with cedar and pine, and the interme- diate country dotted over with clusters of live oak, pecan and magnolia. This river may hereafter afford some facilities for commerce, and will probably be ascended some fifty miles with small Steam Boats; but at present there is no use for them, and few traces of civilization along its margin.
Beyond this, the Caney creek country is descried by the woody fringe that skirts its banks; and if we could more closely view it, would doubtless find as rich soil as there is any where in the country; but like every where else, nature has divided her gifts here, and where there is the most luxuriant soil there are also the seeds of disease. musquetoes and other insects to annoy us, and a bad sup- ply of wholesome water.
By a stretch of vision to the south, the fertile lands of the La Bacca and Navadad rivers may be seen. These handsome little rivers come nearly from the same source, and appear unwilling to travel alene; but after many freaks of receding and approaching, like two fond lovers, they are at length united, and glide off together into Matagorda Bav.
In turning to the north east, something much resem-
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Lling an irregular cloud is dimly seen. This is a skirt of woodland from 2 to 12 miles wide, called the cross tim- bers, and stretches from the Colorado to the Trinity river, in Eastern Texas. Whether this was once the beach of a mighty lake or sea we must leave to the geologist to determine.
On and beyond this there are appearances of minerals of several kinds, and even at the foot of this towering pile, on which we stand, there is a rich bed of bituminous coal, which at some distant day will furnish fuel for Dr. Nott's stoves in the cities below, and also for Steamers and Manufactories. All the region near the Peak of Otter, affords a full supply of pure spring water and an abundance of timber for a long time to come; but such is the extent of view from here, that much of the country that can be seen is comparatively destitute of these necessary articles; and should such localities ever be inhabited, rain collected and preserved in cisterns will be the most wholesome be- verage attainable; and timber brought from a distance or planted on the spot will be the only source of supply.
Partly within our view from this Peak is the hunting grounds of the Camanches, Kickapooes, Shawnees, Vo- loskies, Bedies, Wakoos and Cronks. The first mention- ed, of which is the most numerous, powerful and warlike of all the Southern tribes, are uncommon fine looking men and women; some of them exhibiting the most perfect symmetry united with a muscular and athletic frame; the countenances strongly marked, indicative of intelligence and generosity; while that of others bespeak the wily knave, and cunning lurks in every feature.
These men are perhaps the best horsemen in the world; a fact of which they appear to be aware, and they pride themselves upon their feats of agility, their strength and
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numbers, and more than afl, upon their prowess and hos- pitality. Were this tribe provoked to hostilities, or induc- ed to believe that peace was not for their interest and honor, the present population of Texas would be exter- minated and their homes made desolate in a brief space of time. So, ye wise ones, beware.
Armed with a rifle, sabre and shield, they mount the fleetest horse, and while in the act of loading their piece throw themselves so completely on the opposite side from an adversary, that nothing but one foot and that locked about the horse's withers can be seen; in the twinkling of an eye they are erect and fire with fatal effect while at full speed.
The lance is used in close combat, and is handled with a skill and dexterity that would astonish a scientific tutor of sword exercise; and the shield of an oval shape which is made of the thickest part of the neck of Buffalo skin, serves to protect them from the shots or thrusts of an enemy.
There are fine traits to be seen in the leading charac- ters of these people, for although they sometimes amuse themselves at the expense of the property and nerves of the pale faces, and display a taet and celerity in their movements that would reflect no discredit upon the most renowned veterans in such service, yet they mostly are honest in their intercourse with the whites, and would scorn an act of perfidy, particularly in small affairs; they are kind, open and liberal to strangers, and at once brave and generous to a fault.
They have learned, too, the value of a peaceful com- merce, and are probably aware that their wants can be supplied with as little labor, less risk and more honour, by exchanging their horses, butlalo skin, and other peltry, and their Mexican gold and silver for supplies, than by
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the barbarous mode of plundering; and to a question which I asked one of their head men, he replied in a man- ner that would have done honour to the most refined states- man of the age.
White Bear-(that was his name) said I, "Do you love Americans, and is there now, and likely to continue, a good understanding between your young men and our pale brothers in Texas?"
The old man paused-for be it known these people never interrupt a person when speaking, until they are sure the speaker is through and waiting for an answer. He was in this instance an aged chief, whose locks were silvered over by the frosts of many winters; and grasping in the most friendly manner my right hand, " Barbashela *- White Bear, Camanche, not want to kill pale faces while their brothers give us powder, blankets, fire-water and all we want, and Camanche not want to make Great Spirit angry, for he smell pale faces blood when we kill them." Then laying his left hand on his heart in a man- ner that proclaimed his sincerity, he hastily turned away.
Their women are perfect daughters of Eve in the gar- den of Eden, at least as far as the apron is concerned, for this, in warm weather, is the only article of wearing ap- parel used, and among the daughters of the principal chiefs, particularly the most comely, this badge is dispensed with; and they ride, dance and sing in all the elegant simplicity of true children of nature, displaying such graceful forms and delicate proportions as might well be envied by many of our fair city belles adorned with a profusion of silks, paints, and artificial curls. It is a somewhat remarka- ble fact, as yet there has been less blood shed in collisions between Indians and Americans in Texas than has attend- ed the spread of our own or similar institutions in any other
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portion of the Continent, Pennsylvania excepted ; but it will in future require wise councils, and a consummate degree of prudence and energy to conciliate and keep in check the numerous tribes by which the country is in part surrounded, and to which large additions are constant- ly making by the policy of the U. States government.
If these northern barbarians, like the Goths and Vandals elsewhere, of old, do not at some future period desolate the fair plains of Texas, she will be fortunate indeed, and the lone Star, the emblem of the country, may in time, shed a mild and effulgent light-
The lone Star on your banner, Long may it shed A light for the living And honours for the dead.
When the country around the Peak of Otter shall be transformed into cultivated fields, and the dome of a semi- nary of learning shall greet the eye of the spectators, as do the proportions of the University of Virginia ; when treading the hallowed ground of Monticello, the Athens of Texas, will have been founded, the salutary influence of which will cover the land.
But this if ever done, must necessarily be a work of time, and the pioneers of the country can only hope to level the ground, and their children, or perhaps grand children, to lay the foundation of an edifice which a suc- ceeding generation will build on and complete.
I have recently stood by the grave of Thomas Jeffer. son : this is marked by a small obelisk of granite, and o plain marble slab by his side, which tell of the last resting place of his bosom companion on earth ; on each of these there are simple, but affecting inscriptions significant of the character of the man when alive. The cemetery is
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surrounded by a low stone wall, enclosing nine deposito- ries of the dead.
The mansion is a noble structure, combining elegance and utility with strength, and has for its model an ancient Castle in the highlands of Scotland, a handsome portico on two sides of the edifice, is studded with large but beau- tiful columns. The apartments are neatly finished and yet in good order ; but the ground and out-houses have been much neglected, and the property is now owned and occupied by a Jew! a Capt. Levi, of the U. States Navy.
The road from Charlottsville, leads a circuitous ascent of about two miles up the miniature mountains, to the mansion and grave of Jefferson. On entering the gate, several roads diverge to various directions through a hand- somne grove, winding to the summit on which the house stands ; and at a short distance within the grove, rest the remains of the sage of Monticello.
Here, when surveying the extensive country within view, with its red land farms, and comfortable mansions, the lovely little Ravana meandering in the distance, the smiling town of Charlottsville, teeming with life and ani- mation, at the base of the classic mountain, the long range of colonades and stately edifices, which are the labora- tories of genius and talent, the mind was irresistably borne back to the time when this highly improved country was as that now is, surrounding the Peak of Otter, in Texas; the hunting ground of the red man and the home of un- instructed nature in the forest.
If it is invariably true, then that like causes produce the same effects. the road for the inhabitants of Texas to travel is plain ; keeping always before them the fact, that man to be civilized must be instructed; that our arts and @ ut arins are but messengers of mischief in unskilful han Is, and that there is no state of society so insufferably bad
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as that of semi-barbarians, who have learned our vices, but not enough of civilization to comprehend or practice its virtues.
Let education be complete, Or the end in view will meet defeat.
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Is this a digression from the subject matter of the work ? No; in the language of a celebrated Roman patriot, "I am a man, and therefore interested in the welfare of man- kind"-and who that is not entrenched in narrow, con- tracted, and bigoted feelings can fail to feel the force and majesty of the noble Roman's remark and under in- fluences which it tends to excite, not find his senses chas- tened and his mind expanded and exalted. Such a senti- ment comprehends the vast results of intellectual achieve- ments ; all the moral attributes of our nature, all the finer emotions and benevolent duties, of life in the family cir- cle, as well as the zenith of patriotism in the love of our species and country.
The man who is indifferent to the condition of society, who takes no interest in the daily accumulating means brought into action. for its amelioration and improvement, is not only a useless drone but a positive burden on the community who receive from him no aids or benefits while he is reaping rewards from the labour of others, without bearing any of the heat or burdens of the day. Such lethargy of soul, whether real or affected, that many ex- hibit to every thing around them, save only their indi vidual, but short sighted interest, is highly criminal in every rational being, and particularly so in an American citizen, and need not be expected in the conduct of one who has undertaken the task of instruction, and who is the natural and responsible guardian for those who are to mingle for good or for evil in the busy world, when I
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sleep with my fathers. I do not, however, indulge the vain hope of pleasing every one ; I am only determined to aim at nothing short of what I believe to be the duty of every good citizen, and shall remain better satisfied in defeat when pursuing a proper end than I could possi- bly experience when enjoying the most triumphant suc- cess purchased by a conscious degradation, or in any way attained by ignoble means.
Who then can promise even himself any permanent happiness when he does not feel a single impulse for the prosperity of his fellow man ; who when not surrounded by favourable circumstances for the cultivation of the finer feelings of our nature, find the buds of promised happiness blasted, the source of his delight dryed up, and a dreary vacuum left around his heart, to say nothing of that natural instinct which prompts us to love those, to whom we are bound by ties of friendship and kindred blood ; and if any there be who have not felt its holy in- fluence, but are strangers to every emotion growing out of the association, I envy not their feelings.
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If pleasure dwells unmixed below the skies, " Such pleasure must from sacred friendship rise; Of all which animates the human frame, 'Tis the noblest ardour and the purest tlame.
Learn then, my reader, to toil for this end, That you may earn the kindness of a friend; Not his shadow-that is gained as soon as sought, And quite as easy lost, without a fault.
Then should you miss the noble prize, The sad defeat-will make you wise; Defeat itself when thus employed, Is happiness to be enjoyed.
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So extended is the view from the summit of the Tex- as Peak of Otter that it necessarily embraces a consider- , able portion of country in a south western direction that
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will never be worth cultivating, and within these limits mere are wet and marshy prairies, that teem with poisonous reptiles, and swarm with insects of every variety of and noying powers, and wo be to the weary traveler and his jaded horse if he be found there of a summer's day com- pelled to inhale the poisonous vapors.
Again there are localities in sight here that are infested with worse than savage white men, many of whom are fugitives from justice, and have found an asylum here where legal retributive justice cannot overtake them .- To my mind, beings capable of enjoying the delights of social intercourse could not be doomed to worse punish- ment than to spend a life among these lawless and depraved wretches, composed as they mostly are, of the most des- perate characters from the four quarters of the globe.
Yet among such degraded of God's creatures as congre- gate here, something useful may be learned, and my own short intercourse among this part of the population of Texas, has convinced me that it is a school that would teach useful lessons to some of our would be wise ones if it did not lead to improvements in the enacting and ad- ministration of our laws, and cause our law givers, Judges and others at the head of affairs, to do what is right in place of what is popular.
In short, there are men in Texas who have been driven there by the vengeance of authority in place of equity and justice, and by the machinations of worse men than them- -selves; and in many cases the shock to their feelings and their after intercourse with the vicious have completely undone them ; and as a necessary consequence they become use- less drones, if not mortal enemies to their own species-1 curse to themselves and their country and friends.
It was once my lot to sleep in an Inn where from some casual gathering, I was brought in contact with 14 men,
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all of whom acknowledged freely that they had absconded from their native country, and were drawn into Texas as a last resort. This congregation of characters were novel to me, and feeling some interest in their history, I obtained, as I believe, a substantially correct account of all the material facts, which for the information of the reader, I will narrate in the succeding chapter.
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CHAPTER IV.
To reckless spirits journeying from afar,
' 'Tis Texas yet presents a Polar Star; By misfortune, crime and oppression driven, From every State and Kingdom under heaven.
I will never consent to cater for a morbid appetite, or to minister to a corrupt heart, and the subject of this Chap- ter is unfolded from motives foreign to any such purpose: on the contrary, I am influenced solety by a desire of imparting such information as I deem of importance, and such as I hope more of my countrymen will profit by than will ever pitch their tents in the republic of Texas.
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