USA > Texas > A pictorial history of Texas, from the earliest visits of European adventurers, to A.D. 1879. Embracing the periods of missions, colonization, the revolution the republic, and the state; also, a topographical description of the country together with its Indian tribes and their wars, and biographical sketches of hundreds of its leading historical characters. Also, a list of the countries, with historical and topical notes, and descriptions of the public institutions of the state > Part 10
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During the summer of 1826, Hayden Edwards visited the United States to bring on more colonists. In his absence his brother, Benj. F. Edwards, had charge of the colony. Learning that serious charges had been forwarded
160
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
to Governor Blanco, affecting his brother, Benjamin Edwards wrote to the Governor, denouncing the charges in pretty severe terms. In answer to this epistle, Blanco, on the 20th of October, sent a reply of which the following is a translation of the concluding paragraph : "In view of such proceedings, by which the conduct of Hayden Edwards is well attested, I have decreed the annulment of his contract, and his expulsion from the territory of the Republic, in discharge of the supreme orders with which I am invested. He has lost the confidence of the Government, which is suspicious of his fidelity ; besides it is not prudent to admit those who begin by dictating laws as sovereigns. Ifto you or your constituent, these measures are unwelcome and prejudicial, you can apply to the Supreme Government; but you will first evacuate the country, both yourself and Hayden Edwards ; for which purpose I this day repeat my orders to that department-in the execution of which, as they will expel all evil-doers, so they will extend full protec- tion to those of worth, probity and useful skill, that have settled therein, and are submissive to the laws and consti- tuted authorities." This is signed BLANCO. and certified by Juan Antonio Padilla, Secretary of State.
When this executive decree reached Nacogdoches, Hayden Edwards had returned. He had expended several thousand dollars in bringing colonists to the country, and of course felt chagrined at this arbitrary and illegal proceeding. Some of his colonists, too, had expended considerable sums in rendering their homes comfortable. And notwithstanding the statement in the decree, that citizens would be protected in their rights, the old Mexicans trumped up claims to all the improved lands ; and Norris, the Alcalde, issued orders to put them in possession, while James Gaines, his father-in-law, had originated a company of regulators to enforce their fraudulent claims.
The Indians also, who had settled in the neighborhood, under the provisions of the colonization law, were dissatis-
161
THE FREDONIANS.
fied, as no provision had been made to give them titles to their land. The most influential chiefs of these tribes were Richard Fields and John Dunn Hunter, both half- breeds. Under the excitement of the moment, the Edwards party entered into a league with the dissatisfied Indians, forming an alliance offensive and defensive. They first declared their independence of the United Mexican Nation, and next divided the territory of Texas between them, giving the Indians in the country, and to enter the territory, all the country north of a point a little above Nacogdoches, and westward to the Rio Grande; and the whites, the coast of Texas. Slavery was to be established in both. This was duly signed on the 20th of December. The follow- ing names were appended to this declaration : Hayden Edwards and Harmon B. Mayo, on the part of the Amer- icans, and Richard Fields and John Dunn Hunter, on the part of the Indians. The allied parties assumed the name of Fredonians, and proceeded at once to organize a legisla- tive committee, composed of the following members: Americans-Martin Darmer, President ; Hayden Edwards, F. B. Ligon, John Sprow, B. F. Thompson, Joseph A. Huber, B. W. Edwards and H. B. Mayo. Indians- Richard Fields, John Dunn Hunter, Ne-Ko-Lake, John Bags and Kurtoke. Learning that Col. Bean, the Mexican Indian agent, at Fort Teran, was preparing to resist their movements, the Fredonians took posession of the old stone house at Nacogdoches. Bean, however, awaited the arrival of reinforcements from San Antonio. One of the first acts of the legislative body was to depose the Alcalde Norris. Norris hastily collected a few friends, and on the 4th of January, 1827, entered the town and took a position behind some other buildings. Here they were attacked by about twenty Americans and Indians from the fort, and driven off, with a loss of one killed and several wounded After this action, B. W. Edwards was elected commander of the Fredonians.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
The Fredonians had miscalculated the spirit of Austin's colonists. They expected, from them, a hearty co-operation. In this, they were sadly disappointed. Again, they had been deceived as to the feelings among the Indians. True, Fields and Hunter were faithful to their treaty, but Bean had detached the great body of the tribe from the alliance, and the result was, that both the faithful half- breeds were assassinated by the Indians whose welfare they were laboring to promote. When news of the organization of the Edwards party reached Bexar, Saucedo dispatched Colonel Mateo Anumada with 200 soldiers, to suppress the insurrectionists. At San Felipe he was reinforced by a company of Austin's colonists. Seeing the hopelessness of maintaining the Fredonian cause against such odds, Major Edwards and his party retired across the Sabine.
Anumada, on reaching Nacogdoches, took possession of the place, and captured a few of Edwards' partizans. . It was fortunate for them, that Colonel Austin was along; other- wise they would have shared the usual fate of prisoners, captured by the Mexican soldiers. As it was, they were at Austin's solicitation released. This clemency, so unexpected, brought to Anumada a letter from B. W. Edwards, of which the following is an extract : "Your kind, your friendly and generous deportment towards my friends and fellow soldiers, while prisoners of yours, entitles you and the officers under your command to the expression of my thanks, and has insured to you and them a distinction in our hearts, that will ever separate you from the rest of your countrymen who have oppressed us." (See sketches of Edwards, Fields, Hunter, etc.)
BOWEN'S BEND, SAN ANTONIO RIVER.
CHAPTER III.
OTHER CONTRACTS-THORN-LEFTWICH-DE WITT-DE LEON-AUSTIN'S SECOND CON- TRACT, AND OTHERS FROM 1825 TO 1830-SETTLEMENT ON RED RIVER-IN THE SOUTH-EAST-GALVESTON BAY COMPANY-IN THE SOUTH-WEST.
HE prosperity of Austin's colony, and the favorable provisions of the general colonization law, induced a number of persons to apply for empresario grants. On the 15th of April, 1824, three applications were filed for con- tracts. Frost Thorn proposed to introduce 400 families ; Robert Leftwich, 800; and Green De Witt, 400. And on the 27th of April, S. F. Austin took an additional contract for the introduction of 500 families. October 6th, Martin DeLeon took a contract for forty-one families.
In 1826-January 12th, Benjamin R. Milam took a con- tract for 200 families ; March 9th, Arthur G. Wabell took a contract for 400 families ; May 27th, Stephen J. Wilson for 200; December 22d, Joseph Vehelin & Co., for 300; December 22d, David G. Burnet, for 300.
1826-November 14th, John L. Woodbury, for 200.
1827-May 21st, John Cameron took a contract for 100 families ; and on the 20th of November, S. F. Austin added 100 families to his previous contracts.
1828 .- February 9th, John Cameron took a second contract for 299 families ; February 23d, Exter & Wilson, for 100 families; November 17th, Joseph Vehelin & Co., for 100 additional families.
1829-February 6th, John Dominguez, for 200 families ; March 12th, Lorenzo de Zavalla for 500 families ; and April 30th, Martin DeLeon for 150 additional.
166
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
In 1830, Thomas J. Chambers and J. A. Padilla took a contract, February 12th, for introducing 800 families.
The granting of so many contracts proves conclusively that the legally constituted authorities were anxious to see Texas settled. The boundaries of these grants were not very accurately defined ; and some of the empresarios failed to even make an effort to introduce their quota of immi- grants. Austin, alone, succeeded in nearly filling all his contracts, introducing more families than all the other empresarios. His later contracts authorized him to settle a colony above the old San Antonio road, on the east side of the Colorado River ; and also on the littoral coast leagues, that had been previously reserved from location. The Leftwich grant was also in the jurisdiction of the Brazos department. Leftwich had brought out a few families, when he returned to Tennessee to make arrangements to complete his work, where he died. A company called the Nashville Company was organized, and Sterling C. Roberston and Alexander Thomson came out with some families to settle
the colony. Robertson had difficulty with some of the Mexican officials at Nacogdoches, and in 1831, the authori- ties revoked the privileges of the Nashville Company, and the same territory was assigned to Austin & Williams. Mr. Robertson visited Saltillo in 1834 and procured a renewal of his contract, and was successful in settling his colony. (See Robertson, S. C.)
There were three contracts in the upper part of the juris- diction of Nacogdoches : Filisolas', Milam's and Wabell's. Milam, in conjunction with Wabell, introduced a number of families who became permanent settlers, on the south side of Red River. The Federal Congress had given him a headright league, which in consequence of his invaluable services to the Republican cause had been increased to eleven leagues. Milam located his land, and started a ranch, but unfortunately he went too far to the east, and when the boundary line was run, found his land in Miller county,
167
WALL STREET SPECULATION.
· Arkansas. He abandoned that location for one farther west.
Higher up on Red River, and outside of any regular jurisdiction, were the grants of Cameron, Exter & Wilson and Woodbury. At an early period one of these English companies sent a party of surveyors across from Santa Fe, to survey and sectionize the land preparatory to settlement. The party established an initial point on the Brazos River, and started north, surveying and marking off the land on each side of their base line. But the Indians were found hostile, and when the surveyors reached the Canadian River and the Wichita Mountains, they were finally driven off, and the colonists never came to occupy the land.
The contracts of Burnet, Vehelin, and Zavalla, in the lower part of the municipality of Nacogdoches, passed into the hands of some New York capitalists, who, in the lan- guage of Burnet, converted it into a Wall-street speculation. It is possible the purchasers did not fully understand the privileges and restrictions of empresarios. At any rate they formed "the Galveston Bay Company," and issued scrip for 6,210,300 acres of land. The scrip was worthless in Texas, where every immigrant was entitled to a league of land; but in New York it sold for from one to two cents an acre. It is said this company expended $50,000 in preparations to settle their colony. They selected the town of Anahuac for their headquarters. When Bradburn become commander at Anahuac, and exercised his despotism, the population fled, and the bubble of the " Galveston Bay Company " exploded.
Three of the grants were in the jurisdiction of Goliad : DeLeon's, Powers' and McMullin & McCloine's. Mr. DeLeon was already in his colony, having established a ranch at Victoria, on the Guadalupe River. The colonists introduced by McMullin & McCloine were mostly Irish, and settled on the Nueces River, forming the county of San Patricio. Powers introduced a few families on the bay of Copano.
168
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
De Witt's colony was in the Bexar jurisdiction. This grant was on the Guadalupe River, and formed the nucleus of De Witt and Gonzales counties.
Milam's second grant was on the San Marcos River. Beale was interested with him, and the contract was sold to the Baring Brothers of London.
The accompanying map will give a tolerably accurate idea of the location of the different colonies, the old thor- oughfares, the location of different towns, rivers, etc., and the three departments into which Texas was divided in 1834.
Beside these colonies in the province of Texas, of which the Nueces was then the western boundary, in 1833-4, an English colony was attempted on a creek named Las Moras, and a village laid out, ominously named Dolores. The English immigrants, unused to a frontier life, did not long remain in the dolorous settlement.
.
CHAPTER IV.
CIVIL ADMINISTRATION-GOVERNORS-LAND COMMISSIONERS-ALCALDES' DISTRICTS -AYUNTAMIENTOS-POLITICAL CHIEFS OF DEPARTMENTS-STATE CONGRESS- REFLECTIONS ON COLONIZATION-ALMONTE IN THE PROVINCE-HIS REPORT- DISTURBING ELEMENTS-TAXATION-SLAVERY-TEXAS COVETED BY THE UNITED STATES.
AVING given a list of the colonial grants, and brief notes of the progess of settlements, we will now turn our attention to the civil administration of the country. Under Mexican rule the government was personal. The Governor was appointed by, and responsible to, the federal executive; still subordinate, however, to the military commander at Monterey. The following is a list of the Governors of the province : In 1822, Trespelacios ; 1823, Luciana Le Garcia. Up to this time Texas was a province by itself, and the Governor resided at San Antonio. By the Constitution of 1824, Texas was temporarily attached to Coahuila, and Saltillo became the capital. In 1825, Rafael Gonzales was Governor; 1826, Victor Blanco ; 1828, Jose Maria Viesca; "1831, Jose Maria Letona ; 1834, Francisco Vidauri y Villasenor. The military command- ers at Monterey were, in 1820, Anastasio Bustamente ; in 1822, Phillip Le Garcia ; 1830, Mier y Teran.
In Austin's colony, the people enjoyed all their rights and privileges for a number of years, without molestation. For six years they were exempt from taxation ; the govern- ment gave them a liberal grant of land, and those dissatis- fied with their first locations were permitted to change. Austin exercised the functions of civil and military ruler, and up to 1828, those of Superior Judge. Samuel M.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
Williams, the secretary of the colony, and the various surveyors and the land commissioners afforded to the colonists every facility for locating and securing titles to their land.
Under the general colonization law, the land commis- sioner was an important functionary. He not only issued land titles, but established ferries, organized new Alcaldes' districts, and inducted the new officers; laid out towns, and in conjunction with the empresario, exercised a general supervision over the colonies. *
. Under Spanish rule, San Antonio, Nacogdoches and Goliad had enjoyed the rank of "Presidios," or county seats. In 1822, during Austin's absence in Mexico, two Alcaldes' districts, those of the Brazos and the Colorado, were formed in his colony. These had increased to seven in 1827. In 1828 all the Alcaldes in a municipality met three times a year and held a general court, called an Ayun- tamiento.
Texas, from its great distance from Saltillo, was practically without a governor ; and on the first of February, 1826, the office of political chief was created and Manuel de Saucedo appointed to the office. The chief received a salary of $800 a year; and was invested with both civil and military power. He could, at will, suspend the functions of civil officers ; arrest persons suspected of treasonable designs ; and call out and command the militia. Saucedo was suc- ceeded by Ramon Musquis. In 1834, two " Departments "
* The following were the principal Land Commissioners in the colonies: In Austin's colony in 1824, Baron de Bastrop ; 1828, Gasper Flores at Nacogdoches, in 1829, Juan Antonio Padilla, and in 1832, Francisco Maderis. At a later peri- od, George W. Smyth. Before any commissioner was appointed, the Alcaldes issued titles that the courts duly recognized; and at a later period the Alcaldes at liberty granted titles. Ferdinand De Leon was commissioner for De Leon's colony; Jose Antonio Navarro for Bexar district, and for Milam's colony on the San Marcos River; Jesus Vidauri for Power & Hewitson's colony; Charles S. Taylor for Zavalla and Vehelin's colony; George A. Nixon, for Burnet's, and William H. Steele, for Robertson's colony. In Austin's later contracts, he was empowered to issue titles in the absence of a commissioner.
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LAND COMMISSIONERS.
were formed, Bexar and Nacogdoches ; the line separating them was the dividing ridge between the San Jacinto and Trinity rivers. John N. Seguin was chief at Bexar, and Henry Ruiz at Nacogdoches. The next year the department of the Brazos was formed, and Henry Smith and James B. Miller were each for a time, political chiefs, at San Felipe.
When three departments were formed, a law was enacted providing for a Supreme Court, and for a District Court in each department. Thomas J. Chambers was appointed judge of the former, but never organized his court. David C. Burnet, judge of the Brazos district, was the only one who ever held a court.
During this period the law-making power was lodged in a representative body called the Congress of Coahuila and Texas. The members were not elected directly by the people, but by electors chosen for that purpose. Popular elections were always held on Sunday. To be eligible to a seat in Congress, the candidate, if not a native, must have resided eight years in the country; and must have an income of $1,000, or be worth $8,000.
By her population, Texas ought to have had four dele- gates in this body ; but the law gave her but two, and it is questionable if she ever had more than one member at a time. The action of Congress was frequently inimical to Texas, especially one of its last acts, a fraudulent sale of about four hundred leagues of Texas land. *
REFLECTIONS ON TEXAS COLONIZATION .- The history of frontier expansion in the United States shows that it is no easy task. In Texas the difficulties were very great. It was remote from other settlements-in a foreign country, with a government and institutions entirely different from those of the North ; and the country was pre-occupied by Indians. Considering all these circumstances, the success
* The following were Texas members of this Congress : Baron De Bastrop, Jose Antonio Navarro, Erasmo Seguin, Stephen F. Austin, James B. Miller, Oliver Jones, and Jose Antonio Vasques.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
of Austin and others in introducing Anglo-American colon- ists, was wonderful. If we inquire into the grounds of this success, we shall find it in the character of the men. They were brave, hardy, industrious men, self-helpful and self-reliant. They asked no favors of the government, and that government let them severely alone. Their stout arms cultivated their farms and protected their homes from the incursions of the savages. Volumes might be written, detailing instances of individual bravery-of hardships cheerfully endured by old and young, male and female colonists.
In 1834, Santa Anna sent his trusted lieutenant, Almonte, to examine Texas and report upon its progress. This report furnishes the most reliable data we have of the wealth and population at that time. Kennedy says of this report :
"The statistics of Almonte form the proudest testimonial to the labors of those fearless and persevering spirits who first rendered the golden glebe of Texas tributary to the enjoyments of civilized man." .
We give some extracts from Almonte's report :
"In 1806 the department of Bexar contained two municipalities; San Antonio, with a population of 5,000 souls, and Goliad with 1,400-total 6,400. In 1834 there were four municipalities, with the following population respectively :- San Antonio, 2,400 ; Goliad, 700; Victoria, 300; San Patricio, 600-total 4,000. Deducting 600 for the municipality of San Patricio, an Irish settlement, the Mexican population had declined from 6,400 to 3,400 between 1806 and 1834. The department of the Brazos, (Austin's and De- Witt's colonies) have the following municipalities: San Felipe, 2,500; Columbia, 2,100; Matagorda, 1,400; Gonzales, 900; Mina, 1,100-total 8,000; 1,000 of whom are negroes."
Let the reader observe that while the Mexican popula- tion of Bexar district had fallen off nearly one-half, the Anglo-American population had grown from nothing in 1820, to 7,000, exclusive of the negroes.
" The department of Nacogdoches contains four municipalities and four towns. Nacogdoches has a population of 3,500; San Augustine, 2,500; Liberty, 1,000; Jonesbury, 2,000; the town of Anahuac, 50; Bevil, 140; Teran 10; Tenaha, 100-total 9,000, of whom 1,000 are negrocs."
SANTA ANNA.
Fuchandson UN.
-
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DISTURBING ELEMENTS.
Almonte estimates that the department of the Brazos had 25,000, and that of Nacogdoches 50,000 head of cattle. The amount of the whole trade of Texas for the year 1834, he estimates as follows :
DEPARTMENTS.
IMPORTS.
EXPORTS.
TOTAL.
Bexar.
40,000
20,000
60,000
Brazos
325,000
275,000
600,000
Nacogdoches
265.000
205,000
470,000
· Contraband trade by water ..
270,000
1,400,000
Mr. Almonte estimated the whole population in 1834, at 36,300 ; of whom 21,000 were civilized and 15,300 Indians. Of the latter, 10,800 were represented as hostile and 4,500 friendly. Mr. Kennedy suggests that Almonte's estimate was too low, and that the Anglo-American population at that time amounted to 30,000, exclusive of the negroes.
DISTURBING ELEMENTS .- One of the most difficult ques- tions to adjust between the government and its people is that of Taxation ; how the government is to be sustained with the least pressure upon the pockets of the people. Colonists entering Texas were permitted to introduce all family supplies, and agricultural and mechanical imple- ments free of duty, and for six years no taxes were to be paid. From the foundation of Austin's colony, up to 1830-31, Texas had been free from custom houses and tax collectors. This exemption of so large a portion of the State impoverished the treasury at Saltillo so that many offices remained vacant because there was no money to pay the salaries. Every available resource was resorted to to increase the revenue ; even the cock-pits were taxed for the support of the government. The Texans enjoyed their exemption and appreciated it. It is, perhaps, due to truth, to state that they were not anxious to see assessors and collectors of taxes. In 1828, Mr. Austin had advised the Ayuntamiento of San Felipe to assess a tax to build a jail; but that body had refrained from exercising such an unwel- come authority. The period when many of the colonists
12
176
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
were by law exempt from taxation had now expired, and in 1830 the government took steps to collect taxes. This was not unreasonable, and the people would not have objected but for the means adopted to enforce the collec- tion. With the revenue officers came armed bands of soldiers, under officers clothed with dictatorial powers- powers which the liberty-loving Anglo-Americans dis- trusted. To collect reasonable, legitimate taxes, such troops were unnecessary.
The subject of negro slavery furnished another irritating question. In his first contract, Austin was authorized to introduce slaves, and even to give their masters an addi- tional tract of land for each one so introduced. This, however, was contrary to the general policy of Mexico, and the Constitution of Coahuila and Texas, promulgated March 11th, 1827, abolished slavery in the State. Through the influence of Austin, this was so far modified in its applica- tion to his colonists, that negroes were still introduced, under the name of Peons; the most of them having been passed through the custom-house at New Orleans, so that their masters, if they found it necessary to do so, could re-convey them to the United States. Almonte, who says these negroes were introduced under special arrangements, (Convenios particulares) estimates that in 1834 there were 2,000 in the province. There were probably twice that number. When Guerrero, in 1829, was invested with absolute power, he abolished slavery. The next year, President Bustemente prohibited the further introduction of slaves. These decrees did not set the negroes free, or arrest their introduction into the colony. Indeed, a few African negroes had been smuggled in. This induced the Convention of 1833 to pass a resolu- tion strongly denouncing the African slave trade. Many of Austin's colonists were from the Southern States of the American Union, and the more wealthy had brought their house servants and agricultural laborers with them; and
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FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO PURCHASE.
they were exceedingly jealous of any interference with their domestic institutions.
These irritating questions were not all on one side. The steps taken by the Fredonians at Nacogdoches had excited the suspicions of the Mexicans. Though they reposed unbounded confidence in Austin, they distrusted some of his colonists ; especially those who called and controlled public meetings, in which the measures of the government were freely commented on.
Again, the United States had manifested an undue solic- itude to gain possession of our fair province. Although the treaty negotiated by John Quincy Adams and De Onis, in 1819, had conceded Texas to Spain, when Mr. Adams became President, in March, 1825, one of the first acts of his administration was, through Mr. Clay, Secretary of State, to instruct the American Minister in Mexico to pro- cure the re-transfer of Texas to the United States. Two years later this proposition was repeated, when Mr. Poin- sett was authorized to offer a million of dollars for the country as far as the Rio Grande, or a half million for that east of the Colorado river. These offers were rejected, and after General Jackson became President, Mr. Van Buren, Secretary of State, renewed them ; this time proffering four millions of dollars for the territory east of the dividing line between the waters of the Rio Grande and the Nueces. If that could not be obtained, a proportionate sum was to be offered for the territory east of the Lavaca, or Colorado, or the Brazos rivers. None of these offers were for a moment entertained by the Mexican government. As most of the colonists in Texas were from the United States, the Mexicans were suspicious that they wished to return to their allegiance to that government, even if it required the transfer of the country which they had settled.
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