Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1843-07-18
BIOGRAPHY OF MONROE ED,
WARDS

lucky, his father removed to Texas sew.
eral years prior TO the revolution which
separated il from Mexico, and died
there previous to that eVent-he WAS a
very respectable man, both in his hab-
ats, connexions and associations. Mon
roe received plain educatiOu in his
native State, snG commenced life in ear.
ly manhood in TeTas-he was not par
ticularly employed prior TO the ReVOIu-
ton, except at one time, as a clerk in
the counting house Of Morgan g. Reed,
who did business ut Galveston Bay-the
reputation be left with his employers
was by no means enViable, and but little
calculated to advance his interest in q
mercantile career IN that country. The
grand drama Of his eventful life, com
mencsd ia the winter Of '35- -'36-when
at the city Of New Orleans, he became
acquainted with Mr.. G. Dart, formerly
of Rodney, Miss, and having a firm in
the city of New Orleans, under the
style OfFranklin & Dart, and G. Dart g.
Co. Of Natchez.
Dart having become embarrassed, and
not having the means of paying his
debts, after revolving many means of
extricating, he at last fell upon the one
OF buying slaves in the Havanah, where
they were cheap in comparison with
the prices in the United States, and
settling them on plantation in Texas,
where the lands were only one Goth of
the price Of fine cotton lands in the
south west, and where the climate had
been represented 10 him peculiarly a.
dopted to the production Of the cotton
plant, in its greatest perfectiOn-from
which project he honestly expected in a
few years to realize ample means for
the extinguishment of his debts, and have
besides more than competency fol- his
wife and children. But there were diff
Gculties in the way-he was neither
practically or theoretically planter
nor had he any turn for that sort of bu-
siness. In addition 10 this, if he gave
personal attention TO the plantation, he
would have TO remove his family there,
deprive his children OF the advantages
of education, and expose his wife, who
was an amiable and accomplished wo-
man, 10 all the hardships and troubles
incident and iRseparable from piopeer
life; and in addition, if he assumed the
control and management ofthe property
in person, and had things in his name,
he might have been pursued by his cred
itors in the United States, and broken
up before he had time TO realize the very
means with which he expected to pay
them, and so defeat the very objset he
had in view.
At this stage OF his meditations he met
Monroe Edwards, who readily entered
into his plans, and promised an entire
devotion TO the success of the enterprise.
Edwards had no money, but in lieu
thereof he was to furnish talents, vigor,
enterprise, &C., and TO cover the propr
erty in bis own name. Dart furnished
at the outset $4,000 in gold and Uni.
ted States Bank bills, which were equiv.
alent at that time to specie, and they
left the city about the close Of the year
'35, for the Havanah, where Dart succeed,
ed in negotiating from the house Of
Knight & Co.'s loan of $S5 900, thus
swelling their cash capital to $S5, ,0O0.-
They bought and landed in Texas, on
the Brazos River, sometime in Februa-
ry '36, about 22O extremely likely
and valuable young negroes, none being
under 10 and very few over2O years Of
age. While in the Havanah an incident
occurred, which plainly indicated what,
in suitable field Of action, might be
the future career Of Edwards; not salts.
fed with the large gang Of negroes which
Mr.. Dart had fairly purchased for him,
he decoyed likely negro boy on board
Of the vessel, and there concealed him
with :he view Of kidnapping him; his
owner discovered it and was about TO
apply TO the authorities, when the thing
came TO the knowledge OfMr Dart, who
by great exertions hushed the matter
up, BY paying the sum of $l,7OO.
Arrived in Texas, Edwa rds pretended
to commence the business ofplanting.-
bought an Indifferent tract of land for
the section of country in which he pro-
posed to commence his labOrs, and at
very high price on a credit-be knew
nothing of planting, nor did he take the
requisite pains to inform himselt-nor
did he seem disposed to give the least
personal care or atts ntion TO the matter,
being seldom on the plantation himself,
and employing oVerseers not for their H.
deity and ability, but for their cheap
ness; but there was one thing which ne
did understand, however, and which he
lost no time in indulging in, and that was
splurging; he wore the best clothes, rode
the finest horses, and often travelled
with a servant; his appearance inlthe lit
tie villages in the country was sure to
produce senSatiOn, from the superiority
of bis equipments over common travel.
lers, Z nfst IIm
| He spent large portion Of9sach year