Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-09-30
RISE OF SENATOR RUsK.

The tragedy Of Nacogdoches, and the romantic
incidents which led to the Texan war Of Indepen-
deuce. find their parallel only in the Roman his
tory Of Lucretia and the elder Brutus. Juan Costa
was person Of great influence in the wild forests;
but he fell under the displeasure of Santa Anna,
and his minion Pedras, the commandment of Ma
cogdoches, was sent to arrest him. He arrested
the father at the supper table, attended by his
only daughter-a young girl of surprising beauty
and Intelligence. He loaded him with chains, and
cast him into prison, notwithstanding her tears and
entreaties Finally he proposed to free the father
il the daughter would consent to sacrifice her in
nooence and honor. She rejected the infamous
proposition with blow in the face; when the
armed ruffian swore horrible oath to execute
his will on them both and then
With dark eyes, fearless, CLASSY, fixed as those
Of corpse, yet flashing in double portion of H.
minous fire, she mounted horse and hurried away
wildly around the country. She halted at every
house, no matter whether Mexican or q American
and rehearsed, in tones of thrilling horror, her
fathers wrongs and her own. All timid modesty
all weakness had vanished from her tongue, utter
~ consumed by the searching thirst for vengeance
She painted in passions fiery language, and with
awful minuteness, the facts of the damning deed ;
she barred her virgin bosom and showed the livid
marks Of the ravisher's fingers among the azure
veins along the surface of that expanse Of snow,
now 30 polluted and soiled, but before as pure as
the CLEAN of an angels wing.
And still, wherever the beautiful maid wander
ed a deafening yell of wrath and vengeance rose
up against the tyrants The people Of both races
and all classes flew to arms, appointed place of
general rendezvous for the 24th of June, at the
residence of the absent and now imprisoned Juan
Costa.
1t was there debated by the people as to the
mode of attack and who should be their leader,
but nothing being agreed on the whole assemblage
bid fair to break up in confusion when tall and
powerfully built stranger, who had just entered
Texas from the States, came forward and adj
dressed the multitude as follows:
81 am stranger, but am also man, and
owe life, soul, body, health, happiness all-alI
tn woman-my mother! And i'll turn deaf
ear to the prayers Of an innocent woman asking
my aid against villain, may both my mother and
my God curse me! | 90 for one, and-should
you all stay behnd-alone to fight COL Pedras
and his armed Javishers of your wives and dauph-
ters!"
The speech was received with three tremen-
dous cheers, and then general shout that SEEM
ed to shake the solid earth, uttered the first peal
OF the revolution, "We will 60. Death to the
tyrantsl Freedom for Texas, and the giant shall
be our leader!''
And then for the first time, was heard in the
land of the wild oak, name destined to become
an echo to the pulsation of all hearts, the name of
Thomas j. Rusk.
The next day he led his raw troops to the at
tack of Nacogdoches, and stormed every position
sgainst immense odds, after an assault of four
hours, the carnage being dreadful on both sides;
and fortunately among the slain was the dead
body of the atrocious Ferdinand Pedras.
Such was the debut of Rusk in Texas; and
from that day his popularity has gone on steadily
increasing without even transitory eclipse or so
much as cloud to dim its splendor. In vain for
3years Gen. Cos demanded his arrest. Mexico
had not soldiers enough to take him, and in 1856
he assisted to chase the these out Of the coun
try. Afterwards he amassed fortune at the Texan
bar, and was chosen one of the first Senators of
the new State annexed-a place which he may
hold for life if he wills it.
Rusk is the only public man in Texas that has
never been engaged in duel; and for this sin
gular reason, SO honorable to himsef-he never
had personal enemy in the world. Toconclude,
he is Titan in physical force, with the loving
soul Of happy child. He is not distinguished
BY eoquence Of speech, but his laugh is sometimes
divine-the clear ring of heart sound to the very
centre.