Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1850-10-12
Thrilling Incident of the Texan
War;

The tragedy of Nacog and the roman
tic incidents which led to the Texan war of In.
dependence, find their parallel only in the Ro-
man history of Lucretia and the elder Brutus.
Juan Costa was a person of geeat influence
and bravery in the wild forests; but he fell un.
der the displeasure of Santa Anna, and his mi.
nion, Pedras, the Commandant of Nacogdo.
ches, was sent to arrest him. He arrested his
father at the supper table, attended by his only
daughter, 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 if the daughter would consent
to sacrifice her innocence and honor. She re.
Jected the infamous proposition with blow in
the face; when the armed ruffian sworp horri.
Pee DE oath to execute his will on them both, and
With dark eyes, fearless, CLASSY, fixed as
those ola corpse, yet flashing double portion
of luminous fire, she mounted horse and hur-
ried away wildly around the country She
halted at every house, no matter whether Mex.
lean or American, and rehearsed, in tones of
thrilling horror, her fathers wrongs and her
own. All timid modesty, all weakness, had
vanished from her tongue, utterly consumed
by the scorching thirst of 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 liyid marks of the ravsher's fingers among
the mazes of those azure veins along the sur.
face of that expanse of snow, now polluted and
soiled, but before pure as the CLEAN of an an.
gels wings.
And still, wherever the beautiful maid wan.
dered, 9eafening yell Of wrath and vengeance
rose up against the tyrants. The people Of
both races and all classes flew to arms, appoint
ing a general rendezvous for the oath Of June,
at the residence of the absent and now impri-
soned Juan Costa.
1t was there debated by the people a. to the
mode of attack, and who should be their leader,
but nothing being agreed on, the whole assem-
blage bade fair to break up in confusion, when
tall and powerfully built stranger, who had
just entered Texas from the States, came for.
ward and addressed the multitude as follows:
81 am stranger, but am also man; and
owe my life, soul, body, health happiness, all
all TO woman-my mother! And il / turn
deaf ear to the prayers of an innocent woman,
asking my aid against villain, may both my
mother and my God curse me! 20 for
one, and, should you stay behind, alone to fight
Col. Pedras, and his armed ravishers Of your
wives and daughters"
The speech was received with three trau,en.
dous cheers, and then general shout that
seemed to shake the solid earth, uttered the
first peal of the revolution. "We will 20.
Death to the tyrants! Freedom for Texas,
and the giant shall be our leader"
And then for the first time was heard in the
land of the wild name destined to become an
echo to the pulsation of all hearts-the name
Of Thomas J. Rusk.
The next day he led his nav troops to the
attack of Nacogdoches, and stormed every po-
sition against immense odds. After an assault
Of four hours. the charge being dreadful on
both sides, 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 stead
lily increasing. without even a transitory
eclipse, or 80 much as cloud to dim its splen.
dor. In vain, for three years, Gen. Cos de-
manded his arrest. Mexico had not soldiers
enough to take him, and in 1866 he assisted
to chase the last of these out Of the country.
Afterwards he amassed fortune ct 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.