The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1857-11-19
! Story Of tBe &rontirr.
DEAF SMITH,
Mary b.
THE CELEBRATED TEXAN SPY.

About two years after the Texan rev
olution, difficulty occurred between
the new government and a portion of
the people, which threatened the most
serious cOnsequenccs-even the blood
shed and horrors Of civil war. Briefly
the cause was this:
The constitution had fixed the city
of Austin as the permanent capital
where the public archives were to be kept
with the reservation, however, of pow
er in the President to order their tempo
rary removal, in case of danger from
the inroads of foreign enemy, or the
force of sudden insurrectional emer-
gency had arrived, and as the Canaan
ehes frequently committed ravages with
in sight of the capital itself, Houston,
who then resided at Washington, on the
Brazos, dispatched an order command
ing the State records to the latter place,
which he declared to be (pro tempore)
the scat of government.
1t is impossible to describe the stormy
excitement which the promulgation of
this fat raised in Austin. The keepers
of hotels, boarding. houses, groceries,
and faro banks, were thunder-struck,
maddened to frenzy, for the measure
would be death blow to their prosper
ity in business; and, accordingly, they
determined at once to take the necessa-
ry steps to avert the danger, by oppos-
ing the execution of Houstons man
date. They called mass meeting of
the citizens and farmers of the cir
cumjaeent country, who were all more
or less interested1infths QUESTION; and
after many fiery speeches against the
inserted tyranny of the administration,
it was unanimously resolved to prevent
the removal of the archives, by open
and armed resistance To that end,
they organized a company of four hund
red mon, one noiety of whom, reliev-
ingthe other at regular periods Of duty
should keep constant guard around the
State House, until the peril passed by.
The commander of this force was one
Colonel Morton, who had achieved con-
siderable renown in the war of iudepen-
denee, and had still more recently dis
played the greatest bravery in two des
perate duels, in both of which he had
cut his antagonists nearly to pieces with
his bowie-knife. Indeed, from the no
torioty of his character for revenge, AS
we'll as courage, it was thought that
President Houston would reDounce his
purpose, touching the archives, so soon
as he should learn who was the leader
Ofthe opposition.
Morton, on his part, whose vanity
fully equaled his personal prowess, en-
eoqraged and justified the prevailing
opinion, by his boastful threats. He
sWOre that If the President did succeed
in removing the records by the march
of an overwhelming force, he would
then, himself, hunt him down like a
wolf and shoot him with as little cere.
mohy, or stab him in his bed, or way
lay him in his walks of recreation. He
even wrote the hero of San Jacinto 10
that effect. The latter replied in a note
Of laconic brevity: .t'..t y
ssHIf the people of Austin do not
send the archives, l shall certainly
come aud take them; and ifCol Morton
can kill me, he's welcome to my ear-cap!"
On the reception of this answer, the
guard was doubled around the State
House. Chosen sentineis were station
cd along the road leading TO the capi-
Cal, the military paraded the streets from
morning till night, and select caucus
held permanent session in the city hall.