The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-10-22
An Intercstlng Incident.

80 u Il ., 4
The tr1gedy Of NOcogdoches, and the ro
mantle incidents which led TO the Texan
war Of Independence, and their parallel OH.
iy in ths Roman history of Lucre,ia and the
elder Brutus.
Juan Costa was person OF influence and
bravery in the wild forest, but be fell under
the diSpleasure Of Santa Anna, und his min.
ion, Pedrast, the commandant Of Nacogdo
ches, was senttO arrest f;im.. He orraatedI
the father at supper table, attended by his
only daughter, young girl Of surprising
: beauty and intelligence. He loaded him
with chains, and cast him ihio prison, not.
withstanding her tears aud cntr ctics. Fl.
4 nally he proposed to free the father il the
dOus htcr would consent to sacrifice her in.
nocence aud honor. She rel ,cted the infa.-
nous proposal with blow in the face. The
armed rufFan swore terrible oath to cxe.
cute his will OH them both.
! With dark eyes, fearless, fixed as those O!
corpse, yet flashing noble portion of lu.
minous fire, she mounted horse and hur.
ried away wildly around the country.
She hated at every house, no matter,
Mexican .er ,Afncricun, and rehearsed in
tones of thrilling horror, her falLer's wrongs
and her own.
All timid modesty, all weakness had van.
,ished from her tongue, utterly consumed BY
the scorching thirst for revenge. She pint.
ed in passion's fiery language, and with aw.
ful minuteness, the fuct of the damnng
deed. !. She barred her virgin bosom, and
showed the lvid marks Of the ravisher's
fingers among the azar veins along the sur.
face, CT snow, now SC polluted and soled,
but before as pure as the gleam Of an an.
gels wing. - y-.-;
And still, wherever the beautiful maid
wandered deafening yell of wrath and
vengeance rose mp against the tyrants.--
The people of both. races ,uGd all classes
flew to arms, appointing general rendez-
Vvug for the l4th Of jane ut the residence
of the absent and now imprisoned Juan
Costa. .. -# :. 20 u
1t was here debated by the people tie
mode of attack, nd who should be their
leader, but nothing being agreed on, the
whole assemblage bade fair to break up in
confusion; W hen q tall and powerfully built
's'rugger, who had ~ entered Texas from
the States. came forward and addressed tho
multitude. All.
, Il am stranger, but ON also man, and
owe my lie, soul. body, health, and happi.
ness, al.--alito woman-to my mother!-
and if turn deaf ear to the prayers of an
innocent woman, asking my aid against
villain, may both my mother and my, God
curse me! 1t you stay behind, 20 :or one
90 fsht Pedrast, and his armed ravishers Of
your wives and daughters'''' .-..
>, The speech was received with three tre-
tnendous cheers, and general shout that
seemed to shake the solid earth, uttered the
FIRST peal of the revolution.
! "We will 60! Death to the tyran,s.--
Freedom for Texas, and The giant shal te
our leader"
And then for the frst time was heard in
the land of the wild, the name destined to
become an echo to the pplsqtiop Of all hearts
the name Of Thomas J RuSk.
The next dqy he led his raw recruits t.
t the attack of N.ccgdoehes, and stormed ev.
: cry portion against immense odds. Aftc
3 the assault of four hours, the carnage bein!
, dreadful on both sides. Fortrnately plappa
the slain was the dead body of the ntrocou!
Pedrast. a.r .nn..
E Such was the debut of Rusk in Texas
t und 'rom that day his popularity has gone ol
. steadily increasing, with ,ut even trlnsito
= ry eclipse, or even so much as could dim it
: spleDdor. In vain for three years Gen. Go
n demanned his arrest. Mexico had not sol
e d;ers enotgh tc take him, and in 1856, h
: assisted to chase the last Of these out Q
the country. Afterwards he amassed for
tune at the Texan Bar; and was chosen on
= of the first, Senators of the new State an
nexed-a PLACE which he may hold for liz
il he wills it. -.y llama.